Good ol’ N.Flying are still kicking around with their new single Still (잔불). It feels like we’ve watched this group grow into a completely different band over the years. Just remember — if you were around back then — the swaggering rap-rock of debut single Awesome and compare that to the much more refined (but … Continue reading
It’s been a long while since we heard from Hwang Minhyun — or any Nu’est member, really. I almost forgot that he was still part of Pledis Entertainment. Today, he’s back with new digital single Our. It’s a nice — if uneventful — return. This is the style of synth-kissed mid-tempo I’d expect from male … Continue reading
Young Posse have had a very mixed track record on this blog, and lately it’s trending for the worse. I enjoy what they do in theory — especially when they focus on the classic touchstones of the genres they reference. Too often, their music gets caught up in gimmicky catchphrases and “experimental” production that tends … Continue reading
There’s a certain kind of song I don’t write much about on this blog. These are usually ballads from established solo acts. Try as I might, I just can’t muster up much to say about most ballads. This isn’t to say someone like Yesung isn’t worthy of critique and praise, but with so many releases … Continue reading
As of this moment, X:IN have the “honor” of being the lowest ranked act in my “Ultimate Artist Ranking feature” on this blog. That standing should be celebrated in its own way. It takes a certain commitment to beat everyone else out for the lowest rung. Today, the group has extended their reign with the … Continue reading
A week after pre-releasing their track Puzzle Piece, KickFlip have returned with their fifth mini album. Like all their albums, the group took part in song composition, working with established producers and artists. In the case of title track Kick Off The Wall, they paired with the guys from LDN Noise and American rapper iann … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Over the past few years, CRAVITY … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. It always bugs me when a … Continue reading
Just like NewJeans before them, CORTIS have spawned their own K-pop progeny. This irreverent, “we don’t give a f*ck,” vocal effects heavy alt-hip-hop has become a popular touchstone and I don’t expect it to slow down any time soon. The most obvious competitor at this moment is WAYF Boys, who do a very similar thing … Continue reading
Thus far, TIOT’s career has been somewhat inscrutible. Rather than develop and expand upon a signature sound, they’ve waffled greatly between extremes. One moment they’re shouty bad boys, the next they’re sentimental balladeers. New single Five Hours In Pieces (다섯시간의 조각들) leans toward the latter with added rock heft. Somewhere along the way, this driving … Continue reading
Mixtapes are all the rage for K-pop acts looking to build street cred. The thing is, “street cred” doesn’t really exist in K-pop and mixtapes function essentially the same way any other release would. Girl group Keyveatz debuted earlier this year with an abrasive hip-hop sound and double down on that with their mixtape A1 … Continue reading
With their new album, Close Your Eyes have taken the unlikely move of fusing jazz with K-pop. It’s not that this has never been done before, but it’s certainly outside of current trends. So far, this approach resulted in the very strong Open Your Eyes, which really leaned into the concept. Title track Drop That! … Continue reading
It’s been great fun to watch CRAVITY grow into their sound. While their first few years were very hit and miss, they’ve recently found a way to mature their output without falling into the traps and tropes that often come with “maturation” in K-pop. To put it bluntly, their music ain’t boring. This statement is … Continue reading
Earlier this year, XngHan&Xoul released a big dance banger as part of a successful mini album that traversed the breadth of this exciting genre. For me, this set him up as an artist to watch and someone who might bring back some of the high-octane sounds I used to love in K-pop. Now, it’s time … Continue reading
Before their early-November comeback, xikers have divided into two sub-units to deliver pre-releases of vastly different genres. I really enjoyed the breakneck pace and energy of Just For Fun a few weeks ago. Now, it’s time for the remaining members to take us to the rock club with Runners High. xikers’ music has often played … Continue reading
WOOAH have spent their year blitzing the market with digital singles, hoping something will stick. Thus far, we’ve gotten spring and summer tracks and judging by its title you might assume Voodoo Doll is targeted to the Halloween season. Instead, the girls have delivered a bright house track promoted with a seemingly random AI music … Continue reading
Late last night (US Pacific Time), Seventeen’s Jun released a digital EP in his native Chinese. Unlike J-pop, I don’t have a dedicated place on this blog for C-pop releases, but I wanted to briefly touch on this one because I think the song is quite good. I like Seventeen and its members best when … Continue reading
I’m not sure current K-pop acts even know how much they owe to 2NE1’s influence. For girl groups especially, 2NE1 practically invented many of the tropes so popular today. They also did a more compelling job deploying them, but that’s beside the point. This is all to say, it’s always nice hearing from one of … Continue reading
JYP’s NiziU have straddled the line between Japanese and Korean promotions, finding the most success in the former market. In this way, they’re almost the opposite of fellow Nizi Project winners NEXZ. Title track Sour Grapes is their latest Korean work, spearheading a new mini album. This song repaints NiziU with a chic aura, easily … Continue reading
When covering ALLDAY PROJECT’s godawful pre-releases last week, I compared them to scratch cards. Both songs turned out to be “not a winner, try again” scratches, but now we’ve finally arrived at their album’s proper title track. Crash doesn’t need to do much to clear its train wreck predecessors and it passes that extremely low … Continue reading
