Honorable Mention: Dreamcatcher (NEW)
* New Releases: Chase Me / Good Night
The rebranded Minx made a name for themselves early on in 2017, with "Chase Me" bringing a powerful sound uncommon for girl groups (and arguably boy groups, too). Both "Chase Me" and "Good Night" have Jpop influences and they're definitely darker than your typical girl group (reddit sure loves their MVs). Powerful instrumentals and choreography drive their music and they've rightfully been getting praised for that. I'd only heard of Minx by name before the rebranding so it really was like finding a new group for the first time. Having music with heavy rock elements that remind of Younha's early days is absolutely keeping this group on my radar. As long as they keep releasing quality content and sweet dance clips consistently, Dreamcatcher will enjoy new success to go with their new name.
Honorable Mention: 9MUSES
* New Releases: Talk About You (Kyungri), Remember
Frankly, "Remember" is one of the best songs this year thus far, and arguably 9MUSES' best song since the days of "Wild" and "Glue." Man how I miss those days... The dark concept and electric instrumental pair excellently and the balanced vocal attack continue to do work. Hyemi has never sounded better and the same could be said for Kyungri and Keumjo. Sojin's rap is also extremely impressive considering it's many steps above what she showed us in "Lip 2 Lip." "Remember" was everything I could've hoped for. Of course this is all fun and good, but 9MUSES - or rather Star Empire - can't be trusted. They've risen up so many times only to fall apart an equal number of times. The inconsistency with this group will continue to plague them as they move forward so they'll stay just outside the top 10.
#10. Red Velvet (--)
* New Releases: Rookie / Would U, Darling U / Our Story (Seulgi)
Red Velvet officially makes their appearance within the top 10. After sitting in the Honorable Mentions section for the last two times, a flurry of activity and departure of Sistar leads them to the 10th spot. "Rookie" really wasn't my cup of tea, and so I'll await their next slower song comeback ("Would U" sort of counts but sort of doesn't since it was through Station). What has also helped RV is Joy's collection of OST work for her drama which is bordering an entire library of its own. As you've noticed I've omitted them from the new releases line because that would take up unnecessary amounts of space. They are one of the few girl groups on the list that possess average vocalists at the worst, something their music generally utilizes well.
#9. Girl's Day (--)
* New Releases: I'll Be Yours
When you finally make a comeback after almost two years, you'll reappear on this list. Girl's Day had a solid return with "I'll Be Yours" and while it's nothing spectacular, their presence alone makes up for having dropped of the rankings lately. Besides, it's not like there were many girl groups going on crazy runs. With Sistar out of the picture, it only makes sense that Girl's Day would climb back with a song that is sort of similar to Sistar's style. Not to mention that this brand of sexy is what catapulted them to the very top in the first place back in 2013. Girl's Day might not have any consistency points, but their contract renewal points to a stable future ahead. Perhaps a future that has them climbing back up lists and charts with quality hits.
#8. AOA (-2)
* New Releases: Excuse Me / Bing Bing
Choa leaving the group has disastrous implications for AOA. Without a main vocalist at the helm, the singing aspect looks very grim for everyone remaining. With the exception of Yuna, everyone else is maybe average at best. Their January comeback wasn't as hype as it could be, but the real dagger here is obviously the news about Choa. After Sistar disbanded I was hoping that AOA would take up the role of summer queens but now... I'm not exactly sure what Chanmi's upcoming project entails. There's been a dance cover but if there's some songs involved that could be nice. Out of any girl group (besides 9MUSES) AOA's future is the most uncertain, both in terms of what their music will be like and their group status as a whole.
#7. Apink (+1)
* New Releases: The Spring (Eunji), Always / Five
While Sistar was synonymous with summer, Apink is synonymous with spring. Or at least, Eunji is. She had her solo comeback this year with another sweet and soothing ballad, while the whole group dropped very Apink songs in "Always" and "Five." They're one of the few groups on this list (and in general) that have continued to keep their signature sound over the years. However at this point in their careers the charm is wearing off, at least for me. I've not been feeling their last couple songs (the last one I really liked was "Luv") but their veteran status keeps them from going on a downward slide. Now that Sistar and Sistar19 are gone, I'm hoping Apink BnN will be the next dormant subunit to make a return. Please? Also, Bomi's short hair in "Five" is tragic. She didn't deserve such a fate.
#6. GFriend (+1)
* New Releases: Fingertip, Spring Again (Yerin)
GFriend is the younger sister of Apink. Truth be told in my mind there is no other parallel in Kpop as strong as this. However, GFriend have been doing slightly better than their sunbaes / unnies. For starters, their music is way more energetic - at least compared to recent Apink releases. "Fingertip" is excitingly fast, slightly out of their comfort zone, and even included a pseudo-rap segment which shows that they're capable of branching out. If their upcoming July comeback continues with their experimental side, that should be a point of interest since the group has exceeded in a genre that suited them very well. But Yuju can probably make any type of music sound good with her magnificent voice so if there's more Yuju belts I'm all for whatever.
#5. EXID (--)
* New Releases: Honey Bee (Hani), Night Rather Than Day
Even though EXID made a rather pedestrian comeback without fearless vocalist Solji, there's no reason to keep them anywhere but 5th. Wonder if those two were correlated, but I digress. The gap between girl groups is still widest between EXID and GFriend, so it'll be a while for anyone outside the top 5 to break through. "Night Rather Than Day" wasn't traditional for them in the sense that it carried way more R&B vibes which we don't usually see from EXID. Not bad, not great, just different. In Solji's absence, Hyerin showed that she could more than hold her own in the main vocalist spot while LE and Hani stayed consistent with their performances. Here's hoping that Solji can get back to 100% for some full group action later this year.
#4. Black Pink (+5)
* New Releases: As If It's Your Last
Instead of talking about the success of Black Pink (I have to decide how I'm going to stylize their name soon otherwise my OCD will cause major problems down the line), let's briefly talk about their newest song "As If It's Your Last." If I'm to be blunt, this is their weakest release so far, and coincidentally the most 2NE1-esque song as well. The verses and chorus are two distinct entities where the latter is far more enticing than the former. Saving grace: Lisa's rap is fire and appropriately there are flames in the background of her rapping shots - easily one of the best rap breaks of the year. Also everyone looks really good in the MV. Everyone...except Lisa. I don't recall any girl group member rocking that shade of orange, it's simply not a good match. Anyway they supposedly have more music in storage already, let's hope it's more like what they debuted with.
#3. Mamamoo (+1)
* New Releases: Honey Bee / Happy People (Solar), Anymore / Da Ra Da (Wheein), Love Comes (Hwasa), Aze Gag / Yes I Am
What is there to say about Mamamoo that hasn't already been said? These dorks bring their own unique charm to the cameras and their wonderful voices to the studio / stage. Besides a healthy dose of individual activity, their latest comeback is spearheaded by "Aze Gag" and "Yes I Am," which is reminiscent of when they made a splash early last year with "Taller Than You" and "You're The Best." First they dropped a goofy pop track followed by another of their signature masterpieces. It's quaint how similar these two comeback waves are. Mamamoo were able to succeed where SPICA failed, using their strong vocalists and their personalities to captivate audiences. So long as they continue to do what they do, I see no way they'll slow down.
#2. Twice (+1)
* New Releases: Knock Knock / Signal
Twice have been mostly misses lately. At least in terms of their music. We all know how pretty they are, but "Knock Knock" was their worst song for me at the time and then "Signal" came right along and usurped that. I actually think "Signal" is borderline atrocious and makes "Like Ooh-Ahh" and "Knock Knock" look like superstars. The only thing going for it is that it gets stuck in your head easily, which given the negative context is more irritating than anything else. Both it and "Knock Knock" are very disjointed songs and compared to "Cheer Up" and "TT" simply don't sound as good. Still, their overwhelming popularity can't be ignored. Without Sistar locking down the silver medal position, it rightfully belongs to Twice now, probably for a long time, too.
#1. Girls' Generation (--)
* New Releases: Don't Say No (Seohyun), I Got Love / Fine / Make Me Love You (Taeyeon), Wannabe (Hyoyeon)
One does not simply disregard the last ten years of SNSD's history. Yes, Twice and Black Pink have been doing astoundingly well and the intermediate groups are hitting their stride (for the most part), but they pale in comparison to the legacy of Girls' Generation. Until the younger squads can put together some dynasty-worthy series, I'm keeping them out of first. Besides, it's not like SNSD has been sitting idle the last few months, either. Individual activities have been busy busy busy with Taeyeon and Hyoyeon releasing new songs. Seohyun made her solo debut and Yoona is looking to join the list next month. Then you have the highly anticipated 10th anniversary comeback, which will be the central buzz for Kpop come August. No matter how you slice it, Girls' Generation is still the #1 girl group to beat.
Final Glance
H: Dreamcatcher
H: 9MUSES
10. Red Velvet
9. Girl's Day
8. AOA (-2)
7. Apink (+1)
6. GFriend (+1)
5. EXID
4. Black Pink (+5)
3. Mamamoo (+1)
2. Twice (+1)
1. Girls' Generation
Previous Ranking (Early 2017)
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