K-pop has been a singles-driven market for awhile now, but that only seems to be truer with each passing year. Either comebacks don’t have enough songs to be called an “album,” or the b-sides are clearly designed to pad a tracklist rather than stand out on their own. With that said, there were a handful of albums I loved in 2024. Many were attached to great title tracks, but in order to land on this list I really had to love the entire work.
Criteria remains the same from 2023: to be eligible for this countdown, an album must include at least four full songs (intros don’t count).
Honorable Mentions:
Dignity – Digmotion
DKB – Urban Ride
P1Harmony – Killin’ It
QWER – Manito
Taemin – Eternal
TAN – W Series: 3TAN
tripleS – ASSEMBLE24
Vahn – Come & Go
The Wind – Hello: My First Love
Xdinary Heroes – Troubleshooting
10. DAY6 – Fourever
DAY6 are no stranger to this list, often crafting albums that are even stronger than their singles. Fourever catches them in fine form, doling out exactly what fans want while nudging at genre lines here and there. B-side Happy has even become a bona fide hit in its own right.
Standout Album Tracks: Sad Ending, The Power Of Love
9. NMIXX – Fe3O4: Break
NMIXX opened the year with their strongest album yet, blitzing through a number of genres with indefatigable charisma. Run For Roses finally capitalizes on their vocal talent while the anthemic Break The Wall closes the album with a bang.
Standout Album Tracks: Run For Roses, Break The Wall
8. Vanner – Capture The Flag
Capture The Flag feels like a K-pop album that could have been released in the middle of the 2010’s. It’s a bit all over the place in sound, but delivered with such panache. The songwriting is solid as a rock throughout, matching the group’s polished delivery.
Standout Album Tracks: Circuit, After Party
7. YOUNITE – Another
Based on their past material, I would never have expected to feature an album from YOUNITE on this list. But not only is title track Geekin a wonderfully silly highlight, but the rest of the project offers equally fun takes on idol hip-hop.
Standout Album Tracks: How We Do, Poco Loco
6. ZEROBASEONE – Cinema Paradise
What Cinema Paradise lacks in a cohesive sound, it makes up for in sonic breadth. It’s the group’s most exciting album yet, stuffed full with genre diversions that all work better than expected. ZEROBASEONE bring plenty of personality to each style, making this a rare no-skip album.
Standout Album Tracks: Road Movie, Kill The Romeo, Insomnia
5. The Wind – Our: YouthTeen
Both albums from The Wind were great this year, but Our: YouthTeen earns its spot thanks to a pair of supremely addictive b-sides. Classic K-pop sounds abound throughout this project, fusing nostalgia with forward-looking youth.
Standout Album Tracks: Friendship, Heart Fluttering
4. BOYNEXTDOOR – How?
Not many K-pop albums feel like they’re telling a story, but BOYNEXTDOOR manage to convey narrative through these songs and their placement within How‘s track list. I love the way this album rises and falls, peaking in the middle and coming to a gorgeous denouement with the hushed Dear. My Darling.
Standout Album Tracks: So Let’s Go See The Stars, Our, l i f e i s c o o l
3. TWS – Summer Beat!
I’ve actually listened to Summer Beat more than its predecessor, though that’s largely due to its pair of mammoth singles. I have a longstanding bias toward summer-themed K-pop albums and TWS were one of the few to release one this year. Its sound is bright, nostalgic and always highlighted by strong, memorable melody.
Standout Album Tracks: Keep On, YOU+ME=7942, Fire Confetti
2. TWS – Sparkling Blue
TWS’s two mini albums are essentially tied, but I’ll give Sparkling Blue the slight edge because it’s their debut and it has their best unpromoted b-side so far (First Hooky). From beginning to end, the album deposits you within the group’s youth drama world, immediately presenting their core themes via a colorful bunch of incredibly catchy pop songs.
Standout Album Tracks: First Hooky, Unplugged Boy
1. RIIZE – RIIZING
This almost isn’t fair, because by the time 2024 came to an end the final version of this album had essentially become a “greatest hits” of RIIZE’s year. Still, it’s amazing how well the whole project hangs together. Multiple genres collide in a grab bag of sounds, most of which echo past SM Entertainment glories. This makes it a perfect sampler for anyone interested in K-pop, as I’m sure listeners will find at least one song they connect with. I mean, you might as well tack on last year’s Get A Guitar and Memories and have yourself a complete RIIZE collection.