39. In Love - Adoy
In Love is an ethereal track that is the audio equivalent of a beam of light through the curtains. Like much of their recent album Pleasures, this song glistens brightly and creates a light atmosphere in the process.
38. TURN OF ALL THE LIGHTS - Sil-a
Sil-a is one of our favourite new discoveries of 2023. Most of the music made by this alternative R'nB singer-producer is vibrant and dancey. TURN OF ALL THE LIGHTS, is a reflective song about struggling with the isolation of being in a foreign country (and also mosquitoes).
37. work, shit, sleep - jisokuryClub
Between time spent fishing and winning what seems like all the awards, it's any wonder jisokuryClub found the time to record any music.
Their most recent song, work, shit, sleep, is a jaunty bedroom-pop ode to mundanity that is anything but.
36. shine - zzzam
Kicking off a trifecta of acts that were either suspected of or fully declared as disbanded, zzzam returned this year with their first new music in a long time.
The band released five new singles this year, and our pick is shine - a song that asks the question, what if Sgt Peper's-era Beatles had made a shoegaze track?
35. Nothing Feels Alright - The Sound
After officially calling it a day back in 2022, The Sound came back this year with a vengeance. Highlights for the lads include signing to Love Chips International and playing at both Block Party and Pentaport (listed here in order of quality of accomplishment).
The Sound might be known for their audacious pop-punk style, but Nothing Feels Alright, the band go for more of a power pop sound.
34. White Coat - Audrey No
And another band that seemed to be finished... This time last year, the future of Audrey No was unclear, with the band no longer playing live together. How happy we were when they announced they were back AND recording new music.
In August we were treated to their five-track EP, Somewhere You Can See Me.
While So What's My Prize may have become the EP's most popular single, our pick is the epic and slightly bluesy White Coat, which comes complete with a fantastic animated video.
33. Drinking Everyday - Rumkicks
With an increasing international standing, punk provocateur Rumkicks keep going from strength to strength - helped in no small part by the release of their first full-length album, Born Rude.
Opening track, Drinking Everyday, is Rumkicks at their anthem shouty best. Their sardonic energy bordering, as it often does, on self-destructive. And we're here for every moment of it.
32. Wish It Were A Dream - Moskva Surfing Club
Moskva Surfing Club released one of our top 5 albums of the year in November with the awesome and refreshing Foggy Sunshine.
Yet our choice for best track from them is their single from all the way back in January. The ethereal and haunting Wish It Were A Dream is led by an oddly stirring vocal performance from Kyuri.
31. Grass - Yangbans
2023 was the year when Yangbans became a live music tour de force. The band were already very fun live, but this year, they took it up a notch, culminating in the most-watched act at our very own Block Party Music Fest.
The band released two EPs this year in which they found a nice balance in their myriad of influences and created a bunch of great songs about music.
30. Chill - Tierpark
This year, Seoul's live music scene had to say goodbye to one of its mainstays. Sort of.
The songwriting duo behind Tierpark have moved to the US but insist that this isn't the last chapter in the band's story.
Before leaving, they gave a pretty amazing goodbye gift in the form of Chill - an atmospheric track that makes utmost use of Jon's guitar playing and Sehee's incredible voice.
29. End - cacophony
We have so much love for this incredibly captivating performer. Between her emphatic voice, emotionally resonant songs, and creative visual style, cacophony is a singularly brilliant artist. End is taking from her recent album, DIPUC, a solid contender for the most interesting and surprising album of the year.
28. Mind Surfing - Glen Check
Look, we are aware that we're describing a lot of songs on this list as "shoegazey", but we don't control what music people make. Mind Surfing is a shoegazey offering from Glen Check and is the rockiest song the band have made in a while. This fuzzy indie-pop sound suits them and is reminiscent of early Bombay Bicycle Club.
27. Let Me Live - 18Fevers
Seoul-based punk band 18Fevers had a spiffing 2023 that saw them release their first EP, tour the UK, and announce a tour in Japan. Any track from Death Punk Disco would be a-ok. We've gone for Let Me Live, a song about trans rights and, more broadly, defending anyone who's rejected by society.
26. Salty Feelings - Jacqui
Jacqui (formerly known as Soulette) didn't produce much music this year, she was too busy touring Australia and headlining stages at festivals. She did release Salty Feelings, though: a typically sassy track with alt-R'n'B vibes and a healthy amount of neo-soul.
25. Merry X-marx - Electron Sheep
Korean Christmas songs are an odd thing, even when made by the coolest of bands. There's a tendency here to turn the schmalziness up to 11. Indie veterans Electron Sheep avoid that pitful and have made a noisy shoegaze song that would sound great at any time of the year.
24. Flower Tail - Dabda
Flower Tail is a demonstration of just how far Dabda have grown as a band. It has the same polyrhythmic math-inspired elements, but they're a band who are painting with a bigger palette.
It's a joyous song that is even better live!
23. 아프지마 가사 Be Yourself - Cadejo
This year, Cadejo released FREEVERSE - the third entry into their FREE series and their first non-collab album since 2020. As you might expect from the trio, it is a genre-smashing tirade of musical ideas.
아프지마 가사 Be Yourself is a hyper-chill ode to being true to yourself and is our pick for this list.
22. shootamoviewithu - Tomyo
A very welcome return this year was indie rock singer-songwriter TOMYO, who seems to make a habit of releasing one great song a year, playing a few shows, and then disappearing.
This shoegazey pop-rock song is fantastic, probably her best song yet.
21. Kill This Sound - KANG New
2023 was an amazing year for KANG New due, in part, to her ever-fruitful collaborations with long-time friend Fat Hamster. The two have been tearing through stages and putting out some of the most interesting electronic music in the scene.
Pretty much any track from KANG New would fit perfectly here, but we've gone for Kill The Sound: a quirky, Prince-esque electro-funk track with typically fun lyrics.