Three K-pop girl groups were named on British music magazine New Musical Express's (NME) “50 Best Songs of 2025" list: Katseye, NMIXX and HUNTR/X.

Katseye's “Gnarly” was listed at No. 5 on the list — unveiled on Monday — followed by NMIXX's “Spinnin' On It” at No. 43 and HUNTR/X's “Golden,” a song from Netflix's hit animation film “KPop Demon Hunters,” at No. 46.


“When Katseye debuted in 2024, they seemed to be following a soft, cutesy approach to girl group superstardom,” wrote NME. “In April, they unceremoniously booted all sweetness out of the picture with the attitude and divisive edge of ‘Gnarly.'”

For NMIXX's “Spinnin' On It,” NME praised the song's complexity, stating that its “bittersweet pop-rock journey” exploring toxic romantic relationships was “intensified by textured percussion and bass lines.”

For “Golden,” NME complimented the song's “pop excellence,” which “stems from its melodic potency, setting it apart in 2025’s sea of TikTok hits.”

“Combine that with the vocal finesse of EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, and it becomes a cathartic anthem that slays demons, shatters records, seals the Honmoon and makes history,” wrote the magazine.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]