I’m going to try something a little different this year. I have a number of albums I want to spotlight and it doesn’t seem fair to compare full-length projects to mini albums. So, I’ll have a countdown for each. Today, I’ll share my top five full-length albums of the year and tomorrow I’ll post my top ten mini albums.
5. SUPER JUNIOR – SUPER JUNIOR 25
It’s always nice when a veteran group surprises you with strong material. So many older K-pop acts deliver diminished returns, but Super Junior found a way to spotlight a number of their past sounds in new ways with this twenty-fifth anniversary project. There’s hardly a dud to be found here, and more importantly there are a few big highlights. So-so title track Express Mode doesn’t tell the full story. Instead, check out the gloriously bombastic D.N.A, breezy funk of Air or the singalong rock of Delight.
Standout Album Tracks: D.N.A, Air, Delight
4. CRAVITY – DARE TO CRAVE
CRAVITY’s standout 2025 began and ended with this album. They stretched promo throughout the year, adding an epilogue with three killer tracks in November. It’s a hefty project, running fifteen tracks. And with so much going on, there’s very little that feels unnecessary. The unit songs are great, the title tracks are among the year’s best, and the entire album refines the group’s past sounds into something that feels fresh and exciting.
Standout Album Tracks: Stadium, Swish, Underdog
3. NCT DREAM – GO BACK TO THE FUTURE
It was a very strong July for SM Entertainment as this and Super Junior’s album dropped back to back. Both harnessed classic sounds from the agency’s past. Go Back To The Future was heralded by two strong title tracks with a consistent concept and storytelling. But move past these tracks and you’ve got a much lighter, more buoyant work. At eight full tracks, its the shortest project on this list, but that leaves very little room for filler.
Standout Album Tracks: I Like It, Dream Team, That Summer
2. NMIXX – BLUE VALENTINE
It’s been rewarding to see NMIXX refine their sound into what feels like its best, most genre-spanning form. Blue Valentine boasted a mammoth single, but if you dig past the promoted material you’ll find even more goodies. I adore the group’s more electro-tinged tracks. Songs like Reality Hurts and Phoenix echo classic K-pop groups like f(x), while RICO and Podium try on more modern tropes and twist them to NMIXX’s will. We’ve got pure pop (Shape Of Love), rock balladry (Adore U) and even a reinvention of a past single (O.O‘s two parts). There’s a little something for everyone here, and it’s all of very high quality.
Standout Album Tracks: Reality Hurts, Phoenix, Shape Of Love
1. RIIZE – ODYSSEY
For the second time in a year, RIIZE dominate this category. This isn’t a surprise, as Odyssey is practically built for my taste. In a way, I consider it a concept album, blitzing through decades of disparate boyband sounds. We’ve got the sugary Swedish pop of Inside My Love, the dramatic SMP style Ember To Solar, the High School Musical romp Fly Up, the One Direction pop-rocker Show Me Love, the OST-esque ballad The End Of The Day and the swaggering hip-hop of Bag Bad Back. Then, the group takes some unexpected turns in the form of Another Life and its searing, psychedelic guitar. It’s a remarkably taut album with no real filler. And though I maintain that the wrong song was chosen as a title track, I’m willing to forgive that lapse in judgement when everything here is so strong.
Standout Album Tracks: Ember To Solar, Another Life, Show Me Love
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Very strong year for EPs/LPs in K-Pop, hard agree on your top two picks. I think the strongest asset for both of them was their variety in sound while still keeping in line with an overall concept.
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the top 3 is correct
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I apologize for the simple question but, how do you define “full length album”? I honestly have no idea if it’s by the amount of songs or by the way it is marketed, or something else entirely🫤
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full album usually consists of 9 or more songs, mini albums usually 6. It’s also advertised as a full album or mini albums if that helps
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Thank You!!
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no problem! also, I think kpop companies also call mini albums an “ep”
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Ok so, I’ll say Full length are 8+ songs and I’ll include:
Ateez – Golden Hour 3
Cravity – Dare to Crave
CYE – Eternalty
TheBoyz – Unexpected
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I always gorget something😓,
Riize – Odyssey
At first I did not want to like it, but with time I had to admit that basically every song is objectively good.
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Seeing NMIXX’s full album on your top 5 list makes me so happy! There’s a track for everyone, and even my least favorite b-sides in the album are very decent, which says a lot about NMIXX’s amazing vocal ability and production choices imo.
RIIZE’s full album was also pretty good. Show Me Love would be my favorite song of the album at the moment, although I do love how dramatic Ember to Solar is.
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i wish i liked Odyssey as a full project but there are too many songs, especially in the latter half im just not crazy about. The other 4 are great, and Riize have a few dynamite tracks in their full length even if i dont jive with the whole project, and the album mv was such a cool idea
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blue valentine takes it for me!! odyssey is definitely a close second, midnight mirage is a skip imo but other than its just back to back great tracks. my favorites are probably bag bad back, ember to solar, and another life. i also really enjoyed BoA’s LP! definitely not as consistent as the other two but had a lot of enjoyable moments
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This was def nmixx’s year
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Odyssey and Go Back to the Future were definitely my most streamed albums of the year! There are few things I love more than a really really good full length album
I also really enjoyed Mark’s “The Firstfruit”
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Nick, what song would you have liked to see as the title track for Odyssey? I think Fly Up is one of the weakest songs on the album myself but think it is tailor made for the domestic gp and end-of-the-year performances.
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Ember to Solar as a title track would have guaranteed RIIZE a spot in my top ten…
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I know this question isn’t for me but I would’ve loved the title track as the main single. Super catchy and it follows trends, yes, but RIIZE put their stamp on it and they sound awesome. Anything to just change Fly Up, put that song in an electric chair.
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For some reason, it felt like full-length albums weren’t as consistent for me as last year. I don’t even think I can make a full top 5 with albums that I like from top to bottom, but there were definitely projects that had a very strong run with some excellent songs.
My top 5 is:
2. NMIXX – Blue Valentine: This group has grown on me a little bit since 2023 to the point where I can proudly consider myself a fan. This album has even crossed the “K-Pop fan” world, receiving its flowers from the music nerd corner of the Internet. And rightfully so! Reality Hurts, Blue Valentine, Adore U, all bangers!
3. RIIZE – Oddyssey: I’ve come to terms with the fact that RIIZE will just follow the K-pop formula, doing every pop genre they possible can without really sticking to a particular sound. Like you said, if you look it from the perspective of “they’re just doing different boy band sounds,” the concept really thrives. I just skip Fly Up, its Disney energy is not for me. Other than that, RIIZE showcase what their good at: vocals, harmonies and sticky melodies.
4. TripleS – Assemble 25: I haven’t always paid attention to TripleS fully due to how confusing their sub-unit approach can get. But then again, I’m a bit of an NCT lover, so I gave them a chance, and this album is very consistent. Not a single boring moment, the production has very high value. My favorite song is Detective Soseol, it mixes the best parts of J-Pop and anime-inspired music with electronic instrumentals.
5. NCT DREAM – Go Back to the Future: This album felt a bit inconsistent (and so have most boy groups, to be honest. I might be growing out of love for them, I’m not sure). Most songs have something that I dislike in common: once I hear nice a hook and a strong melody, suddenly more ideas like shouting and “rapping” randomly come throghout the track and it’s really hard to like it. My story with most of the NCT universe is: I take the good songs, because when they get something good done, (looking at That Summer and I Like It, hehe) it hits right!
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Solid selection, can’t disagree with any and we have the same top 2 🤣
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Have the same top three! Though I’ll personally switch places the RIIZE & NCT Dream record.
Haven’t heard the SuJu album yet (that album cover is not enticing, tbh can kpop just get rid of this text only album cover??)
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I know we’ll probably not get a separate ranking for it, but what are your favorite jpop albums this year, Nick?
Only listened to Ryugujo’s & Queen Bee’s (and I absolutely love them)
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Gosh, I barely listened to any this year…
Ryugujo’s Shibai
Genic’s If
One Love One Heart’s Yureru Seishun
Lead’s Reprise
HiiT Factory’s Flux
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I love Blue Valentine, but I wish they went a touch more experimental like in previous EPs. But as you said, Reality Hurts, Rico, Podium are all fantastic and I think completely true to NMIXX style.
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blue valentine absolutely FLOORED me. proud nswer since 2023 (roller coaster finally brought me in) and i haven’t regretted it since! their rise with dash was so amazing to watch and seeing their massive success with their comebacks this year made me so happy! top full albums for me would be blue valentine and tripleS’s assemble25, maybe sunmi’s heart maid purely because it’s sunmi LOL
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RIIZE personally attacked me this year by putting crack in both the closing track (Another Life) and the opening track (Odyssey) of their album so that whenever I get to the end of it and my autoplay starts the album over again I’m forced to then keep listening to the entire thing on repeat
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where is stray kids karma and do it? And Itzy’s tunnel vision.
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First off, Stray Kids’ Do It and ITZY’s Tunnel Vision are mini albums. Second, they’re not on his top 10 mini albums list nor is Karma on his top 5 full-length albums list because he didn’t enjoy any of them.
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odyssey has been on replay for me the past few months. emotional pop is so vague but watching them live in concert made me think, oh yeah, this is emotional pop! like it’s not just typical bg flexing or pots and pans trite. great vocals, great melodies, great production. fame shouldn’t have worked that well but they do angry angst so well and the chorus is incredibly infectious – the rest of the single album is just as good (let’s go emotional yearning pop!). they have the biggest potential to bring back 2nd gen yearning bg concepts – i’m talking infinite, big bang lies, etc.
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My top kpop albums released in 2025 (that I listened to in 2025) are definitely ‘Unfold’ by Seo Eunkwang (gorgeous gorgeous vocals, a rockish fun one with Monster but my favourite is ‘Last Light’ because even though it’s slower,, his voice is stellar especially those high notes), Blue Valentine by NMIXX (self explanatory), ‘Page 2’ by Kang Seung Yoon (really solid, big fan of sky roof and lie to me in particular, just no dislikes) and ‘LXVE to Death’ by Xdinary Heroes (didn’t include YB but they count as kpop, right?). I didn’t realise Xdinary Heroes released 2 full albums until this year tbh, I still need to listen to the other, but this one was really good imo. Ruby by Jennie and TEN by twice had some of my favourite songs of the year too! They just also had a couple of songs I was not a fan of.
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