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Best Korean Albums of 2024

Written by YumCha! Editorial Team Tell a Friend

Our editors' picks for the best Korean albums of 2024!

aespa - Armageddon

aespa - Armageddon

aespa had another big year with three consecutive viral hits that brought them major awards at year-end ceremonies. In their first full-length album since debut, the girls continue to dig into their worldview about the parallel worlds of the real and the digital through ten stylish tracks that fit perfectly with their group aesthetic and voices. Armageddon takes off with the powerful and metallic dance beats of chart-topper Supernova and the hip-hop dance bop Armageddon. The ambitious album exhibits aespa's versatile music "aenergy" by exploring different music genres, like the old-school trap dance mix Licorice, refreshing summer anthem BAHAMA, upbeat and rhythmical dance pop Long Chat (#♥) and Prologue, as well as the pop punk hit Live My Life and heartwarming ballad Melody.





DAY6 - Fourever

DAY6 - Fourever

Welcome to DAY6's show! Following the members' military discharge, DAY6 officially comes back as a four-member group and hits a career high with their eighth mini-album Fourever, which had multiple chart-sweeping hits. A decade into their career, DAY6 stands out from the K-pop crowd with epic band sounds and soul-stirring lyrics that easily connect with listeners. Wrapped in an electrifying and cinematic ambience, the post-Britpop/house plug Welcome to the Show is a special song to announce their comeback and express gratitude to fans. Super hit HAPPY resonates with lonely souls through a refreshing alternative rock melody with pop funk chords. The band delves into different rock sounds in the retro The Power of Love, grungy Get The Hell Out and the emo punk Sad Ending that checks us into heartbreak hotel. Finally, DAY6 goes back to their gentle and melodramatic sides with pop rock ballads Let Me Love You and didn't know.





Heize – FALLIN'

Heize - FALLIN'

Following last year's Last Winter, Heize returns with another seasonal EP – this time centering around the melancholic sentiments of autumn. The soulful singer-songwriter crafts seven bluesy and bittersweet R&B/soul ballads that dive into matters of the broken heart, beginning with the mesmerizing title song FALLIN' (written by B.I) accompanied with magnetic harmonica riffs. The moody ride continues with the pop rock ballad "It was all you" that matches perfectly with her laid-back vocals, the rhythmical and jazzy "Broken diary" and the ballad "Behind the heart" featuring a melodic rap verse that elevates the whole melancholic ambience. Poignant feelings linger in the singer's self-penned R&B and ballad numbers that reflect on the past and tug at the heartstrings before closing beautifully with the instrumental outro November song.





Kim Bum Soo - Journey

Kim Bum Soo - Journey

Join Kim Bum Soo on a mindful self-reflection Journey in his first full-length album since 2015's Him. Serving as co-producer, the seasoned singer takes a trip down memory lane and looks back on his life as an artist in a peaceful flow of 11 tracks that exhibit his vocal mastery. The Journey takes off with some soothing ballads, ranging from the lullaby-like intro "Aside" to the delicate "The World of You" and "Journey." As the journey goes on, he dedicates two odes to love in "Walk with You" and "One," nostalgically sings about the passing of years in "Trace and Trail," and relaxes minds with the piano ballad "A Mug of Love," in which he makes the most exquisite vocal performance sound effortless. The journey strolls to an end with the dreamy R&B "Dream," the jazzy "I Know You Don't Care" and the folk rock "Talk to Myself" with outstanding guitar riffs. Kim Bum Soo's thoughtful Journey is well worth a deep listen.





Lee Young Ji – 16 Fantasy

Lee Young Ji - 16 Fantasy

"Boy, I got a small girl fantasy. Baby, would you still love me? Though I got a big laugh, big voice, & big personality, would you guarantee it?" Hip-hop artist/entertainer Lee Young Ji contributed one of the biggest K-pop hits of the year with Small girl, an exciting duet with D.O. Beyond its catchy beats, Small girl sincerely brings comfort and confidence to insecure hearts through frank lyrics. Young Ji's pop-leaning mini-album 16 Fantasy is a diary recording her wild and honest thoughts when she was coming of age. She unleashes diva energy with intense rap in 16 (Intro), dedicates a lovely song to My cat, embraces love and self in ADHD featuring Jambino, and recalls heartrending family history in Unknown guy. TELL ME! eventually lets out all the worries and frustrations in her head in her unique husky tone.





NCT 127 - WALK

NCT 127 - WALK

NCT 127 walks the walk and talks the talk by assuredly unfolding a wider musical spectrum in their sixth full-length album WALK. With a little less NEO-colored and experimental music compared to previous albums, WALK comes with 11 trendy tracks in smooth arrangements that go easy on the ears while staying on track with the NCT 127 style. The group lays out cool and chill vibes in the groovy old-school hip-hop anthem WALK and continues to drop retro hip-hop beats in No Clue. There are more dynamic sounds in the jazzy "Orange Seoul," hip-hop trap plug Gas and funky "Suddenly," while soulful and evocative tunes like "Can't Help Myself" and Time Capsule connect with vulnerable hearts. WALK closes with the lighthearted pop song "Meaning of Love" that leaves lingering feelings.





P1Harmony - SAD SONG

P1Harmony - SAD SONG

It's common for K-pop groups to have a unique concept as gimmick, but what's more important is how the concept is presented. P1Harmony has always connected their worldview and story naturally in their music. After Killin' It as heroes in their first regular album, the superheroes cope with loneliness and emptiness after saving the world through singing and dancing in their seventh mini-album. In the dynamic title single SAD SONG, they embrace sorrow and solitude by immersing in funky hip-hop beats and Latin rhythm. They also vibe with a reggae sound in the electropop It's Alright, and dance all worries away in the rhythmical pop rock jam Last Call. P1Harmony's SAD SONG shows us how to celebrate loneliness in the most stylish manner, both melodically and lyrically.





Red Velvet - Cosmic

Red Velvet - Cosmic

Celebrating their tenth anniversary, Red Velvet escorts us on a dreamy and sweet escapade with six ethereal tunes in their ninth mini-album Cosmic. The soft and velvety sound of this album is reminiscent of their debut EP Ice Cream Cake. The girls mellifluously mesmerize listeners with beautiful harmonization in an array of enthralling songs, from dancy pop plugs Cosmic and Sunflower to mid-tempo R&B efforts like Last Drop, Love Arcade and Night Drive. With the dreamlike beats and the members' heavenly vocals timbres, Cosmic is a masterpiece that showcases Red Velvet's artistry and identity at their best.





tripleS – ASSEMBLE24

tripleS - ASSEMBLE24

Though it's not the easiest to stay up to date on the tripleS universe, the girl group proves that good music wins hearts with ASSEMBLE24. All tripleS members assembled for their first regular album, showing their massive girl power in ten songs. Envisioning a utopia with the intro track S, the album starts off strong with the empowering anthem Girls Never Die, which captured attention in Korea after it was played during protests at a women's university. The girls chant their determination to "fall down and get up," "go all the way" and "absolutely never cry" in the heart-stirring track. While Girls Never Die serves as a representation of tripleS's group identity in their signature sound, the rest of the album's songs embody futuristic music with diverse sounds and influences, including UK garage in Heart Raider, Afrobeat in White Soul Sneakers, R&B in Chiyu, new jack swing and future bass in Beyond the Beyond, synth funk in Non Scale, and hip-hop in the new rendition of Dimension.





VIVIZ - VOYAGE

VIVIZ - VOYAGE

A year after the MANIAC dance challenge craze, VIVIZ arrives fashionably late in November with their fifth mini-album VOYAGE. Eun Ha, SinB and Um Ji take us to explore the world of VIVIZ with five pieces that showcase their musical capabilities. After going through their loveholic stage in MANIAC, the girls empower themselves to love and live independently as they assuredly sing "think no more and kiss me now" in the rhythmical Latin-pop single Shhh! Cliché and Full Moon dig into subtly intense hip-hop beats and drum and bass lines, while the slow jam R&B Hypnotize and Love & Tears delve into soft emotions. Together, the songs express the various sentiments one feels on a VOYAGE of self-discovery.









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Published December 23, 2024


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