Summer 2015 hits

Aug. 31 marks the official end of summer in Korea. While it's winter where I am, I was able to experience summer through K-pop songs. Sadly, this isn't a good thing as a lot of the summer-themed comebacks in the past three months sucked. So, I've compiled a list of my top seven songs. These are all personal views, so you will likely disagree with the list. Granted, I have not stuck specifically to summer-themed songs, because if I did, the list wouldn't go past three ... So without further ado, the top songs of K-pop summer 2015.
/Also a poll for your favourite song this season/

I'll start off with some honourable mentions because I feel seven doesn't quite cover the amount of decent songs that came out during the season. In no particular order:

Primary ft. Suran & Beenzino - "Mannequin"

"Mannequin" was a nice song to start the season out with. It will remain in my playlist for a long time. Suran has a really nice voice, and I hope to hear more from her. And Primary did a great job with the track. To my surprise, Beenzino's rap break didn't break the song. Although I really liked the song, I chose a different Primary track to go on the official list, and I didn't want to put multiple artists on the list. To be honest, I could really just fill the list with Primary's album, but that wouldn't be fair.

Got7 - "Just Right"

This song was pretty great for Got7. It really utilized their rappers who are my favourite part of all of Got7's title tracks. Bambam's voice has dropped considerably; I even had to check it was actually Bambam and not Mark. It's better than their past two title tracks but isn't up to the standard of "Girls Girls Girls," which was great in my opinion. The lyrics are really aimed at their target audience, and in a country that is known for its plastic surgery, I think this song was amazing ... although the music video is kind of creepy when you think about it too much. Seven small adult(ish) males casually hanging out in a 12-year-old's room?

Kisum ft. Jooyoung - "You & Me"

Kisum was the best thing to come from "Unpretty Rapstar." She may not have been the best rapper there, but she really shined toward the end. She's also pretty much the only person from the show to consistently put out solid music, and this just adds to her ever growing list. The song is solid, though it was a safe track. It's nice to listen to when you just want to relax.

Girls' Generation - "You Think"

Probably their most solid track since Jessica left, it's a shame this is doing so poorly on the charts, though. I personally don't like Girls' Generation that much, which is why it's not in the top seven, but that doesn't stop me from admitting this is a decent song. It definitely lived up to the expectations the demo bought. I'm still not sold on the transitions in the song, especially the slower parts. It would've benefited from keeping it all half rap/half singing, instead of going from half-half to straight singing. But I understand GG isn't really that great when it comes to rapping, so I'll forgive them for that. But the actual rap break? Definitely should've just been all Hyoyeon, without the chick in the Nike crop top before her. Anyway, it's a decent song and way better than "Party" and "Lion Heart," though not better than "Catch Me If You Can" (yes I actually liked that song).

D.Holic - "Chewy"

Not gonna lie, I have 0 idea who these girls are. And I hated this song when I first heard it. But then it kept coming up on YouTube's autoplay, and me being me, I was too lazy to change the song. And surprise, the song grew on me. I'm starting to think that if I listen to a song long enough, I'm bound to like it, but then I remembered, and that idea was lost on me. Anyway, the music video has some really nice visuals — the girls are quite pretty, might have to cover them in The B Team. The song's decent; it's got a nice beat and some good vocals in it.

AOA - "Heart Attack"

Originally, I wasn't going to mention AOA, but I put in Girls Gen, so I figured I'd include a group I actually liked. "Heart Attack" was a terrible song the first few listens, but after all the brain washing, I found myself beginning to like it. So that's why I've given AOA the last honourable mentions position, even though a majority dislikes the song.

With that out of the way, let's move on to the official list:

7. Baechigi ft. Solji - "Shut Up"

Coming in at No. 7 is Baechigi with "Shut Up," featuring EXID's Solji. This was a nice chill song that was pretty great. While I loved the song, I got bored of it - fast - so that's why it's at No. 7. Baechigi has consistently put out solid hits though, and this track is no different.

6. Z.Hera ft. Gaeun- "XOX"

At No. 6 is Z.Hera featuring Gaeun of Dal Shabet. I hadn't really paid attention to Z.Hera until I heard this, but it's nice and upbeat. No boring, slow singing breaks to ruin its upbeat nature, either. It just makes me want to get up and dance. I had this song on repeat for at least a week, and it's definitely a keeper on my playlist. The music video is so fun, as well. So Z.Hera is now on my to watch list.

5. Jang Jane - "Love Me Do"

Nugu solo artist Jang Jane comes in at No. 5 for me with "Love Me Do." While yes, I am a fan of the more upbeat songs, that doesn't mean I shy away from the slower songs. Her voice is really nice and reminds me of Lim Kim, which isn't a bad thing. Jang Jane is probably one of my favourite discoveries this season, and I hope she doesn't just fade away like a lot of solo artists. Unlike Z.Hera. I don't believe she has a decent fan following, but she was third in "Superstar K" awhile back and has stuck around, so let's hope she persists. "Love Me Do" came out very recently and is a great song to relax with (seems this summer is full of songs like this).

4. Primary - "Don't be Shy"

I mentioned earlier that I had a Primary song already on the list, and this is it, Primary's reggae track "Don't Be Shy" featuring Choa from AOA and Iron. This song was perfect for Choa's vocals and has actually put Choa up on my bias list within AOA. The rap break was refreshing and stops the song from getting repetitive and boring. In summary, Primary really killed it with his latest album, but this song was the best in my opinion.

3. SHINee - "Married to the Music"

Although SHINee looks terrible in this video, this song was so fun, so at No. 3 is SHINee with "Married to the Music." As is usual with SM artists, I'm not really a fan of SHINee. It's not because of their company, but being the judgmental prick I am, I tend to gravitate toward groups with good visuals + songs, and to me, the majority of SMEnt groups don't meet the criteria. But, SHINee was killing it with their last comeback and the repackaged album. "View" was great, and this is even better.

2. Hyuna - "Because I'm the Best (Roll Deep)"

Of course Hyuna is featured on this list. At No. 2 is her most recent comeback, "Because I'm the Best (Roll Deep)." Although this song doesn't live up the standards of "Red," it's definitely one of her better title tracks. Sadly, the rest of the album this time is terrible, but who cares when your title track is perfect. The music video really tries to satisfy a lot of fetishes: BDSM, suburban housewife, hot country bumpkins, French wannabes, Miley Cyrus, school girls, pigtails, skateboarding and anyone who finds that cheetah print remotely attractive ... which is why Hyuna is great. Although it does not live anywhere up to the hype caused by the album teaser (which had a really nice track), "Roll Deep" is a solid song that I have had on repeat for the past few days. I've even grown to appreciate Ilhoon's rap part; it actually fits really nicely. Sadly though, this doesn't take No. 1, because I recently learnt she's saying, "You can't touch me" and not "You can touch me" (The brain wants to hear what it wants to hear). Also, "Sorry I'm a doctor" is actually "Sorry I'm a dope girl," so points were subtracted for poor English execution. Also No. 1 just was an amazing song. Hyuna's lyrics for "Roll Deep" are also straight to point: It's a song about why she's better than her haters, a perfect sequel to her previous song with EXID's LE.

But before we get to No. 1:

And now for a complete 180 from Hyuna: At No. 1, I present to you:

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1. Playback - "Playback"

Definitely my favourite debut of the year, it's Playback with their self titled debut track "Playback." The only thing that is mildly bad about this song is that it's repetitive as fuck, making playing this song on repeat pretty boring. Oh they're also wearing sandal heels with socks which everyone knows is a crime. But besides that, this was a perfect song for me. And Playback did get a lot of recognition, so they aren't destined to fall into the background and fade away like most debuts. They join Oh My Girl and CLC as the next groups who are bound to become household names to the likes of A Pink, Sistar and AOA ... eventually ... hopefully.Well, they are under a nugu company, Clear Entertainment. Anyway, this song did make me hit the playback multiple times, and I just really like it, so I reckon it's my No. 1 of the summer (winter).
Also, Hayoung recently released a dance cover of Beyonce's "Drunk in Love," so you should probably pay attention to this group. They're having another comeback on Sept. 2.

Now you might be wondering why there isn't any Nine Muses, Hello Venus, Sistar, T-ara, Big Bang, Stellar, etc. Well, I'd like to tell you, I didn't particularly like their songs this season. Nine Muses' "Hurt Locker" was good, but it wasn't "great" for me, so I left it off the list. Sistar's "Shake It" did grow on me but not in the way "Heart Attack" did; I  now just don't think it's terrible. Big Bang has shown they suck as a group with the release of "Zutter," and they have a much better sound individually (or in groups). Hello Venus' song is in a similar situation to Sistar. And while I did like the message within Stellar's latest comeback, the song just wasn't for me. Also, there were a fair few other good songs I liked, but I didn't feel compared with the list, such as Infinite's "Bad," JJCC "Where you at," Wanna.B "Attention" and, of course, T-AOA T-ara's "Crazy."

But knowing that music taste is subjective, I'd like to see your top songs of the summer; So vote HERE, and I'll release the results next week. Note, songs must have been released between June 1 and Aug. 31.