A few years ago, many of K-pop’s best tracks were buried as b-sides. This year was different, with most of my favorite music promoted as title tracks. I certainly prefer this approach. After all, great songs should be paired with great visuals/choreo whenever possible. However, it made for a slightly less prolific slate of “buried treasure” posts in 2024.
This countdown encompasses any track that didn’t receive a full music video. This includes album tracks, as well as songs that may have been performed but never actively promoted. It also includes Japanese b-sides from Korean acts. Just like the Top 50 Singles list, all songs here were released between December 1st, 2023 and November 30th, 2024.
Honorable Mentions:
ATEEZ – Selfish Waltz
HwasA – Just Want To Have Some Fun
ITZY – Crown On My Head
Onew – Maestro
ONF – Aphrodite
P1Harmony – Last Call
tripleS – 24
TWS – Fire Confetti
YOUNITE – How We Do
40. DREAMCATCHER – 2 RINGS
The girls had a song called STΦMP! on this same album, but it’s 2 Rings that unexpectedly stands as the track with most tread. (full review)
39. ONEWE – A PIECE OF YOU
ONEWE firmly escape ballad territory with this bouncy, jump-along anthem. (full review)
38. IVE – BLUE HEART
Melding quirky electronic sounds with an ice queen attitude, Blue Heart eclipsed both IVE singles this year. (full review)
37. CRAVITY – BLUE & WHITE
Hidden as the b-side of a Japanese single, Blue & White offers an expansive soundscape and anthemic pop hooks. (full review)
36. NMIXX – BREAK THE WALL
NMIXX try chugging, straightforward pop to great success. This has the energy of a hit single. (full review)
35. TWS – HIGHLIGHT
Befitting its season, Highlight is a sentimental winter standout buoyed by sweet melodies guaranteed to keep you warm.
34. WAKER – DASH
Pre-released before their debut, the jagged Dash sees Waker harnessing classic boy group sounds to their benefit. The harmonies into the chorus are very impressive. (full review)
33. MADEIN – DADARIDA
Many K-pop songs attempted Afrobeats this year, but Dadarida added more propulsion and drama to the sound. (full review)
32. VANNER – CIRCUIT
Clanging to life with heavy synth bass, Circuit stomps forward with panache. It feels like SHINee and VIXX mixed with new-gen energy. (full review)
31. ROCKY – MASTERPIECE
Rocky lets his full superstar presence unfold with Masterpiece‘s aggressive funk assault. This should have been his undeniable 2024 single. (full review)
30. SF9 – MY FANTASIA
SF9 can always be counted on for a great b-side or two, and this year it was pumping dancefloor energy of My Fantasia. I love its rapid-fire pace. (full review)
29. DAY6 – SAD ENDING
DAY6 bring so much intensity and emotion to this angsty banger. The surging, multi-part chorus alone deserves its flowers. (full review)
28. MA1 – HIGHER WIRE
It’s rare that a survival series track makes this list, but Higher Wire recalls too many 2nd-gen greats to be ignored. I hope the actual group releases music this solid. (full review)
27. P1HARMONY – COUNTDOWN TO LOVE
I almost always prefer P1Harmony’s b-sides to their title tracks and Countdown To Love‘s funky rock energy only seals the deal. This showcases so much of what makes the group great. (full review)
26. TWS – UNPLUGGED BOY
Before hey! hey! blew the door wide open, Unplugged Boy unveiled TWS’s penchant for soft rock. This is such a subtly addictive track.
25. XDINARY HEROES – NIGHT OF FIREWORKS
The entire Troubleshooting album is solid, but the guys saved the best track for its finale. Night Of Fireworks closes the album with wonderfully anthemic melodies. (full review)
24. ZEROBASEONE – KILL THE ROMEO
ZEROBASEONE promoted this track so often it almost feels as if it was a single. I prefer their brighter fare, but if they must go edgy this is the way to do it. The song is so catchy.
23. DIGNITY – FIRE
Fire attempts a very specific K-pop sub-genre (namely: Block B circa 2012) and pulls it off brilliantly. Had this been a single, I think Dignity would have made more waves this year. (full review)
22. VAHN – I SWEAR (FT. TAEB2)
Vahn goes full-on punk rock with this special digital single. His raspy voice is the perfect match for this sound, driving home the intensity of the music. (full review)
21. WHIB – PLAY
WHIB borrow The Wind’s producers for a bright bubblegum track that could have been performed by either group. I’m a sucker for this ultra-melodic sound and the skyscraper-sized chorus is a total standout. (full review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
My favorite of these is Dignity’s Fire; I was taken by it. I have different favorite b-sides by some of the artists here: NMIXX’s Passionfruit was an instant favorite, while DAY6’s Happy has been my `happiest’ discovery of the past week, and has instantly become one of favorite tunes of the year. All it needs is a sax solo to go full-on Springsteen. I hope they do a live Christmas version, because this is a song with holiday vibes (even down to its sad lyrics). It just needs a bit of sleigh bells, an aforementioned sax, a wildly enthusiastic audience, and a judiciously-placed “ho ho ho”!
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Nice to see Dreamcatcher still making the B-sides list even on a down year. “2 Rings” is plenty of fun and is indeed the best non-instrumental track on that mini. (The intro being longer than the main title is madness.)
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I noticed this with Le Sserafim too. Chasing Lightning is the intro for Crazy, and it’s the longest song on the album.
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Interesting, thanks for sharing! Guess it’s really just an industry-wide trend towards shorter songs for easier streaming, I guess. I should really go listen to more Le Sserafim albums, as I tend to like their B-sides more than their titles–“No Celestial” is my favorite song of theirs.
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Their B-sides are really solid! If you liked No Celestial you’ll probably like 1-800-Hot-N-Fun as well. I also loved Pierrot, but it tooke a few listens to warm up to it at first.
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Thanks for the recs! Turns out I do know “1-800-hot-n-fun”. I’d forgotten about that song but then I saw it was the “where the heck is Saki” song. It’s kind of growing on me? I still much prefer “No Celestial” though.
“Pierrot” has this one synth sound I quite enjoy but I’m not sure how I feel about the song as a whole. I’ll have to spin it a bit more.
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Glad to see Blue Heart made it on! Definitely one of my favorite Ive b-sides, and it’s more meaningful to me knowing that Wonyoung helped with the lyrics. That said, Ice Queen is my favorite track of the album. It’s Love Dive’s little sister and I think I like it better. Also very glad to see the representation for 2 Rings. I replay that second chorus regularly.
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Wow, I’m listening to Ice Queen now, and it’s quite good, I love the instrumentation, dynamics, and atmosphere. It’s gone straight to my playlist!
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2 Rings mention!!
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WHIB’s Play was a big surprise buried treasure late in the year for me. While not an exact one-to-one, it has a similar freewheeling, fun sound to it that had me fall in love with THE NEW SIX’s Kick It 4 Now.
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love blue heart
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Oh… am I late?
There are years in K-Pop when I prefer Singles and others when I prefer B-Sides. This year, I honestly preferred more singles, however some songs here are solid enough for me to mention as well. And also, unfortunately, just like I mentioned about my favorite singles this year, many songs here still have an ‘8.5’ rating. There was a time when my assessments were warmer
40. QWER – Rebound
QWER may have presented a limited repertoire this year, but what they demonstrated was enough to position them competently on an exemplary shelf of anime’s signature rock sound. Rebound encapsulates melodic rock impeccably, delivering a well-crafted composition that fully meets the expectations of this style.
39. Hwasa – Just Can’t To Have Some Fun
Hwasa poses as a Madonna-like pop star in the song Just Can’t To Have Some Fun which is classically reminiscent of 80’s/90’s pop songs.
38. Onew – Maestro
The bass lines here are everything.
37. Yugyeom – Wuh
Yugyeom showed potential with his album Trust Me, with several very humorous genre proposals. Among its highlights, Wuh is a dance music that mixes very exciting drum sounds, it is a true release of excitement.
36. Vanner – Circuit
Circuit’s heavy energy is so serious, its arrangement is a direct and aggressive passage.
35. Madein – Dadarida
I’m not an Afrobeats enthusiast, and, in a year in which this style was explored more frequently than usual, I confess I didn’t expect to enjoy any compositions from this catalogue. However, Dadarida emerges as a notable exception, exquisitely mixing the most traditional elements of this genre with a unique and captivating approach.
34. BoyNextDoor – So Let’s Go See The Stars
A synth-pop in the performance style of BoyNextDoor.
33. ONF – Aphrodite
A combination of rhythms but a very solid track execution.
32. DRIPPIN – Fly High
This’s a teen pop song with a light chord progression and a delicate, straightforward arrangement. The contrast between the vitality of the kick drum and bass in the chorus and the climax of thhe synth line is really cool.
31. TXT – I’ll See You There Tomorrow
A very sophisticated dance sound for TXT.
30. Hui – Melo (ft. Park Hyeon Jin)
The album by Hui, member of Pentagon, was a transition between pop and rock sounds, a solid album, the one that attracted me the most was Melo, who mixes house well, as if he were walking on the catwalk.
29. Yoo Hweseung – Dangerously (ft. J.Don)
There’s something about this heavy bass that reminds me of the metal genre, a genre that I really enjoy if we exclude K-pop, Hweseung’s vocals that warm me up too.
28. TripleS – 24
Its production basically took everything that made ‘Rising’ right and put it here. The vocal performance is also very adequate, at the same time it seems like there is an entire school class singing this song LoL.
27. Twice – New New
Twice’s frothy, danceable pop is their best trick these days. I mean…sometimes.
26. Lay – Fresh
Lay’s album is a complete pop refreshment, I love this track and its trumpets.
25. Xikers – Break A Leg
When it comes to punk or pop rock, you can bet with Xikers.
24. Zerobaseone – Checkmate
Adopting a catchy pop song that combines fast-paced drum and bass rhythms, the melody of Fairuz’s iconic Arabic song Ya Ana Ya Ana is expertly incorporated into the chorus. For me, this composition, with its strength and appeal, could easily have been promoted as a title track for the group.
23. EVNNE –K.O. (Keep On)
Taking advantage of a fast dance sound, K.O. (Keep On) is a good gateway to an upbeat arrangement.
22. B1A4 – Back To You
A well-driven melodic retro track.
21. Ampers&One – Crazy Stupid Fun
If you appreciate the signature EDM of the 2000s, I invite you to explore Crazy Stupid Fun. The track skillfully blends elements of this genre and carries them through with fluidity and charm, especially during the chorus, where its essence shines irresistibly.
I get so discouraged talking about some tracks that I think it’s more important to talk about others here, even so it’s all solid for me. They are all tracks rated ‘8.5’ with me, now that I’ve just seen them 😐. It’s not bad at all
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