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 // April 2025 // May 2025 // June 2025 Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 // July 2025 // August 2025 // September 2025 // October 2025
Andy Bell – The Chance Won’t Come Again (with Tim Rice-Oxley)
I did not even know I needed an Erasure x Keane collaboration, but here we are!
The Ark – Stronger Than
Okay, I don’t think this is all that great (I hate the melody in the verses), but The Ark was my favorite band of the 2000s and I can’t believe they’re back with new material after so long.
Battlejuice – The Edge Of Death (ft. Power Rob)
More powerful 80s dance rock bombast from these guys. I love it.
Benjamin – Bensaa tulipaloon
He’s now got enough mega bangers to release a flawless twelve-track album. His pop music just never misses.
CATTY – Bracing For Impact
Her new EP is a mixed bag but I love this stomping rock anthem.
Chrissy Chlapecka – Apollo
Her ambition continues to impress me. With this new single, she goes full-on Gaga.
Demi Lovato – Sorry To Myself
The new album is a very solid collection of dance pop. For me, this song stands out as a good midpoint between upbeat fun and melodic melodrama.
Emmet Read & Comanavago – Burn Slow
I’m happy to take anything Comanavago want to give us, even if it’s just a collaboration. This one’s totally hypnotic and feels heavily influenced by Kylie Minogue’s Slow.
Erika Vikman & Go-Jo – Appetite
I’ve been absolutely begging for new music from Erika Vikman, so she gets top billing here for me. The song is a ton of fun with a massive chorus.
Felicia – Sugar High
This is for those of you missing the bombast of early-2010s pop music!
Hr. Troels & Lovespeake – Paradise
A top-down, drive fast singalong. What a great hook!
KEiiNO – Mama Radio
If you’re a fan of pop music and pop melodies, you absolutely need to hear their new album. The new tracks are some of the best, and this is a particular favorite.
Leah Kate – Not To Be Dramatic
This song actually came out a few weeks before my last round-up, but it’s from her just-released new album and I’ve recently become very interested in her music. It’s a great mix of dance and rock and this single has a fantastic build.
Lili & Susie – Sjung Sjung
Pure Scandipop camp from these legends of the form. What more could you ask for?
Mika – Modern Times
I’m so impressed with this. His best single in years and a total return to form. It’s so anthemic!
Neea River – Manipulator
One of her strongest songs in awhile. I love the trance beat.
Nightly – The Shivers
Their newest album is vaguely Halloween-themed but very easy to play year-round. I love the mix of synth and indie rock.
Patrik Jean – Up All Night
An absolutely thundering chorus. It’s fantastic dance music.
Robyn – Dopamine
I’m not as bowled over by this as I hoped I’d be, but it’s so nice to have her back with her classic sound.
ROSALÍA – Berghain (ft. Björk & Yves Tumor)
While I’m finding her album kind of impenetrable, I absolutely applaud the symphonic ambition at play. This is unlike anything else and definitely feels like one of the more approachable songs.
Rosi – Ohi on
Just fantastic, anthemic Finnish pop.
Sigrid – Kiss The Sky
Aside from the brilliant Fort Knox, this is my favorite track from her new album. It’s so quirky in a great way.
Slayyyter – Crank
This soundscape is downright terrifying and I mean that in the best way possible.
Snow Wife – Pumps
Not as strong as her stuff from earlier in the year, but that beat is hard to… well… beat.
Sophie And The Giants – Loser
Glorious pop hooks over a stately dance beat.
Tini – Down
A hypnotic groove that fully captivates.
underscores – Do It
Experimental percussion meets strong pop songwriting for a track that feels both retro and forward-thinking.
5 Seconds Of Summer – Boyband
I don’t think I’ve listened to a full 5 Seconds Of Summer album since their debut but their new one is pretty good. This is my favorite of its singles so far.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
nick, I have a suggestion. for your top jpop/kpop songs at the end of every year, I think it’d be helpful to show an updated rating next to them. For exmaple, it can be kind of confusing to see a song that was rated 8 be in the top 20 and a song that was rated 9 to only be in the honorable mentions (even when they didn’t even appear in any RISERS/fallers).
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Apollo is great and Sugar High is ridiculously good.
my favorites of the month have been In the Dark by Selena Gomez, Love Zombie by Victoria Justice and Hello by Cardi B.
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I’ve been listening to a lot of Rosalia, Lily Allen, and Geese this month, along with Lexie Liu. These aren’t necessarily pop (as a genre) artists (except for Lexie Liu and some Lily Allen) but I’d rather get my sugary and poppy hits from K-pop itself.
Highlights from these artists include: mio cristo piange diamanti, magnolias, dios es un stalker, pussy palace, ruminating, au pays de cocaine, getting killed, long island city, X, and deeper and deeper.
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I got into Robyn through Honey, so the fact that Dopamine feels like a mix between Missing U and Robyn’s more ‘classic’ sounds has me excited.
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Thanks for this new selection ! Kenneth
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I thought Rosalia’s “single” was the least accessible song on the album. Turned me off wanting to listen to the album initially. I did enjoy the album though the first time around. Not sure if it’s something I’ll listen to again; maybe when I get the itch, or if some of these songs blow up. There are songs that’ll probably be bigger, like La Perla – surprised she didn’t release that one as the first single.
I really loved that Robyn song the first time I heard it.
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Apollo and CRANK! are RIDICULOUSLY good and suit Chrissy and Slayyyter so much!! I’ve been listening to them both on repeat since they came out, super super excited to hear more from them and their respective current projects
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i went on a bit of a eurobinge this past month and came back with these songs, i wanna hear your thoughts on them
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OMG I’m so in love with Keiino’s new album, and Mama Radio is definitely my favourite from the album
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not to brag or anything but im actually the one who introduced underscores to nick over twt…..so do it being on this list is basically my doing hehehe
in all seriousness tho stop what ur doing and go listen to her other single right now. genuinely shocked nick didnt retroactively put it on here bc its easily one of the best and most unique pop songs ull hear all year esp that INSANEEEEE final minute
also fun fact: shes a huge snsd fan and a fan recently discovered that she was actually the one behind a fairly popular kpop youtube channel (2ndgenbias) where she talked abt kpop song structures and musical differences between kpop generations. which makes a ton of sense cuz her more straightforward pop songs have heavy 2nd gen kpop influence in them (her latest 2 songs definitely but a few of her other songs that come to mind r girls & boys, stupid & old money bitch)
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Wow, these 2 songs by her are amazing. I can totally hear the 2nd-gen Kpop sounds, which I really miss.
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Excited to see Nightly mentioned here! I didn’t realize they had new music out (very behind), so I’m going to have to go check that in the near future.
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Give Twigs a chance https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DVUvqvvTLKNA&ved=2ahUKEwiAl-aUvfuQAxXKSGwGHa2zMI0Qo7QBegQIFBAG&usg=AOvVaw1z996dwk1gteQ_LiOxzYHU
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Hadn’t heard ”Paradise”, love it! I’m sooo disappointed in the new Ark single, talk about not getting what the fans want. We have the same fave on both the new Demi album and the Sigrid album which I thought was funny.
I think you’ll enjoy these:
ROMES – Rock N Roll Is Asleep
Skip the Use – We Are Good
Your Mate’s Ex – Get Wet
and maybe (maybe!) this:
Peter Wilson & Sean Smith – Happy That You Found Me
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Thanks for the recommendations! Will definitely give them a listen.
(FYI, I edited your recs to be links rather than youtube embeds before approving the comment. When there are more than twenty youtube embeds on any individual post the post somehow becomes unviewable on most mobile devices. That’s why I’ve started mixing Spotify links into these posts that already have a ton of embedded videos. It’s another annoying WordPress quirk, unfortunately!)
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And of course I like all of these! Did you know that Happy That You Found Me is a cover of Danny Saucedo’s Melodifestivalen 2024 entry? It took me a moment to remember where I had heard it before…
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