August — the end of summer, and with the current climate change-induced series of heatwaves, perhaps also the end of the world. But hey, let’s not think about that just yet, and let the this year be remembered as the summer of hits from K-pop’s biggest women artists. The below are ranked in no particular order, veering from sweet, to empowered, to romantic, to intense and then back again to sweet. These ten tracks might remind you that a heatwave isn’t so bad when you have music to dance to — at least you’re already sweating.
“Fever,” GFRIEND
The main single from their seventh mini record, Fever Season, answers the question of how GFRIEND would sound if some rhythm concepts were added, without leaving their signature ultra sweetness behind.
“Snapping,” Chung Ha
Pop princess Chung Ha was born in Seoul but was raised in Dallas, Texas. Her love for R&B is evident, but it’s the way she mixes it with pop that means all her singles become hits.
“Badster,” HYO
An intense and unexpected psytrance banger from a member of Girls’ Generation. Hyoyeon becomes HYO with the release of “Badster,” and it’s definitely long overdue.
“Uh-Oh,” (G)i-dle
Despite the difficulty of spelling their weirdly punctuated name, it’s worth typing into Youtube as it wouldn’t be summer without a banger from (G)i-dle. We are not worthy of their brilliance.
“No One,” Lee Hi
Before the current batch of YG scandals, the crystal clear voice of Lee Hi reached the top of the pop charts with “No One,” which marks her return as a soloist in her latest EP 24ºC.
“We don’t talk together,” Heize
Produced by Suga from BTS, “We don’t talk together” is the melodic bird call that includes raps from Giriboy, with the perfect dose of R&B from Heize.
“HOT HAND,” Yeseo
Despite her elevated production values, Yeseo is still not known worldwide, which makes us stan her even more. For an elegant and sensual pop tune, you need “HOT HAND” in your playlist.
“Future Love,” KATIE
KATIE, we love you, never change your sophisticated way of singing with a broken heart. The ballad “Future Love” is a standout from her latest release, LOG.
“Binu,” BIBI
BIBI makes her debut with single “Binu” (soap), released by Feel Ghood Music. We’re excited to hear more from this artist.
“Fancy,“ Twice
Twice have transformed their image from cute to pure fire. “Fancy” is a mega dance pop hit that ties together the other five tracks from their EP, Fancy You, a release we’re obsessed with.
This article originally appeared on i-D ES.