Words: Anna Marie

Spring is so close, we can practically taste it! As we begin placing bets on who will claim 2022’s summer anthem, as well as trying to predict our faves’ tour schedules before they’ve been announced so we can plan accordingly, we have to admit this winter was not a bleak one, for our playlists at least. So many idols and groups have blessed us with incredible releases over the last few months. To celebrate lighter evenings and warmer days, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite comebacks this winter!

KAI

EXO’s main dancer returned with his 2nd solo mini-album Peaches back in November. Deciding that this time around he would show us his “lovely” side, Peaches is softer and smoother than its predecessor KAI, but no less impactful. The album opens with the title track ‘Peaches,’ a tale of forbidden fruit and fantasy, and it does the perfect job of setting the tone for this album – from the lyrics to the colour palette. The rest of the album is as dynamic as KAI is, ranging from soft lo-fi vibes of ‘Blue’ to the full-throttle R&B hip-hop anthem ‘Domino,’ though the highlight of the album takes the form of bold track ‘Come In’.

TWICE

We got not one, but two comebacks from TWICE this winter! The girls dropped the Japanese-language holiday single ‘Doughnut,’ along with a dreamy and cryptic music video too. But before that, came Formula of Love: O=T=<3, which is the quintessential pop album every single one of your playlists needs. Even though this album came out in winter, it could not be more full of summer vibes, stacked with synthpop, disco, and 80s nostalgia. We also love to see the girls getting more of their writing out there, with several tracks being co-written by the members.

Monsta X

Back in December, Monsta X gifted Monbebe with their second full English-language album The Dreaming. Much like its predecessor ALL ABOUT LUV, this album is equal parts sultry and tongue-in-cheek. Monsta X have a truly unique ability to juggle being sexy and silly all at the same time, and that’s never been clearer than on this album. ‘You Problem’ is a mix of 80’s and 90’s nostalgia dreams, as is the styling in the music video. MX and their team have been working really hard to promote this album all over the world, but particularly stateside, and we hope they get the success they deserve. If you’re not Monbebe yet? That sounds like a ‘you problem.’

ENHYPEN

ENHYPEN have one of the most recent comebacks on this list, with the release of repackaged album DIMENSION: ANSWER in January. On the super successful single ‘Blessed-Cursed’ they truly do answer all the dilemmas that they had in the original version of this album, and we love to see ENHYPEN releasing an album this cohesive and well-executed when they’re barely more than a year into their career. Whilst there are more subtle or contemplative moments on the album, overall it is exactly the aggressive, defiant statement a group like this should be making.

Stray Kids

It might be strange to be talking about Christmas songs in February, but when they’re as good as Christmas EveL, there’s no season where they’re off-limits. STAY continue to be spoiled by their faves (as they should) as Christmas EveL contains three brand new songs, and an English version of the beastly ‘DOMINO.’ The lyrics and music video for the title track ‘Christmas EveL’ appropriately capture Stray Kids’ undeniable wit, whilst the production features the boundary-pushing experimentation we know and love from this group.

Girls On Top

Finally, we have the female answer to Super M! Made up of an incredible (and ever-changing) lineup of SM Entertainment’s talent roster, Girls On Top finally debuted in January, with this particular iteration known as GOT The Beat. The group, featuring members of aespa, Girl’s Generation, Red Velvet, and some of K-Pop’s best solo artists, released ‘Step Back’ – an energetic and impactful anthem that has all the power we’d expect to see from ladies like these. After the monstrous global success of Super M, we’re excited to see what’s in store for Girls On Top!