Technically, there are still a few weeks left of summer in my area, but with days getting shorter and back-to-school looming around the corner, we’re quickly transitioning to fall.
With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to look back at the past few months and determine my ultimate 2025 summer playlist. I used to do this for previous years because I’ve always loved the idea of a “song of summer.” These songs aren’t necessarily my favorite ones released during the season or even the ones I’ve listened to the most, but they’re the tracks that remind me most of the summer season.
Below are fourteen of my top “song of summer” candidates and at the very bottom I’ll pick my number one choice for this year. Make sure to include your own choices in the comments!
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Personally, I think Rendezvous is summery (in a nostalgic way), and it’s probably my favorite one released this year.
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It’s my favorite song of the summer but I feel like it’s less summer-specific than all these songs.
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it’s also my fav song of the summer
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That’s true, I could see that kind of “nostalgic” mood hitting for a winter release as well.
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For my personal tastes, it’s either NouerA or Cravity. NouerA for me is the debut nugus of the year.
For the rest of the world, its probably “Golden” from the Kpop Demon Hunters. It is objectively an organic monster hit in the US, the Golden song, the other songs, the Netflix streaming numbers, the Billboard rankings.
I finally watched it the other day with Darling Daughter. It was fine. She thought it was fine too. The movie hit every plot beat that a movie of this type was expected to hit. The best characters for me were the tiger and bird. (According to lore, they are named Derpy and Sussy, which matches Darling Daughter’s sense of humor.) I was surprised that the only non-original song was EXO Love Me Right played in the background once – I was surprised to hear it.
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Black Suit made it in there, too! It was a really sneaky little snip of the instrumental, right as they all were leaving the fansign event, so not featured prominently like Love Me Right. I was still happy to hear it in there though. Definitely agree that the tiger and the bird were the best characters!
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“Black Suit”, like Super Junior Black Suit? Like this ELF and her darling daughter managed to miss “Black Suit”? Well, I might have to watch (just that part) again.
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Yeah, Super Junior’s Black Suit!!! Like I said, it was just the sneakiest little bit of the instrumental at the end of the fansign, but as an ELF myself, I was very excited to hear it!
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Technically they do also play part of the Business Proposal OST as a nod to the voice actor for Jinu being the lead in Business Proposal haha
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Like You Better from fromis_9 was the runaway leader for me. Nothing else even came close.
After that in order:
Kickflip – Freeze
Cravity – Set Net Go
StayC – I want It
Hearts2Hearts – Style
Saja Boys – Soda Pop (Though since I coach softball, having all the 8-9 year old girls singing it nonstop in the dugout all the time may sour this on me XD)
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This is easily my favourite post in August 2025.
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Haha it’s fun to spotlight great songs for once!
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I had so much fun with Lemon Drop and Flying to Youth…these two encompass what a perfect Summer song sounds to me. Fresh, light, mood-lifting, fun, etc…I love them.
Then I’d have to say Cravity and NouerA for sure.
I would include Epex’ Grateful to Tears solely for the chorus. It’s just perfect for me.
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Personally, SET NET G0?! is definitely riser ⬆️ material. Whenever Style 💃comes into shuffle, it instantly brings a smile 😊 to my face. It might be the most cheerful and joyful song I’ve ever heard in 2025! Like You Better and I Want It perfectly capture the essence of summer fun 🏖️🌴!
Jump 🪩 was a MASSIVE riser ⬆️ for me, but I’m not really a fan of the empty bridge. I found Paint Candy 🍭 to be quite decent, and I found Up All Night to be very sticky 🍯 in its hooks! R u OK? was okeurch 🆗.
Hajimemashite 🎌 is excellent and the tempo ⏲️ is PERFECT for Fly To The Youth. Surf’s🏄outro is really wholesome and Myself might be my top 2️⃣/3️⃣ summer song of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣!
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I low-key love the way u wrote this lol
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Thanks 🙏!
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For me, the b-side Air off of Super Junior’s album was my song of summer, but Style runs it a very close second.
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The resident ELF approves of this message.
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SET NET GO?! and Surf are the Songs of the Summer based on production, creativity, and engineering. But most if not all of the memorable songs this year were really showing in the summer and that is a great thing to look back upon history.
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I’m glad you enjoyed ifeye’s song more with time! It was one of my favorites of this year!!!
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ATEEZ – Lemon Drop
ILLIT – Do the Dance
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Hajimemashite wins this for me hands down, though AHOFs Rendezvous comes very close – I do agree with the other comment that it’s not very ‘summery’ but I love the production. As for some songs that haven’t been mentioned yet, I’ve also been enjoying H1-Key’s Summer Was You, BND’s Step by Step and Count to Love, EVNNE’s Love Like That even though it was released a few months ago but it’s very summer-y in my opinion, and Kiikii’s Dancing Alone.
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Oh my god yes I’m adding H1-KEY’s song when I get home because I meant to and somehow forgot 😓
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My songs of Winter (for me) are do the dance, set net go, and snowy summer, they all warmed me up when it’s been freezing here.
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Oh. Not TWS again this time?
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Billyeoon goyangi and rendezvous for me for sure, even if they’re less “summery” in nature 🙂
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Although it was released right at the tail end of spring, my “album of the summer” so to speak was definitely RIIZE’s Odyssey. It’s been on loop for me these past few months and even if there’s no one track that stands out as having a super “summery” sound, it collectively has this great energy to it that’s grown on me more and more!
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