Hello, hi! Welcome back to yet another casual blog post of Letters From Liz!
This time of year is always exciting for me; not because it’s the summertime and nearly everyone was wishing for these days just a couple of months ago, but because I truly get to sit down and see what songs have I listened to the most up until this point of the year. As some of you may know, every year for Lizmas I list some of my top favorite albums and songs that came out in the year, so this is just like that, but it’s for the middle mark of the year. Does that make sense?
Anyway, without further ado, here’s the top 5 songs that have been on repeat for the first half of 2026:
5.) Pinky Up – KATSEYE
It’s no secret that I really do enjoy Katseye’s music, so when they announced that they would be coming back with a single prior to their Coachella debut, I was tuned in. Knowing the direction that the group was taking (I mean, ‘Gnarly’ was a huge indicator of that musical shift), “Pinky Up” featured some of that experimental genre of music that felt like a good introducion into their next era. The song is easily a “club banger” type of song, which I felt was meticulously planned out with HYBE’s other girl groups’ comeback songs. Anyway, the one difference between this leading single with the leading single of their second EP, Beautiful Chaos was that “Pinky Up” had some melodic verses in it, showcasing Lara and Sophia’s vocals.
To address the obvious elephant in the room, this was the first comeback the girls had without their 6th member, Manon, which sparked up tons of speculation regarding her hiatus and what it truly means. Personally: I would’ve loved to see Manon in “Pinky Up” because I like all of the girls. I wish that HYBE at least included Manon in this album despite her hiatus (meaning have her in the songs but maybe sit out on promotions like most Kpop focused groups do) but nevertheless, I am looking forward to see what the direction that the group’s third EP, WILD, goes in. Disclaimer: their last EP in 2025 was one of my top favorite albums last year, so there’s ton of anticipation for this one.
4.) Irony – LE SSERAFIM
Speaking of other HYBE girl groups, I really enjoyed the musical direction that LE SSERAFIM has been on recently. It kind of started late last year when they released their single, “SPAGHETTI”; the music was catchy and kind of ridiculous-sounding. It made sense for Kpop, which was once known for its colorful and weird concepts. The group’s pre-single, “CELEBRATE”, a house-styled song with some EDM influence in certain choruses and whatnot. At first listen, it was weird at first because it was such a drastic change in genre for the group that it didn’t suit them at first? But, when they released their lead single for their second full-length album, PUREFLOW pt. 1, it made sense. LE SSERAFIM is a group that ventures out in music sound, which is evident to “BOOMPALA”, a Macarena-sampled song with feel good lyrics that get stuck in your head.
But, there’s one thing about this group that reigns on top: their b-side discography. LE SSERAFIM seems to always have one or two b-sides that just hit different, and for this album, it’s “Irony.” I don’t know what it is about this song, but the beat slaps. The melody works so well with the fast-paced beat, and the quirky English-verse chorus makes this such a good song. I would’ve loved to see this song be performed as a promotional b-side to the album, but all in all, I think this album was very much LE SSERAFIM coded.
3.) Human Extinction – WOODZ
God, I’m so glad we got WOODZ music again. Woodz is no stranger to these lists since this man is incapable of releasing a bad album or a bad song. This was his first physical release since his discharge from the military late last year (On a side note: I can’t believe that both my Kpop boys not only sang in the military band together and are legit friends, but they are finally discharged and making music again!) I was so excited when he announced that he would be coming back with a full-length album, like an actual full-length album with 17 original songs; not calling 5 to 7 songs a “full-length” album in Kpop standards. Anyway, the lead single, “Human Extinction” follows the rock sound that Woodz has been working with for quite some time, and this album doesn’t shy away from that. He just has the voice that can morph into different genres, I swear.
The album, within itself, is such a good album that showcases (yet again) the many different sides of Woodz. There’s some ballads, some more hip-hop fused raps, and some more rock-focused songs. Some of my personal favorites outside of its lead single are “Downtown,” “Struggle”, “Glass”, “NA NA NA”, “Plastic” and “00:30”. I just really enjoy his artistic direction in his projects, especially now that it seems like he is breaking that “Kpop boy” image he was first introduced to us as back in 2019. I just need Seungsik to release a physical album now, plz and thank u!
2.) 404 (New Era) – KiiiKiii
This silly little song by a 5th-gen Kpop girl group was not on the list of things I would be obsessed with this year. For some context, KiiiKiii is a 5th-generation Kpop girl group under Starship Entertainment; the agency known to house their senior girl group, IVE. The group consists of 5 members; Leesol, Sui, Jiyu, Huam, and Kya. Their group concept (to me at least) mirrors a lot of younger, rookie groups in the industry now: youthful, colorful, with a hint of nostalgia in there.
Their first official comeback after their debut was their second EP, Delulu Pack, which features their lead single, “404 (New Era)”. The lyrics are a play to the “404 Error” that you would commonly get when a webpage isn’t found. The song leans in that house music-esque genre where if you’re not voguing to the chorus, you simply don’t like fun music. While I don’t really follow 5th gen Kpop groups (only because sometimes I feel like I’m listening to idols literally half my age), this song was too catchy to not listen to. For context: this song came out in January 2026 and it’s still on my everyday listening playlist.
1.) Leak It – FLO
THIS SONG, Y’ALL. I’ve must’ve played this song 5,000 times within the last 4 months and honestly I would be so surprised if it doesn’t land on my top songs for the year on Spotify Wrapped. Some background on this group: I started casually listening to them a couple of years ago when I was writing different series’ on the blog, specifically “Summertime”. From there, I noticed their early 2000’s girl group influence in their music; it was apparent that these girls were bringing the girl group vibe back in westernized music.
This song embodies self-confidence. This song makes you feel like the baddest bitch on the planet, and these girls’ voices are no joke. There is just something about this song that is not skippable, and it must be played when it does. I also thought KATSEYE would be making music just like this when they debuted, but that’s a different story for a different day. Anyway, although I feel like FLO has made their way into the industry with recognition, I really do hope that they blow up and become a staple for girl groups thats’s not in a Kpop-related type company or influenced by the Kpop standard.
And that’s just about it! I know that there are a couple of releases coming in the second half of the year, so I’m excited to see what makes it to the list at the end of the year.
Until then! 🙂
Letters From Liz. 