The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But just like most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights!
February 2022 // March 2022 // April 2022 // May 2022 // June 2022 // July 2022 // August 2022 // September 2022 // October 2022 // November 2022 // January 2023 // February 2023 // March 2023 // April 2023 // May 2023 // June 2023 // July 2023 // August 2023 // September 2023 // October 2023 // November 2023 // January 2024 // February 2024 // March 2024 // April 2024 // May 2024 // June 2024 // July 2024 // August 2024 // September 2024 // October 2024 // November 2024 // December 2024 // January 2025 // February 2025 // March 2025
Alesso x Becky Hill – Surrender
A super solid trance banger.
Arwin – Spaceboy
This is even better than his Melodifestivalen entry! Hard-hitting, early-2010’s electro pop with a massive chorus.
Bess & Käärijä – Kaistaa
Bess and Käärijä have both been collecting duet partner like crazy lately. Here, they finally come together for a banging dance track from Bess’s new album.
Betty Who – Run!
The vocal mixing drives me crazy but otherwise this is a shot of anthemic 80’s pop with big stabs of guitar.
Bingo Players – Take It Slow
This has such an old-school house sound.
Chrissy Chlapecka – Cherry Do You Love Me
Chrissy takes a rock detour to brilliant effect. This one explodes.
DE’WAYNE – Biological
Jangly indie rock with a satisfying pop sheen.
Donkeyboy – Galileo
Donkeyboy are back as catchy and melodic as ever.
Ed Sheeran – Azizam
I’ve been no big fan of Sheeran’s music in the past, but this shift in sound is very welcome. Azizam is almost too catchy.
Eino – Haamuja
Yet another new Finnish artist to keep our eyes on.
Frankmusik x Shirobon – Imposter Syndrome
When my playlists moved almost exclusively to K-pop/J-pop in 2016, I lost track of many of my early-2010’s pop favorites. It’s fun playing catch-up now. It turns out Frankmusik has been churning out quality dance music non-stop and this new collaboration is a mega-successful electro banger.
Gorgon City – Run It Back (ft. Caroline Byrne)
I love dance music that feels like summer.
Grant Knoche – Talk
This song moves him even further into the dancefloor.
Gustaph – The Feeling
Gustaph finally released his album late last month. Every song is a winner, but this euphoric club banger demands your attention. The chorus just glistens.
Jessica Winter – All I Ever Really Wanted
I adore the contrast between the rugged instrumental and sweet, airy vocals. I can’t wait for her album. This song reminds me of Xenomania’s mid-2000’s productions.
Jonas Brothers – Love Me To Heaven
I want to resist Jonas Brothers’ music, but they keep churning out 80’s stadium-rock hits like this.
The Knocks & Dragonette – Dreams
The Knocks and Dragonette have been churning out a string of retro synthpop hits. This might just be my favorite yet. It’s so optimistic sounding. I love a spoken-word verse in a song like this.
LEXXE – Oh Mary
LEXXE released a killer EP recently and it seems to have flown way under the radar. This song is absolutely MASSIVE and deserves everyone’s attention, but the whole EP is magic.
Marina – Cuntissimo
I’m fully back on board the Marina train with this one. It’s so silly and catchy and campy.
Miley Cyrus – End Of The World
Sweet, ABBA-esque melodies collide with a euphoric instrumental to craft a sentimental highlight. This is miles better than Flowers.
Neea River – Volcano
This isn’t a patch on her excellent Nightmares from earlier this year, but it’s another super-solid dance-pop banger to add to her unimpeachable list of highlights.
Nova May – STARBOUNCE
Nova May is mining “recession pop” sounds for all they’re worth and this might be her most convincing hit yet.
Punchbag – I’m Not Your Punchbag
This new duo has my full attention with their thrashing, bombastic pop/rock sound.
Say Now – Can’t Keep A Beat
This actually sounds a lot like K-pop, yet it’s got more energy than most girl group songs this year.
Sleigh Bells – This Summer
Sleigh Bells’ new album is fantastic and this is probably my favorite song. Pummeling guitar riffs match anthemic melodies and a bittersweet sentiment to craft a real classic.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Relentless Love
She’s in her disco bag with this one.
Tom Aspaul – That Girl
This song really snuck up on me. It perfectly captures a specific hazy 80’s soft rock/dance sound with a brilliant chorus and even better guitar solo. I’m excited to hear his album.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Great seeing The Knocks and Dragonette on the round-up this month! Dreams is very quickly growing on me, but Foolish Pleasure that dropped last month still has me in a chokehold, to say nothing of Revelation still dominating my playlist. The full album is dropping in June, and I’m anticipating it being the soundtrack to my summer.
LikeLike
since im going back into the eurobeat hole, i think im gonna highlight some 9+ favorites here
nick, what are your honest thoughts on these?
LikeLike
These all sound like something you’d hear on Dance Dance Revolution at an arcade lol
LikeLike
Here’s the thing about these kind of Dave Rodgers/Initial D Eurobeat songs. I like them all and have a lot of them in my library. I’m not always in the mood for Eurobeat but when I am there’s nothing better. However, without a big visual element or personality, they can also come across as a bit factory-made. I love the energy but it can be difficult to connect to the songs on a deeper level than that. I much prefer when the genre is melded with artists or idols, like in that Folder5 song.
And when speaking of Eurobeat, I must mention this super-fun remix because it’s so ridiculous:
I’ve also been exploring some of the roots of the genre lately. I’m really into Radiorama’s late-80’s work. Certainly not the Eurobeat we know now, but slowly laying the groundwork for the genre to flourish:
LikeLike
i see what u mean, considering the only sort of visual element we get with a lot of these songs is the racing sequences from the initial d anime, but its the melody and energy thats what gets me to really like these songs and overcome that “factory-made” sheen you described
its kinda why i prefer the MAX ver of seventies over the mega nrg man original
LikeLike
Nick, if you listened to Ariana’s eternal sunshine deluxe, what did you think of it? I found it a nice extension of the base album, so I naturally enjoyed it as that was one of my favourite albums of last year. I particularly like twilight zone, warm, and past life. The only song I’m confused about is dandelion, which I don’t necessarily dislike (the intro is a fun bait and switch) but sounds like something from thank u, next.
LikeLike
Honestly, I haven’t gone past listening to extended samples of each track. I’m not as into Ariana’s music as I’d like to be, and though I enjoyed Eternal Sunshine I haven’t really gone back to it often. The new songs sounded nice but inessential. Maybe I’ll go back and listen to them in full…
LikeLiked by 2 people
So hyped for Marina’s album, she’s going to be in her era with this one.
Also, I’m really enjoying Addison Rae’s work right now. Headphones on has been on repeat for me and though it’s not as poppy as other tracks highlighted here I think the music video especially is so interesting.
LikeLike
Circling back to honourable mention SMH by Jae Stephens. The plonky production has me thinking of Ralph while the lyrical content is fun like Chrissy Chlapecka’s 10 Boyfriends.
LikeLike