The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday.
To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2024 and Nov. 30th, 2025.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
40. NouerA – N (Number Of Cases)
Though I had some initial concerns with some of this song’s structural choices, its steadfast loyalty to NouerA’s crunchy, jagged electro sound made it a hit I kept returning to. (full review)
39. &TEAM – Back To Life
Repetition can be a double-edged sword, and Back To Life‘s droning melodies are sure to polarize opinion. However, its stomping rock-infused chorus acts as a natural extension to the group’s excellent Japanese output. (full review)
38. ALLDAY PROJECT – One More Time
We’re back to the early-2010s with this unabashedly BEP-esque EDM track. One More Time adds potent melodies to ALLDAY PROJECT’s cartoonish schtick and reminds us that drum and bass doesn’t have to be slow and subdued. (full review)
37. NCT Wish – Surf
One of the summer’s kitschiest tracks, Surf doubled down on Wish’s bright jubilance but sidestepped cloying chant-sung catchphrases in favor of kaleidoscopic pop hooks. (full review)
36. NOWZ – Fly To The Youth (ft.Yuqi)
NOWZ pulled off the year’s most striking reinvention and it all started with this beautiful early-summer track. i-dle’s Yuqi gifted them a suite of fantastic melodies and even made a cameo herself. (full review)
35. Key – Hunter
This is Key doing his Key thing, and that nacho reheating (last time I use that phrase, I promise) prevents this from charting higher. However, a solid Key synth-banger will always be something to celebrate. (full review)
34. KickFlip – Band-Aid
KickFlip found their niche with an angsty teen pop/rock sound, contrasting their bright side with more pathos and beefed up guitar. (full review)
33. ATEEZ – Lemon Drop
It’s been years since ATEEZ’s music has surprised me, but Lemon Drop‘s stripped back summer sound is a fresh avenue for the group and enjoyed a long life on my own summer playlist. (full review)
32. Fairy Mai – Light Please
This might be the least-known artist on my countdown, and that should change immediately. Fairy Mai carved her own unique musical path with this propulsive boogie guitar banger. (full review)
31. Close Your Eyes – Paint Candy
Old-school hip-hop beats are a dime a dozen in K-pop, but Paint Candy takes Close Your Eyes’s idiosyncratic sound and ties it to familiar new jack swing elements to craft something that feels unique to them. (full review)