My Top 10 Kpop Releases in May 2026
10. YUHZ - Rush Rush
After not liking the Alpha Drive One debut, I was a bit nervous about the YUHZ debut. Because like AD1 I got invested into this group by watching their survival show (I rarely watch boy group survival shows btw). But I should not have worried as their debut was so good! They came out with a really cute and fresh debut track that I immediatly needed to add to my summer playlist! I cannot believe how underrated this debut is! You all need to go give it a listen!!!
9. ITZY - Undefined
I love albums where each member gets their own solo and very often one of those solos ends up being my favorite track on the album. That is true for the latest ITZY release. While I really enjoyed the whole album, it is the song Undefined that stood out to me the most. It really reminded me of those retro-inspired girl group songs of late 2nd, early 3rd generation. I have always had such a soft spot for those type of songs and I am glad to have another great edition to that very specific playlist!
8. BABYMONSTER - MOON
I will be the first to admit that normally I do not listen to BABYMONSTERs full albums as I don't really tend to vibe with their title tracks. With their latest comeback I randomly decided to check out the full album, despite not liking the title track. And I am so glad I did! I really ended up enjoying this mini album and there were two songs that really stood out to me! The first of those being MOON. Something about this song feels so cool. It really reminds me of the "The Perfect Red Velvet" album and as that is one of my favorite albums.. any song that sounds like it would fit on there is going to be a hit in my books!
7. BABYMONSTER - I LIKE IT
My favorite song on the new BABYMONSTER album has to be I LIKE IT. This song is so much fun to listen to! It has that girl group summer vibes that I am just weak for. I don't have too much to say about this song, except that listening to it is just so much fun!
6. CrazAngel - Picasso
I am so mad people are sleeping on this song, just because it is from a lesser known (some may argue nugu) group! This song is exactly the type of music I want to listen to in the summer! It is fun and quirky, while still having an overall really relaxed feeling. I love the part where they go "pica-pica-picasso". It just scretches something in my brain! Overall I would recommand this song to people who are missing New Jeans. Trust me.
5. NMIXX - LOUD
NMIXX will always hit with their comebacks and their latest mini album in no exception to this rule! I love this b-side. It is very bittersweet and I love me some bittersweet music (as you will see from the rest of top 5 this month). This song has great vocals and a great vibe to it. Not much to say honestly...
4. aespa - 'Til We Die
While there were many great songs on the new aespa album, the one that stood out to me the most is 'Til We Die. This song feels so cinematic to listen to! I love the vocals on this track and the emotions it manages to convey! I know this song is going to go hard live and I cannot wait to hear it on stage!
3. I.O.I - IF I
I.O.I IS BAAACK! Or at least was back for one month. I love this group and I love their new music. IF I is such a beautiful song. I love this type of pop rock ballad. The song is emotional in the best way possible and I needed it to be promoted way more than it was!
2. NMIXX - Heavy Serenade
Speaking of absolutely beautiful songs. Any other month Heavy Serenade would have been my favorite! This song is just so beautiful! I love that is has this kind of magical feeling while still playing heavy into NMIXX strenght as a vocal heavy group. This song feels like the softer little sister to Blue Valentine (which just happened to be my favorite song of 2025). This comeback was absolutely PERFECT.
I.O.I - Suddenly
However my favorite song of the year has to go to Suddenly by I.O.I. This song was everything I wanted from an IOI comeback and more. This might actually be their best song ever?? I am not sure yet, but for now I just cannot get enough of this song! It is beautifully bittersweet and once again I am just weak for pop rock songs with a bittersweet emotion at it's core. This comeback was everything to me and it made me so emotional!!











