Top 50 Singles of 2015: 25-21

25. BTS - Dope



Their ode to hard work and training, and this year's best example of how to do an instrumental breakdown the right way.

24. News - Four Musketeers



An odd pop song, that barrows more from classical orchestration than it does from current trends. Somehow, it all works brilliantly together.

23. Bigbang - Let's Not Fall In Love



Not the loudest or most in-your-face single the group released this year, but I feel like that earworm of a melody will give it the massive staying power that other songs lack.

22. Boys Republic - Hello 



A hazy summer track that borrows the best from melodic, late-90's boyband pop. It just sounds like a peaceful drive by the beach.

21. Red Velvet - Dumb Dumb 



A schizophrenic firework of a single, catapulting Red Velvet to the top tiers of k-pop. It's all about that beat.

Boys Republic - Hello

I'm just in love with this song. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of that brief time in the late 90's when pop bands like the Backstreet Boys were releasing ultra-melodic, polished radio hits. Boys Republic has been flawless so far when it comes to single releases, and this is their first mid-tempo ballad. I was a bit worried about this tempo chance at first, but Hello has become a very pleasant surprise. Much like B1A4's modern classic Lonely from last year, Hello has that simple, peaceful melodic quality to it. In fact, it serves as an excellent counterpart to Lonely. In a release schedule filled with loud dance tracks, it's that perfect chill-out moment on your summer playlist. My only disappointment is that it's just a single without an accompanying album, though I expect that to change in the coming months.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.