I was fairly close with my projection date for the latest YouTube Music Recap. Last year’s Summer Recap came out on August 28, so I knew to expect this year’s recap towards the end of the same month. I was close—it came out a day earlier on August 27.
Since I had a better idea of when the recap would drop this time, I had a couple of weeks to make some predictions. My guesses were correct. All of the songs I mentioned were on the list. The only place I went wrong was putting ATEEZ’s latest songs in the top spots. They were on the list, but they didn’t show up because they’re slightly below the top five (#6 for “In Your Fantasy” and #7 for “Lemon Drop”). Close enough!
Let’s look at how the rest of the lists turned out.
Overview
The Summer Recap covers the period from June to August 2025.
My total listening time hits an all-time low of 2,603 minutes (~43 hours). Part of the reason for this abysmal result is that I had an ear infection. I got too much water in my ears when I washed my hair one day. The right ear was tender for a few days, but the left ear throbbed nonstop for much longer before it cleared up. During that time, the best I could do if I wanted to listen to music was play YouTube videos on the TV at a very low volume. That put a serious damper on things.
Also, I finally cracked the mystery of why my listening time has been steadily declining. I realized that I’ve been buying more music lately, which means that I’m streaming less music. The time that I spend listening to my personal music library in the Musicolet app on my phone isn’t accounted for in YTM, which makes it look like I’m not listening to music as much. I can’t believe it took me so long to figure this out!
Meanwhile, my fear that my Musical Moods would change has come true. Romantic overcame Dramatic 31% to 27%. I may have an explanation for that as well. I think I’ve been so wrapped up in the epic danmei love stories of WangXian from Mo Dao Zu Shi and HuaLian from Heaven Official’s Blessing that my romantic side has been front and center for once. I admit that I was even making playlists for them. Yep, I’m a sap like that.
My Top Genres are much the same as always. K-Pop comes in at 44%, or 47% if you add in Korean R&B/Soul‘s 3%. Even so, that’s still 5% less than last season. There are no other international genres involved. I find this odd because two entries on my Top Albums list are from Thai Pop artists. Go figure.
Lastly, my Top Playlists list is still present. Only three entries appear instead of the standard five, a trio of “Presentingโฆ” playlists made by YTM from Tomorrow x Together (aka TXT), NCT 127, and EXO. “Presenting Tomorrow x Together” specifically tops the list because, as is my habit, I was preparing for the release of their new album by re-familiarizing myself with their previous music.
Top Summer Artists
Although my Ilichils and Dreamies of NCT are accounted for (numbers four and five respectively), my vampire boys, Enhypen, took a huge bite out of the number one spot.
Enhypen is really making a play for a seat amongst my ult groups. I frequently listen to their music, I constantly watch their music videos, I’ve bought quite a few of their songs, I read their comic, and I have a bias (or three). They completely have me in their clutches right now. Barring a bad release or a big controversy (knock on wood!), I don’t see myself pulling away from them any time soon.
In second place is ATEEZ. I know for a fact that they primarily got there because I repeatedly watched their music videos for “Lemon Drop” and “In Your Fantasy.” “Lemon Drop,” a classic summer time bop, left quite a strong impression on me because of the members’ steamy stares and poolside fanservice. Then they totally blew my mind with “In Your Fantasy,” which had them portraying sexy vampires (sorry, Enhypen!) while singing deliciously filthy English lyrics. Even at my big age, I feel like I’m not old enough to see either video!
Third place belongs to TXT. I believe it’s been awhile since they were on any of these lists. I never stopped loving them, but it took me a sec to get on board with the evolved sound they’ve been rapidly moving towards. Just as their latest album, The Star Chapter: TOGETHER, came out, I started buying their older albums while I was exploring the new songs. Even though TOGETHER didn’t make it onto my Top Albums list, Yeonjun’s solo contribution “Ghost Girl” did make it to number 11 on my Top Tracks list. I’m thinking they, too, are vying for an ult group spot.
Top Summer Tracks
My five Top Tracks this season only consists of three artists: Enhypen, XLOV, and &TEAM.
My top artist, Enhypen, takes the first and fifth slots with “Bad Desire (With Or Without You)” and “Too Close.” Both songs appear on their latest album, DESIRE: UNLEASH, which (spoiler alert!) is also fifth on my Top Albums list.
“Bad Desire” continues Enhypen’s successful run of banger singles. The song’s about a guy who’s weighing his guilt about accepting someone’s love when he knows he’s a danger to them (hello, vampire!) against the despair he would feel if that person wasn’t in his life at all. It’s dripping with vulnerability, not-so-subtle sensuality, and gothic sensibilities. The part when Ni-ki whispers “Tell meโฆAll yourโฆDeepestโฆ” in that hypnotizing whisper never fails to send chills down my spine. They did several amazing performances for the song too. The music video was dramatic and full of special effects, while the members embodied the handsome princes they’re supposed to be.
“Too Close” is my favorite track from DESIRE: UNLEASH and now, one of my favorite Enhypen songs ever. It’s about a guy who’s attracted to someone to the point that just being near them is overwhelming. He’s begging the person to give him room to breathe, like he’s afraid that he’ll do something crazy if they don’t move away from him. I like the way the tempo keeps changing up, almost mimicking his heartbeat when he’s alone versus when he sees his love interest. Moreover, the longing, desire, and frustration in their voices comes through painfully clear when they sing “I’m so into you” in the chorus. This exceptional deep cut deserves far more love.
Then there’s XLOV, whose singles “1&Only” and “BIZNESS” from their I ONE album land at numbers two and three respectively. I had been dying to see what they would do next since they hooked me with their debut track “I’mma Be.” Well, they definitely came back with an EP worthy of their immense talents and impressive images.
In “1&Only,” the narrator is telling his love interest about his strong feelings for them and suggesting that they get on board with what could be a very satisfying relationship: “Only only/Trying to be your one and only/So call me call me/Whenever you’re feeling lonely.” The members assume a decidedly soulful tone over a sultry, bouncy beat that seduces while enticing you to dance. Then there’s the memorable music video: Rui casually flipping his legs over his head, Wumuti holding the stem of an enflamed rose in his mouth, Hyun sitting pretty on the stairs, Haru wearing earbuds as blood leaks out of his ears, and of course, all of them twerking like pros.
“BIZNESS” was an instant like. It has attitude, a sick beat, and the saucy English lyric, “Stay the hell up out my business!” Point taken! The performance video perfectly put visuals to all of that. They’re in an all-white room, dressed in all-white outfits, and standing on individual white boxes. They look like gorgeous statues in a museum. Then they bust out into a fire dance sequence. I was shocked (in the best way) when they incorporated their draped skirts into the choreo. They whipped and twirled those skirts like nobody’s bizness! I was enchanted.
Lastly, &TEAM’s “Deer Hunter” is at number four this time around. I still can’t let it go.
Top Summer Albums
My Top Albums were a nice mixture of old and new, both in terms of artists, genres, and releases.
Jeff Satur’s Space Shuttle No. 8 is my top album. Although I’m familiar with several Thai artists (Ten, BamBam, Lisa), this is the first time a Thai artist singing in Thai has ranked. I’ve been dipping my toes into Thai Pop lately and Satur’s name was one of the first to pop up. While I was immediately drawn to his stunning looks, it was his astounding musical talent that hit me like a ton of bricks. Every song on this album is a masterpiece. They make you feel. “Hide” and “Dum Dum” in particular had me in shambles as they were on constant repeat. The interesting part is that he also includes an English version of each song on the album if that’s your bag. I’m definitely a fan now.
The boy band BUS, the second Thai-speaking artist to chart here, comes in second place with Because of You I Shine. I discovered them back in June through their music video “Liar.” And what a nice intro it was: great song, good visuals. I wasn’t even intimidated by the group having twelve members thanks to NCT (and its 20+ members) being my ult. Their first full album came out shortly thereafter. Since it was basically a compilation of their previously released singles, I was treated to a music video for each song. Nary a skip! Their tender, low tempo/ballads like “No Matter What” and “brother zone” hit me the hardest. We’ll see if they will continue to hold my attention.
Hunter is the latest solo album (and second full-length album) from SHINee’s Key. The king of the retro ’80s sound/futuristic space alien aesthetic killed it, plain and simple. His lead single “Hunter” dazzles with his signature sound, while the music video is full of fancy choreography, crazy costume changes, and a fascinating plot. The rest of the album is just as iconic. I liked pretty much every song, though my top faves are “Trap,” “Glam,” and “Perfect Error (feat. Seulgi).” All-in-all, Key did what needed to be done. It’s so nice taking a walk through his quirky, creative world.
The other two albums, MONSTA X’s The Clan Pt.2.5 [Beautiful] and Enhypen’s DESIRE: UNLEASHED don’t require much explanation. The former ranked because I’m still exploring the earlier work of my second ult group, while the latter earned its spot based on the sheer quality of its songs (some of which I’ve already explained).
And that was my Summer Recap.