There are vastly different expectations for promotion and release dates between Korea and Japan. While it’s expected that everything (song, mv, album) will drop at once for a Korean comeback, Japan tends to announce release dates very far in advance and dribble out pieces of the project over the space of weeks or even months. … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
1. We Up // 2. Call My Name // 3. Heavy WE UP Initially, I wasn’t too optimistic about the b-sides on TWS’s new single. For one, the highlight medley undersold the sound of the songs, choosing clips that weren’t all that representative. Then, the song descriptions themselves were a list of some of the … Continue reading
RESCENE have had one hell of a 2026. Their 2024 single Love Attack enjoyed an unexpected resurgence to the very top of the charts, which alone would have been a huge achievement. But even more impressively, this success doesn’t seem to be limited to one hit. The group’s entire discography has seen a similar resurgence, … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Treasure haven’t released much new material this year, but 2026 marked a transition into a much tougher hip-hop sound. Despite June’s If I leaving me cold at first, the song eventually won me over with its off-kilter hooks. Judging from the previews of new single Shock, I was unsure if this track could do the … Continue reading
For the first time while listening to a xikers album highlight medley, I had the pleasant sensation of feeling like their agency chose the correct title track. For context, there’s usually at least one great track on every xikers album, yet it rarely gets chosen for promotion. DIENAMITE comes a little late in the season … Continue reading
TWS have spent the better part of the year touring and promoting in Japan, so although they’ve been consistently busy it feels like they’ve been away for longer than normal. But before we move into year-end comeback hiatuses, they’ve returned with a new single album and title track Call My Name (내 이름을 불러줘). This … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. October 2026 Overall Thoughts Well… it’s better late than never, huh? In my mind, October was … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … 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. I’ll open this buried treasure post … Continue reading
Thus far on the blog, Japanese/global group cosmosy’s work has been relegated to J-pop round-up posts. They’ve promoted occasionally on Korean music shows, but I haven’t connected with any of their music. However, new Korean single Give Me Love offers a shift in sound toward the aggressive electro stomp that’s become one of the year’s … Continue reading
Following their February comeback, BLACKPINK’s members have been busy with solo work this year. Jisoo pre-released her track Click in early September and is back with new song Addicted today. Presumably, this is all leading to a more substantial project, though judging by the two songs we’ve heard so far it’s difficult to predict just … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
AM8IC made their debut about a year ago and haven’t returned since. This is long enough for me to completely forget what I found so promising about their pre-debut song (which is still pretty good, btw). It’s a tough world for nugu groups from small agencies, made even tougher if they’re rarely allowed to promote … Continue reading
The soft, easy-listening trend in K-pop isn’t unique to girl groups. Every once and awhile, a boy group also jumps onto the bandwagon, muting their sound palette for an atmospheric shuffle. Such is the case with N.TOP’s new single Silhouette (실루엣). This group debuted last year and has been semi active in both Korea and … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Rookies Heart Of Woman are gearing up for their first comeback early next month, but have dropped a surprise pre-release today. Their first album was a stuffed project that spawned several promoted tracks, though it came across as quite scattershot sonically. I’d love to hear them develop a strong, signature sound going forward, but a … Continue reading
