99. Stork - gitim
The first of three tracks released this year by singer-songwriter gitim was the soulful and mysterious-sounding song, Stork. The track comes accompanied by a satisfyingly lofi video.
98. c a c t u s s m u g g l e r - quinn_
The menacing background sound of this unusual dream pop track gives way to a warm-and weird chorus.
97. Holiday - Gwon.U
Gwon.U is an artist with a huge amount of potential, still looking for the sound that fits them best. Here they're making folksy pop music that reminds with a jaunty style.
96. Lisa - Gwak Tae Poong
This upbeat and romantic indie-pop track is so good that we are willing to forgive the fact that Gwak Tae Poong is wearing a Tottenham t-shirt on the cover. #ynwa
95. Holding Tightly - Haepa
After an incredible 2022, this year was relatively quiet for Haepa. Still, she managed to release Holding Tightly, a demonstration that this is an artist who will continue to make the music that they want to make.
94. Kinfe - Kim Sawol
Kim Sawol remains on familiar ground with this warm-and-whispy folk offering.
93. 사라질 거면 - pylat
Indie-pop singer-songwriter and wonderful person, pylat, returned this year with a new EP. Our pick, however, is the standalone single 사라질 거면, which shows pylat's tender and emotional side.
92. Baegmagang River - print print shop
We really love this little retro oddity from Sora Kim-fronted print print shop. It uses vintage Korean sounds to make something new and weirdly captivating. The DIY video that accompanies it is also very fun.
91. Lean - Tuesday Beach Club
After an incredible 2022, Tuesday Beach Club continued to develop their sound with a series of singles. The dreamy Lean make it onto our list.
90. Crab and Tap Water - THORNAPPLE
It's hard to know what to make of THORNAPPLE's 2023 EP Animal, but it's great to see this indie mainstay stretching their creative legs a bit. EP-closer Crab and Tap Water is out pick for best track.
89. Neighborhood - Han Grin
The hushed vocals of Han Grin's Neighborhood add a layer of introspection to this very listenable indie-pop song.
88. Line of Heart - RAAI
It's more apt to describe the work of RAAI as sound art than anything else. Her unique approach to music is evident here on this whispy ode to nature.
87. Late Summer - CHS
This surprisingly downbeat track from CHS might not reach the heights of some of their other work, but it's still a well-made, calypso-inspired song.
86. Sad You, Still Fine - Fromm
Fromm's emotional songwriting is out in full force for this sombre ballad.
85. Ear - Room 306 and Ahn Ye Eun (lofi Ver.)
We really like the idea of artists releasing lofi and hifi versions of their songs (although, pretty sure we would always prefer the lofi version). Ear is a soft, tender song that makes great use of Ahen Ye Eun's unique vocal style.
84. These days - cott and onthedall
This reflected dream pop song comes out of a collaboration between two of the most popular names on the Korean indie scene.
83. Psycho - Nube
If we're being honest, we don't know much about this artist, but we really love this song. It's a tight little indie pop track. If Nube carries on making music like this, we'll definitely be learning more about them soon.
82. Exhale - TENGGER
It's hard to place someone like TENGGER on a list like this. Their music is beautiful beyond words but always makes more sense in a live setting or on an album. Still, Exhale is stirring ambient track that shows just what they're capable of.
81. New Age (shake it!) - Van Siian
We first heard the chilled pop sound of Van Siian on her frankly underrated debut album 2021 Tea and Rice. She has outdone herself on this smooth R'n'B-adjacent track.