The Romantic – Bruno Mars

Favorite Songs: Nothing Left, Dance With Me, God Was Showing Off

I didn’t revisit this project as a whole so much, but I still thought it was solid. Especially since his last solo album was released a whole decade ago now. I’m a huge fan of Bruno’s voice, so I always tend to favor those songs that display his vocal ability (hence my picks for my favorites). But all around, I thought it was a fun, funky listen and I can’t wait to see him perform these songs live!

Arirang – BTS

Favorite Songs: Please, 2.0, One More Night, Into the Sun, Honestly the entire album no joke

I feel like I’ve been waiting for an official BTS comeback for centuries now. And after waiting for so long, Arirang did not disappoint in the slightest. There’s been a lot of talk in the fandom space about wanting BTS to return to their roots, and I think this album did a very good job of capturing the essence of that. This is what “old BTS” is. Hip-hop and R&B influenced sound, with rap line doing the verses and vocal line on the chorus. They exceptionally executed mixing their old sound with a more modern edge. I knew from the moment the album opened up with, “I need…I need…Whatchu need twin?”, that this was immediately going to be one of my favorite releases of the year.

<K> – Heejin

Favorite Songs: Algorithm, Sad Girls Club, Nokia, Addiction

Every time I do these seasonal favorites, a new former LOONA girl is added in the mix. This is an older EP from Heejin, which sucks because where in the world was I when this dropped? I’m a big fan of the sound and vibe she chose for this release. Very 2000s R&B and even 80s pop, especially in songs like Algorithm and Addiction. She doesn’t have a lot of solo music currently released, but I hope that changes this year. I’m excited to see what else she has in store!

KONNAKOL – Zayn

Favorite Songs: Blooming, Loving The Way I Do, Prayers

One of his more eventful album rollouts, I’ll tell you that. As someone who’s faithfully listened to all of his releases since leaving 1D, I don’t think this one is ranked very high in my favorites of his (as of right now). With that being said, it’s still a pretty good album. I think Zayn has one of the best vocal profiles in music today. He revisits some of his earlier sound of Pop and R&B, which suits his voice well (side note but I think his voice shines best in the Soul/Blues/Alternative sound from his 2024 release Room Under the Stars). He uses a lot of raspiness in some songs here as well, which I loved. This has potential to grow on me more throughout the year.

7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns – TXT

Favorite Songs: So What, Stick With You, Bed of Thorns, Dream of Mine

TXT doesn’t get enough credit for having a flawless discography. This EP does nothing but help the argument. It kind of reminds me of their 2020 releases, where’s there a good combo of a few different elements. This EP has a lot of dance tracks that incorporate Pop, and then there are moments where they slow things down into more of a ballad. Grace with a rough edge. We gotta work on these long names for EPs and albums though.

NAIL – Yves

Favorite Songs: It, NAIL, Break it

This Spring I was finally able to see Yves live, and I enjoyed every second of it. I got to hear her sing some of the songs I’ve grown to love over the course of the year, including these new ones that were released right before the tour started. I will say that upon first listen, I didn’t gel that much with this release. Upon seeing her perform them live though, my opinion changed greatly. The choreography for NAIL itself is a work of art. So, if you have the chance, go buy a ticket to see her live! Or check out some of her performances on Youtube. Because I think it really livens her music, especially with this EP.

Caligo Pt.1 – PLAVE

Favorite Songs: Island, Chroma Drift, 12:32 (A to T)

I initially tried to make fun of my friend for listening to this group, but then I pressed play on the song she recommended, and well, here we are. The song in particular was Island and listen…that song is a masterpiece. It’s a known fact that I live for vocals, especially in slower songs where the voices are the highlight. And that is exactly what this song is. Even 10x better that I now know the singers behind the group are in fact real people and not robots. Insanely good EP, definitely give it a listen if you haven’t. I went in blind and was greatly impressed.

I Wanted You – Ina

My brother and I have been waiting for this song to be on streaming since Obama’s first term. And we FINALLY won this past Spring. I think I first came across it from a Code Geass AMV on Youtube, because that’s just what I got up to at 10 years old. From there I made my brother listen to it and we’ve both been hooked ever since. Ina, my girl, if you’re reading this, we need you to drop something else for the streets.

Boyfriend – Big Time Rush

There’s some context I could add that would make this song a bit funny to include in here, but I’ll leave that for another day. Quite honestly, I went to a Nickelodeon Rewind club night in April and this song came on. It just brought me back, man. A cutesy, fun pop song with some pretty nice singers on it.

Richman – 3OH!3

I can’t recall the exact instance that made me go back to this song this season. I’ll chalk it up to a late 2000s/early 2010s playlist I may have been listening to. Regardless, I used to loooooove 3OH!3, and especially this song. For the next rewind night that I attend, I need this to be in rotation.

sAvioR – Heejin

Circling back into me getting into Heejin more this past Spring, this single was a more recent release of hers from last year. And it is a completely different sound from the <K> EP, which I love. I admire artists who play around with their sounds and try new things, even more when they excel at doing so. The synthesizer and the way her vocals are featured really gives me the feel of an older Evanescence song. I would love to see her explore this realm more in a future EP or even album.

Michael Jackson. That’s it.

Saw the Michael biopic and my TikTok FYP has just been a flood of MJ edits and content. And I won’t complain in the slightest. Personally, I feel that I’ve avoided a good bit of his legacy because of the many scandals surrounding his career. But after watching the movie and doing a bit more of my own research on everything, I feel okay delving deeper into his artistry. I owe it to both the fan I was as a little girl and the more in tune music lover I am today. I picked this specific version of Human Nature as well because it is peak.

Cry – Rihanna

This is another banger I came across watching Code Geass AMVs on Youtube (I think this one was ShirleyxLelouch). For the life of me I could not find it anywhere on streaming. But I finally did and am so happy. I can’t believe this was just a bonus track for GGGB, she literally could’ve made this a single!!

YOUNGCREATORCREW – Cortis

Zero notes because this is just straight noise pollution and I don’t even know why I like it. Maybe because it’s just a silly goofy time.

Gone Girl – Yves

Mentioned earlier that I saw Yves live for the first time, and that made me especially love this song 10x more than before. She’s an amazing dancer and overall performer, but she’s a damn good singer. And hearing this live made me appreciate her vocal color even more.

Hey Now – Kendrick Lamar

Zero notes here also, There’s nothing else left to say but I’M WAY TOO IMPORTAAAANT.
(I eventually need to do a SOTD post of a Kendrick song and I’m shocked I haven’t yet)