53 Best Kpop music Albums Released in 2021 – Part 2

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This is part 2 of the 53 best Kpop music albums that have been released this year. This blog only goes until the latest ENHYPEN album, which was released in October, for now.  

K-pop music albums released in:

JUNE

1. One of a Kind by Monsta X

Release date: June 1

‘One of a Kind’ is the ninth EP of the boy group Monsta X. This Kpop music album has a total of seven songs, with ‘GAMBLER’ as the title track. People call the album truly one of a kind since it shows the growth of the members and it’s a one-of-a-kind melody in each of the songs.

The album has a total of four versions: version 1-4. Each version has a certain number of eyes (like with a dice). So version one has one eye etc. Version one has a rich gambling kind of aesthetic. The members are wearing suits and there are gaming pieces in some of the photos. Version 2 has a spy/secret agent aesthetic. The members are wearing gloves and fancy clothing while being on a roof. The third version also has a rich aesthetic but takes place on a plane, which seems to be a private plane. The members are wearing black and gold. The fourth version has a very clean aesthetic. The members are wearing a beige suit with a white background. Making it kind of heaven-like.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric book, stickers, random rolling paper message card, paper ornament, folded poster, unit photocard and a photocard.

The album costs: $13.95

2. Don’t Fight the Feeling by EXO

Release date: June 7

‘Don’t fight the Feeling’ is the seventh EP of well-known group EXO. In this album, there are only seven members since the others are still in the army. The album has a total of five songs with ‘Don’t Fight the Feeling’ as the title track. The Kpop album tells a story of love, maturity and the ability to adapt to change.

The Kpop music album has two all member versions (Emergency Landing and One Giant Leap) and for each member a special version. For the special version, the photos have been taken by another member, therefore this member is shown as the ‘player2’ on the cover. For the all-member versions, both versions have the same aesthetic only one of them takes place in the spaceship (One Giant Leap version) and the other one on the planets (Emergency Landing version)

The Emergency Landing version includes a CD, photobook, lyrics book, planet postcards, folded poster, postcard and a photocard.

The One Giant Leap version includes a CD, photobook, lyrics book, envelope, folded poster, group poster, postcard and a photocard.

The special member version comes with a CD, photobook, stickers, ID card and a photocard.

The album costs:

$13.95 for the ‘One Giant Leap’ version

$15.30 for the ‘Emergency Landing’ version

$12.99 for the special version

3. Taste of Love by Twice

Release date: June 11

‘Taste of Love’ is the tenth EP of the girl group Twice. The Kpop music album has a total of six songs with ‘Alcohol-free’ as the title track. The title track is about a love that makes you feel drunk even though no alcohol has gone into your system. Which then falls back on the title of the album ‘Taste of Love’. A taste of love that is sweet and makes you do certain actions you normally wouldn’t do.

The album has three versions: ‘Taste’, ‘Fallen’ and ‘In Love’. The ‘Taste’ version has white and purple as the main colour. This album definitely gives off a summer aesthetic, with bright sun, palm trees, cold drinks and summer clothing. The ‘Fallen’ version has a summer club aesthetic. They are wearing summer clothing, while being inside in a bit of a dark room, with some neon lights here and there. This gives it a beach night party/club vibe. The ‘In Love’ version also has a somewhat summer aesthetic but a more futuristic/space/ball aesthetic. The members are wearing dresses that can be considered fancy but not too, too fancy.

This K-pop music album includes a CD, photobook, lenticular photocard, tasting card, five photocards, coaster and a photocard set.

The album costs: $13.68

4. Your Choice by Seventeen

Release date: June 18

‘Your Choice’ is the eighth EP of Seventeen. The fans had been waiting for the comeback for a while since the last K-pop music album was eight months earlier. The album has a total of six songs with ‘Ready to Love’ as the title track. Seventeen wanted to show a side that they’ve never shown before. The K-pop  music album itself has the meaning that your choice is more important than mine, so they want to convey their respect for the other’s choice and preferences. This innate sense of consideration shows a more mature approach to love. With the title track, they want to communicate the multi-faced nature of love.

The album has a total of three versions: ‘ONE SIDE’, ‘OTHER SIDE’ and ‘BESIDE’. The ‘ONE SIDE’ version has a bright vintage kind of aesthetic. Over the photos is a warm filter placed. The members are posing with flowers in front of a what older car. They are all wearing outfits, but all are clothed smart. Then In the latter part of the album are black and white portrait/close-up photos. The ‘OTHER SIDE’ version starts with the members wearing black and white clothing. Which makes the photos look like they are straight out of a magazine. Then around the middle, you get close-ups on each of the members’ faces. Some photos are taken inside a house and a warm filter has been put onto the photos. The main colours are dark grey, white and beige. The ‘BESIDE’ version has a bit of vintage but magazine aesthetic. The photos are with a warm filter on top. And the background is a bit brownish.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric book, sticker, bookmark, postcard, mini card, unit card and a photocard.

The album costs: $14.60

5. Hello Future by NCT Dream

Release date: June 28

‘Hello Future’, by NCT Dream, is the repackage of the earlier released K-pop album ‘Hot Sauce’.  The repackage has a total of nine songs, including the new song ‘Hello Future’. The title track (‘Hello Future’) expresses an additional hope towards constructing a brighter future. The main idea of the song is growth, growth for the world, but also growth on a personal level.

The album has a total of two versions: ‘Hello’ and ‘Future’. Both albums have the same aesthetic. The entire album has a warm aesthetic, while also kind of a hippie aesthetic. The members wear nature like clothing or tie-dye. Most of the photos are therefore also taken outside, at a baseball court, grass field etc.

The album includes a CD, photobook, sticker tattoos, two folded posters, polaroid and two photocards.

The album costs: $15.20

JULY

1. Windy by Jeon Soyeon

Release date: July 5

‘Windy’ is the first mini-album of rapper and producer Jeon Soyeon. This K-pop music album has a total of five songs with ‘BEAM BEAM’ as the title track. Windy is the name of Jeon Soyeon’s alter ego. Windy is carefree like the wind and doesn’t care what others think. When Jeon Soyeon was young, she always followed the rules to a tee. The album ‘windy’ therefore depicts both her twenties and the twenties she dreamed of.

The album has only one version with blue and yellow as the main colours. The album comes in a little paper box, which you often put like little presents in, only now it’s an album. The packaging of the album is one of the most unique I’ve ever seen. The photos are with a warm filter and soft pink clothing. The aesthetic of the photos are a bad girl kind of vibes but on the other hand, it also has a very chill aesthetic as well. There are photos that seem to be taken in a party kind of setting, photos at a board game setting, photos in a club setting and some are also taken outside in a field with a white-picked fence or at a flower wall.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric paper, stickers, coaster, membership card, standee, postcard and a photocard.

The album costs: $20.50

2. Empathy by D.O.

Release date: July 26

‘Empathy’ is the first-ever album of D.O. as a solo artist. He has done some other singles before, but not an album. Of course, D.O. is also a member of EXO, so it’s really the first album as a solo artist and not in general. The Kpop music album has a total of eight songs with ‘Rose’ as the title track. Most of the songs on the album lean towards acoustic pop. The album shows the capability and emotion to understand another human being.

The album has one normal version. The jewel case (without plastic) does have two versions. I will only talk about the normal version. The cover of the K-pop album is black and white. The photos inside are mainly coloured. While looking at the album it feels like you’re with a friend inside a house and around the house, chilling. Going through the pages a sense of calm comes over you. D.O. has photos of him far away, close by and with nature. The pictures are playful but stylish.

The album includes a CD, photobook, poster and a photocard.

The normal album costs: $12.99

The jewel case costs: $7.69

AUGUST

1. Switch On by Astro

Release date: August 2

‘Switch On’ is the eighth mini Kpop music album of the group Astro. The album has a total of six songs with ‘After Midnight’ as the title track. A fun little fact about the songs on this album is that each member helped write at least one of the songs. The feeling they want to give you with this album is a longing to spend the night with someone special.

The Kpop music album has two versions: ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’.  The ‘ON’ version has a kind of behind the scenes of tour aesthetic. The photos are taken at the make-up area, at the waiting area, clothing area etc. The guys are dressed nicely, looking ready to go on stage or to receive an award. The ‘OFF’ version also has a behind-the-scenes aesthetic, but instead of a tour, it’s a photoshoot. The guys look simple in terms of clothing, which gives it a very down-to-earth feeling.

The album includes a CD, photobook, photocard sleeve, postcard, lyric book, sticker sheet and two photocards.

The album costs: $15.65

2. Play Game: Holiday by Weeekly

Release date: August 4

‘Play Game: Holiday’ is the fourth mini-album of Weeekly. The Kpop music album has a total of five songs with ‘Holiday Party’ as the title track. The album is considered playful, with a chant-like chorus, which seemed to attract quite an audience.

The album has two versions: ‘E World’ and ‘M World’.  The ‘E World’ version has purple and blue as the main colours. The members are in comfortable clothing and the photos are taken in a game room and outside with a Volkswagen van. The overall aesthetic is summery and hanging out with friends. It feels like you’re going through a memory book. The ‘M World’ version has purple and pink as the main colours. The members are wearing white dresses, with feathery backgrounds. Then a kind of cake party is happening, and the members are surrounded by sweets, enjoying themselves with some snacks. It again feels like a party but a more sophisticated party instead of the hang out with friends kind of party.

This Kpop album includes a CD, photobook, two photocards, photo ticket, sticker, printed photo and a travel name tag.

The album costs: $11.75

3. Thrill-ing by The Boyz

Release date: August 9

‘Thrill-ing’ is the sixth mini-album of the group The Boyz. The album has a total of six songs with ‘THRILL RIDE’ as the title track. Since the album was released in summer, the group thought the word ‘thrill’ was perfect, since people tend to search for thrills during summer.

The Kpop music album has a total of three versions: ‘Kick’, ‘Bang’ and ‘Splash’. The ‘Kick’ version takes place at a fair in the dark. The lights of the attractions are bright and shine nicely on the members. The members are practically taking you around the fair and into the attractions. The ‘Bang’ version is also with bright lights on the members, but this time the members are standing in front of a bright blue curtain. Making it look like a photo zone at a party. The ‘Splash’ version takes place at a pool. The members are in the swimming pool or at the juice bar or they are just chilling around. While also feeling the thrill in the photos this version also gives a calm aesthetic. My favourite photo is from the member with blue hair eating a huge watermelon.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyrics card, thrill streaming band, tattoo stickers, thrill ride express card, hologram postcard, sparkling photocard and one photocard.

The album costs: $15.20

4. Queendom by Red Velvet

Release date: August 16

‘Queendom’ is the sixth mini Kpop music album and the twelfth overall album of known girl-group Red Velvet. The album has a total of six songs with ‘Queendom’ as the title track. The K-pop music album is meant to give you a feeling that you don’t need a crown to feel like a queen or king. The challenge they are talking about is adopting the I-can-do-it mindset instead of giving up.

The album has a total of three versions: two versions go under the same name ‘Queen’s’. The other version is called ‘Girls’. The ‘Queen’s’ version has two different albums. The one with the purple and pink cover has the members being really large compared to the rest of the surroundings. The houses are as big as their faces. This theme of them being big compared to their surroundings goes throughout the album. Then in the latter part, the members are in nature, in a grass field. Some members have balloons around them, or with the Red Velvet flag. The ‘Queen’s’ version with the balloons on the front has the exact same photos on the inside, so only the outside is different. Then the ‘Girls’ version has an 80’s diner and bedroom and school kind of aesthetic. The photos keep switching between those three settings and there is a bit of a warm filter on the photos.

The ‘Queen’s’ version includes a CD, photobook, envelope, portrait card, postcard, bookmark, poster and a photocard.

The ‘Girls’ version includes a CD, photobook, lyrics book, folded poster, envelope, sticker set, special card and a photocard.

The album costs: $16.50

5. OK Prologue: Be OK by CIX

Release date: August 17

‘OK Prologue: Be OK’ is the first full Kpop music album of group CIX. The album has a total of eight songs with ‘WAVE’ as the title track. This album is the first album in the OK series. The K-pop music album tells multiple stories regarding youth, sins and salvation.

The album has a total of three versions: ‘RIPPLE’, ‘WAVE’ and ‘STORM’. The ‘RIPPLE’ version has red as the main colour. The aesthetic of the album is chill at the beach. The members are in the sand, on a surfing board etc. The members are wearing comfortable clothing. The ‘WAVE’ version has blue as the main colour and takes place in a park. There are all kinds of animals around them from a goose to a giraffe. Then some members are also posing with some fruit. Again, it has a chill aesthetic, all though there are some random aspects, like the bed in the middle of the park. The ‘STORM’ version has white as the main colour and it takes place at the forest/park. The members are wearing sailor outfits while posing with the nature pieces around them.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyrics book, envelope, postcard, stickers, story script, folded poster, scratch message card and a photocard.

The album costs: $16.50

6. The Awakening: Written in The Stars by Cravity

Release date: August 19

‘The Awakening: Written in The Stars’ is the first full Kpop music album of the group Cravity. The album has a total of eight songs with ‘Gas Pedal’ as the title track. The Kpop  music album is considered part 1 of a series of albums that will be released later on.

The album has a total of three versions: ‘AWAKE’, ‘TAKE’ and ‘YOUTH’. The ‘Take’ version has an electro/techno kind of aesthetic. The members are wearing mainly white with some black points here and there. The background is red/purplish. The ‘AWAKE’ version has a black and white aesthetic with some pink, red and purple highlights here and there and some blue/greenish as well. The background is simple, and the album gives off a futuristic aesthetic. The ‘YOUTH’ version has more of a street style aesthetic. The members are also wearing clothing that you can see on the streets in Korea. The background is often a brick wall with black and orange as the main colours.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric book, folded poster, unit photocard and one photocard.

The album costs: $15.20

7. Noeasy by Stray Kids

Release date: August 23

‘Noeasy’ is the second full album of known group Stray Kids. The album has a total of thirteen songs with ‘THUNDEROUS’ as the title track. The title of the album ‘NOEASY’ is a play on the word ‘noisy’. The members decided on this name because they want to leave a loud impact on the world with their music. They say that this album really showcases their music.

The K-pop music album has a total of two versions: ‘A’ and ‘B’. They also have a limited version on the side, but I won’t talk about that one. The ‘A’ version has black and green as the main colours. This version has both coloured and black and white photos. The aesthetic is bad guy kind of vibe. Then in the end it turns into a retro street style kind of aesthetic. The ‘B’ version has black and purple as the main colours. The aesthetics in this album is the same as the ‘A’ version.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyrics book, sticker, unit folded poster and three photocards.

The album costs: $15.20

September

1. Talk & Talk by Fromis_9

Release date: September 1

‘Talk & Talk’ is the fourth single album of Fromis_9. As you may have noticed they have already released an album earlier this year. This album is therefore also not like others and is considered a special album for the group.  This Kpop music album has only one song which is ‘Talk & Talk’. You can see this album as an extra album from the group.

The album only has one version, which is a lighting blue with darker blue lettering on the cover. The album has gold, purple, blue and red as the main colours. The aesthetic is chic 80’s. They are in a chateau kind of place, while also wearing quite fancy casual looking clothing. The 80’s vibe comes in with the phone, which is from the ’80s.

The album includes a CD, photobook, postcard, sticker and three photocards.

The album costs: $11.80

2. Love Synonym PT.2: Right for Us by Wonho

Release date: September 4

‘Love Synonym PT2: Right for Us’ is the second mini-album of soloist, and former member of Monsta X, Wonho. The album has a total of eight songs with ‘Lose’ as the title track. Wonho explained that the style of music he uncovered in this album could impact the path he would like to step into in the future, in terms of the sound he hopes to achieve. The album shows off Wonho experimenting with sounds and feelings.

The album has a total of three versions: a light blue, a darker light blue and a dark blue. (The different versions don’t have different names). The light blue version has a very darker purple aesthetic as the background. Wonho is wearing leather and words are written on him. He either lays on the floor or he is crouching down. There are also some photos of him being shirtless. Then later in the album, he wears a white turtleneck with a black background making him look softer. But then the shirtless him comes back. The album keeps n changing aesthetic, and therefore has multiple aesthetics in one. The darker blue version is like looking through a magazine with just Wonho. Every photo looks like it could go straight in Vogue. The dark blue version starts with a vintage-like aesthetic while looking like they are polaroids in terms of quality. Then it goes back to a model-like aesthetic and then shirtless Wonho comes back. This album is therefore the most alike to the light blue version since it has multiple aesthetics.

The album includes a CD, photobook, stamp sticker, 4-cut photo, paper ornament, bookmark, scratch card and a photocard.

The K-pop album costs: $13.08

3. Stereotype by StayC

Release date: September 6

‘Stereotype’ is the first mini Kpop music album of the group StayC. The album has a total of four songs with ‘STEREOTYPE” as the title track. The main message behind the title track of the album is to not judge people based on their looks but to try to appreciate their insides. The Kpop music album is believed to set the bar even higher in the industry than it already was.

The album has a total of two versions: ‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’. The ‘Type A’ version has a polaroid/film aesthetic in terms of the photos with early 2000s clothing. The clothing that they are wearing is completely checkered and the background changes per member. Then in the end the checkered clothing goes away and the members are found in more modern clothing styles while being in nature. The ‘Type B’ version starts in nature with the members wearing dresses giving it almost a fairy aesthetic. Then later the members are inside, and the checkered clothing/ 2000s style is back. Here the background is bright pink.

The Kpop music album includes a CD, photobook, folded poster, postcard, photocard, fragrance card, scratch card and a special photo card.

The album costs $17.70

4. LALISA by Lisa

Release date: September 10

‘LALISA’ is the first-ever Kpop music album of Lisa from Blackpink as a solo artist. The album has a total of two songs, which are also both the title track; ‘LALISA’ and ‘MONEY’. Both of these songs became a huge hit, and especially ‘MONEY’ was found everywhere on TikTok.

The album has a total of two versions: the black version and the gold version. The black version starts with Lisa dressed in glittery clothing, from top to bottom, shoes included. Her hair is in four braids. It gives off a very rich aesthetic. Then around halfway through, Lisa is dressed in comfortable street style clothing. The background is white and the photos change from black and white to colours and then to polaroids. then a bit later again, the photos are taken on the street with the street lights being vague in the background. The gold version also starts with a glittery outfit, but it’s a different outfit. The glitter eventually goes away but the rich aesthetic stays, even when she is on the street. In the end, the rich aesthetic is taken to another level with a very long fluffy robe and diamond embezzled shorts.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric page, double-sided folded poster, polaroid and a photocard.

The album costs: $15.73

5. Sticker by NCT 127

Release date: September 17

‘Sticker’ is the third full Kpop music album of the group NCT 127. The album has a total of eight songs with ‘Sticker’ as the title track. The song ‘Lemonade’ can be considered as the second title track since it was promoted as well. The song is typically NCT, with the well-known flute sound in the title track, which is either loved or hated by listeners. NCT is known for their experimental music in their K-pop music albums and ‘Sticker’ is a great example of that.

The album has a total of three versions (excluding the jewel cases): ‘Seoul City’, ‘Sticker’ (purple), ‘Sticker’ (green). The ‘Seoul City’ version has photos taken at night with the Seoul skyline in the background. The guys are dressed in comfortable clothing and it feels like you’re hanging out with them. The ‘Sticker’ (purple) version has photos from the set they filmed the music video at. This album, therefore, feels a lot like a behind-the-scenes photoshoot.  Then the ‘Sticker’ (green) version is also completely different. The background is neon green and the members are also wearing quite bright colours. Each of the members has their own postcard design, which are also full pages in this album.

The album includes a CD, photobook, folded thank you poster, one photocard, stickers and a postcard.

The album costs: $14.70

6. Crazy in Love by ITZY

Release date: September 24

‘Crazy in Love’ is the first-ever full Kpop music album of the girl group ITZY. The K-pop music album has a total of sixteen songs with ‘LOCO’ as the title track. Normally ITZY talks about your self-esteem and that you should look at yourself with admiration. And while they still talk about that in this album, their main theme is falling in love, crazy in love even.

The K-pop music album has a total of two versions: the purple version and the red version. The purple version has a bright coloured aesthetic. The members are in a house and it feels like you’re hanging out with them and that you’re looking through a memory book. There are polaroid pages, normal pages, written pages. Pages in the bedroom, make-up area and the living room.  The red version has the exact same aesthetics but they are different photos.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric paper, sticker pack, folded poster, special card set, standee, two polaroids and two photocards.

The album costs: $23.99

OCTOBER

1. Savage by Aespa

Release date: October 5

‘Savage’ is the very first Kpop music album of the group Aespa. Before this album, they did release some singles, but none of them were albums. The album has a total of six songs with ‘Savage’ as the title track.

The album has three versions: ‘P.O.S.’, ‘Synk dive’ and ‘Hallucination Quest’. Of these three ‘P.O.S’ is a jewel case, which is why I won’t talk about that album here. The ‘Synk Dive’ version has a magical aesthetic, with the members wearing dresses and darker backgrounds with a little bit of light. The ‘Hallucination Quest’ version has more of a warrior aesthetic. The members are standing in unusual poses and a big snake is going around them. They also stand across their AI version. Overall, the album gives off outside of this world feel.

The album includes a CD, photobook, folded poster, tattoo sticker and two photocards.

The album costs: $14.60

2. Dimension: Dilemma by ENHYPEN

Release date: October 12

‘Dimension: Dilemma’ is the first full Kpop music album of boy group ENHYPEN. The album has a total of five songs with ‘Tamed-Dashed’ as the title track.  In the music video of the title track, you travel through two different dimensions via a ball. Only this football can travel from one universe to the other. The title track also shows the vivid dilemma of the members unable to decide which path to follow between the paradoxical contradictions and conflict of their own desires.

The album has a total of three versions: ‘SCYLLA’, ‘ODYSSEUS’ and ‘CHARYBDIS’. The ‘SCYLLA’ version has the photos taken in the dark. You can describe the aesthetic as fancy high art old aristocrat. The members are wearing quite fancy-looking clothes. The ‘ODYSSEUS’ version has the photos taken at the beach. The Kpop album feels very light in terms of the aesthetic, with the members wearing white shirts and loose black/beige pants. The ‘CHARYBDIS’ version has the photos taken both outside and inside a house. It looks like a nice little party/gathering of the members. Therefore, the album gives off a fun, playful but chill aesthetic. The members are wearing oversized clothing, hoodies and loose shirts.

The album includes a CD, photobook, lyric book, a photocard, hologram photo card, folded mini-poster and stickers.

The album costs: $18.38

You can buy the albums at SM Global shop, Ktown4u, and at Kpop town. (There are more places, but these are just three examples)

If you want to learn more about the Kpop albums released in 2021, check out the video below on best physical album aesthetic of 2021!

Scroll down further to download the Official Kpop Album Checklist.