Following a tradition first established in 2020, I’m celebrating the holidays today with the opening of gifts. These packages come in the form of seasonal K-pop tracks not yet reviewed on the blog.
Like last year, I’m either keeping the gifts or planning to return them. Nothing this year is objectively bad, but I only have so much room on my holiday playlist so I have to be a bit picky.
A.C.E. – Christmas Love
This is actually jauntier than I would have expected it.
Verdict: Keep
Apink – Pink Christmas
This ticks off a lot of the boxes you’d expect. It’s nothing amazing, but I’ll take it.
Verdict: Keep
BOL4 – Snowball
I prefer a more festive Christmas. This is a bit too moody for me.
Verdict: Return
CLASS:y – Winter Bloom
Oh yes, here come the sleigh bells! Other than that, this sounds like a typical fourth-gen girl group track, but I’ll keep it. The chorus is good.
Verdict: Keep
Fantasy Boys – Christmas Day
I like the sleigh bells, but there’s not much of a song here.
Verdict: Return
Hwang Chi Yeul – Beautiful Winter
The melody has strong Sweetune vibes. I’m digging it!
Verdict: Keep
IVE – Payback
This was already included on their most recent album. It’s an above average b-side that works well for the season but could also be played all year long.
Verdict: Keep
Jeon Somi x Big Naughty – Ex-Mas
This isn’t for me.
Verdict: Return
Lucy – Over The Christmas
I’m keeping anything Lucy gift me, but this is kind of dull.
Verdict: Keep, but rarely use
NINE.i – Back To Christmas
I like this festive kind of sound. The melodies could be stronger, but I’ll add this to my playlist.
Verdict: Keep
Palmtree Island Artists – My Christmas Wish
I always love these agency holiday tracks. This is so cheesy but that’s kind of what makes it fun. It’s very Disney sounding.
Verdict: Keep
PLAVE – MERRY PLLIstmas
Yep, it takes a Christmas feature for me to finally write about PLAVE. Surprisingly, this is one of the stronger tracks in this round-up!
Verdict: Keep
Rocky – Christmas Dance
This is fine but doesn’t really do anything for me.
Verdict: Return
Ryeowook – Lingering
Nice mood music that would fit right alongside the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. I’d rather listen to that, though.
Verdict: Return
Xodiac – First Snow
The jaunty parts are good. The song drags a bit in the middle, though.