2023 marks my third year as a K-pop stan. 

As it comes to an end, I want to share my favorite title tracks released by boy groups–or, alternatively, male soloists–within these 12 months. 

5. “Drowning” by WOODZ

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Before WOODZ dropped his mini-album (EP), “OO-LI,” in April, I had never added any of his songs to my playlist. This release’s title track caught my attention, though. (And so did b-side “Journey,” one of my new comfort listens.)

“Drowning” resembles alt-rock rather than pop. The song relies on pretty heavy guitar, percussion and hard-hitting vocals by Cho “WOODZ” Seungyoun. It also features piano in the bridge, making that part hit even harder. 

Before I got into K-pop in 2021, I loved alternative music, so me enjoying this track so much makes sense. In 2023, K-pop saw a boom in rock-ish releases thanks to Olivia Rodrigo’s success.

I hope we can see more songs in K-pop inspired by alternative music in the years to come.

4. “Sugar Rush Ride” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT)

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“Sugar Rush Ride” was the song of the summer for a lot of the community, whether they’re fans of TXT or not. I’m personally not a MOA (TXT stan), but junior Leah Rivera is.

She described the track’s vibe as “airy” and “upbeat.”

It opens with a bright electric guitar and keeps this bubbly sound until the chorus hits. Then, it turns darker, with a member whispering “the devil said…” while the instrumental goes into an anti-drop. 

Anti-drops are when songs have a chorus that sounds empty compared to the rest of the song. “Sugar Rush Ride”’s chorus relies on whistling and luring vocals before turning back to the guitar strumming.

The odd switch-up in the instrumental was controversial but it ultimately grew on me – I’ve always been a fan of experimental tracks.

Its chorus ends with the members chanting  “sugar rush rush sugar rush rush-ah” together. I have fond memories of screaming this part with my cousin while driving, windows-down, in 90-degree July heat. “Sugar Rush Ride” really is the perfect pop song with a twist.

3. “Baggy Jeans” by NCT U

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NCT U makes peak noise (read: borderline unlistenable) music. “Baggy Jeans,” which dropped in late August, is one of their most delightfully-obnoxious songs yet. I’ll admit: I didn’t really get it on the first listen. But I certainly did the second time around.

In its beginning, the song flows like a typical K-pop number with elements of both pop and hip-hop. There’s a whispered line to start it off, then a rap verse, then a more upbeat pre-chorus featuring smooth, satisfying vocals that ends with member Chittapon “Ten” Leechaiyapornkul slowing down the tempo and even singing “slay.” The word choice was cringey but ultimately fit fine.

Then, the chorus hits innocent listeners like a semi-truck. It features member Lee Taeyong who often stands out for his gritty, nasal-y tone. 

“In my baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy jeans,” he rapped, pretty monotonously and in a much deeper pitch than what fans are used to from him. The line is repeated six times in the section. For the second chorus, the legendary Mark Lee did the honor of starting the oh-so-hated part while his Canadian accent peeked through on“baggy,” but it didn’t seem to be as despised since he didn’t force his voice to go deeper than it naturally is. 

I love music that tests the limits. I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped when I first heard the chorus.

Basically, I knew it was going to be a hit, however hated it might be.

I knew the second I logged into Twitter (…X), there’d be arguing between fans trying to defend the song, fans openly hating it and users from other fandoms dragging NCTzens (NCT’s fandom) for listening to such a noisy group. One really has to hear the track themselves to understand I’m not overstating its polarizing nature.

Most fans of the group know their tracks are growers. The most-hated parts of the songs get stuck in our heads, making us go back for more. It was no different with “Baggy Jeans.”

Rivera, who stans TXT, casually listens to NCT and adored the track.

“That song, it did it for me,” she said. “I might have to stan. I was shocked.”

2.“Rover” by KAI

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Kim Jongin, who goes by Kai, is a member of the super-famous group EXO. He released the ultra-catchy dance track “Rover” with his third solo mini-album (EP) in March. The song ultimately made me an EXO stan.

In “Rover,” Kim is able to showcase his strong singing skills despite being a rapper when he works with his usual teammates. He’s an artist under SM Entertainment, a company known for their vocals, so of course he did not disappoint. He sings an alluring pre- and post- chorus between the repetitive, punchy chorus where he raps, “stop, 이름은 버려 Mr. Rover, Rover, Rover, I’m coming over, over, over, call me Rover, Rover, Rover,” and so on. 

I’m getting flashbacks to March when those lines played over and over in my head while in class, driving me crazy. The song was a hit as soon as it dropped thanks to the earworm of a chorus. 

1.“Ay-Yo” by NCT 127

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“Ay-yo, look, things will never be the same,” says Mark Lee (who was also in “Baggy Jeans”) over sirens, signaling the start of NCT 127’s 2023 run with “Ay-Yo.” NCT 127 is a subunit within the NCT brand along with NCT U, whom I mentioned earlier, NCT Dream, WayV and NCT DoJaeJung.

127 is one of my all-time favorite groups thanks to their consistently experimental tracks and they did not disappoint with “Ay-Yo,” which was released in January. Other acts had 11 months to top this track for me and failed.

My favorite music producer (and the only producer I care about) worked on the song. Dwayne Abernathy Jr. working with NCT 127 has resulted in some of their most popular, most controversial tracks such as “Sticker,” “Kick It” and “Cherry Bomb.” It came to no surprise to me that I was immediately a fan of “Ay-Yo.”

It’s too good, from the instrumental that seems ahead of its time, the track’s great vocals (NCT is also under SM Entertainment) and a topline perfect for dancing to in your room at 2 a.m. 

The group’s rappers showed off their singing in this track which makes it extra-memorable. Their unique rap tones translated into distinctive, satisfying vocals that make me want to sing along with them. “Ay-Yo” is one of the few songs whose chorus I can sing in (very broken) Korean because of this quality.

The bridge of the song slows down the tempo and ends with a high-note. The whole section acts as a break from the rest of the track’s busy instrumental, rhythmic rap and chants.

Thank you, NCT 127, for making my song of the year.