[Bonus] Best Of 2018: Honorable Mentions

Here come the Best Of 2018! Well, the ones that didn't make the final cut anyway. With five selections, they serve as a teaser to the final Best Of 2018 list. But unlike that list coming later this week, these will remain unranked. They may not necessarily even be the best outside choices (when are they ever?) but they certainly made a strong case throughout the year. May they wet your palette before the official best drops on Friday or something.

LOONA - Favorite

Not enough BRRRRA in Kpop honestly so thank goodness for Loona. The styling of group names is something I've struggled to get consistently in writing and tagging posts, and still haven't found a working ground for. Anyway "Favorite" is like EXO's "Mama:" a debut track that isn't really a debut track. Still there's a lot to like here. The choreography is strong, the instrumental is bangin', and the energy is through the roof. With this and "Hi High" as their official "debut," Loona is giving us plenty to look forward to.

The Boyz - No Air

This is why you always check out new artists. You never know when you'll find something nice. Though their group name is unfortunate - you never want to replace an "s" with a "z" plus it reminds you of Girls' Generation going "THE BOYS THE BOYS THE BOYS" back in 2011. Unlike "The Boys," this song is actually good. The tropical background is refreshing even though the summer season was well gone by the time it released. Even though there's short bursts of rapping and that ilk, that prechorus to chorus flow is fucking strong so I can forgive that. Nothing specific is standout with "No Air" but everything works together very well.

Mino - Fiance

With most of Big Bang in the military, the time is now for Mino and friends to take over. He's carved out a niche amongst the strong rappers under the YG flag and "Fiance" packs his own brand of swagger. Everyone raves about the prechorus but I'm honestly hooked on that proud and loud instrumental of the powerful chorus. That shit is great. To top it all off, the music video is fun and is not lacking in personality. At the four year mark in their careers, it seems the members of Winner are finding their groove.

Apink - I'm So Sick

Even though I loved the change in direction from Apink, I couldn't justify putting in the final set. Those verses are criminally short and very mediocre. Everything else is beautiful though. Prechorus, chorus, visuals, choreography? All of it is pristine with Eunji and Bomi being two huge reasons why.
Chorong was underutilized but got to redeem herself during the bridge while the support members did more than enough. This could be a turning point for Apink if they stick to this concept and style.

Heize - First Sight

When I started compiling nominations for the Best Of 2018, Heize's newest treat was immediately on my radar. As I whittled down the list, I couldn't decide if "First Sight" would be here or in the top ten. My sister said, "didn't the song just come out?" and you know what she has a point. This song isn't even a week old yet and so despite the beauty of it, it'll have to stay just outside the top selections. "First Sight" is basically every Heize song rolled into one. Her sweet voice glides through the song and seems inspired by Dean's "Instagram" among other tracks. There's less rapping than I'd like, but I really can't complain with the product she's putting out.