The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday.

To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2021 and Nov. 30th, 2022.

Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!

Honorable Mentions

Numbers 50-41

Numbers 40-31

30. ENHYPEN – Future Perfect (Pass The MIC)

What?? A comeback that initially scored a lowly “7” rating is sitting comfortably at number thirty? Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Future Perfect defied expectations and became one of the year’s biggest growers. I guess some songs just need the volume cranked extra loud to fully appreciate their charm. (full review)

29. CRAVITY – Party Rock

“Dark to bright” concept switches were a big 2022 highlight, and no group pulled this off better than CRAVITY. Party Rock is cotton candy pop music, big and silly and overflowing with sugary hooks. (full review)

28. Changmin – Maniac

Prior to unveiling the title track of his 2022 album, Changmin let his ambition flow with Maniac’s theatrical glam rock splendor. It’s a thrilling and unexpected turn for one of K-pop’s most potent vocalists — far and away the most surprising piece of music to come out of SM Entertainment this year. (full review)

27. OnlyOneOf – Skinz

OnlyOneOf set the bar impossibly high with last year’s libidO. Rather than trying to surpass that track, the guys just dug their feet in and went weirder. Skinz works its way underneath your… well… skin with its abrasive textures and alluring sense of danger. (full review)

26. KB – Be Free

Speaking of OnlyOneOf’s catalog, Be Free stands as a highlight in their expansive Underground Idol series of solo tracks. The song replaces their usual flair for the experimental with an amiable groove that spotlight’s KB’s confident performance. (full review)

25. CRAVITY – Adrenaline

Another standout from CRAVITY, Adrenaline inches above Party Rock thanks to its propulsive pace and that megawatt (and very SHINee-esque) chorus. It all builds toward a fiery climax that sends the song out on a high. (full review)

24. Brave Girls – Thank You

Brave Girls placed two songs in my top ten of 2021, but despite a stint on season two of Queendom they didn’t release much material this year. Thankfully, the electro funk of Thank You maintains the goodwill from their well-deserved resurgence. It’s a buoyant victory lap. (full review)

23. Astro – Candy Sugar Pop

Here we have yet another boy group who reverted back to the bright, poppy sounds of their debut era. Astro may be down one member, but the jubilant Candy Sugar Pop stands as their most enjoyable single in years. That pinwheeling chorus is everything. (full review)

22. Treasure – Hello

I have a strong affection of the maximalist EDM pop of the early 2010’s and I never expected Treasure to harness this sound for a title track. Hello is fun and cheeky and totally in your face when it comes to its Take On Me-referencing synth bombast. (full review)

21. from20 – Chemical

Synthwave has been a popular K-pop genre for years now, but often it’s the under-the-radar acts who utilize it best. From20 has mastered these sounds, and Chemical is his most immediate and affecting work yet. (full review)