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
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from August 2 – 8
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
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (August 9, 2026)
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
KISS OF LIFE: A Career In Song Ratings
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
Song Review: TUIDE – GRLS
HYBE is preparing to dominate the conversation once more with the upcoming debut of TUIDE, the first group under their newly established ABD label meant to cater exclusively to girl groups. The optimist in me continues to hope that a new group means a new sound and concept, but judging by pre-release track GRLS the … Continue reading
ROMEO: A Career In Song Ratings
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
Song Review: WAYF BOYS – WAYF BOYS DO
Just like NewJeans’ soft, lightly experimental sound went on to influence years of girl group releases in their wake, I fear we’re about to see the same with Cortis’s success. Hopefully, this will be more REDRED than Acai, but either way I’m worried this means even less melody/theatricality/singing and shorter songs for K-pop in the … Continue reading
Song Review: ARTMS – Blue Blood
ARTMS pre-released their track Born Stunner a couple weeks ago and it would be an understatement to say I disliked that song. Every once and awhile, some poor release bears not only the brunt of its own shortcomings but the brunt of being the latest in a long line of similar songs with similar shortcomings. … Continue reading
Song Review: Stray Kids – This & That
Stray Kids announced their latest mini album well in advance, first teasing it with the release of its opening track Run It back in June. That song offered an interesting branch away from the core Stray Kids sound, attempting a more World Cup, anthemic energy. I thought this might mean they would take a big … Continue reading
H1-KEY: A Career In Song Ratings
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
Buried Treasure: TWS – Palm Tree
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. After my first listen to Palm … Continue reading
MIRAE: A Career In Song Ratings
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
Song Review: WHIB – Cherry Pie
WHIB are back with their second mini album of the year and their concept couldn’t be more different than January’s Rock The Nation. Such is the case with idol groups trying desperately to break out: throw anything you can at the wall and hope to god that something sticks. This tends to be a risky … Continue reading
Song Review: AEN – X To Z (Next To Me)
Starship Entertainment’s new boy group AEN debuts as a hybrid K-pop/J-pop group, releasing versions of each song on their album in both languages. As someone who prefers having a “definitive version” of a song, I’m not usually a fan of tracks recorded in multiple languages, but I understand the commercial strategy behind it. At any … Continue reading
Song Review: NOWZ – Achilles
NOWZ’s struggle has not been one of quality but one of momentum. They were on a nice roll last summer with a few solid back-to-back singles, but Cube Entertainment seems to have a problem scheduling comebacks because it’s been almost nine months since we’ve heard from them and all the agency has to show for … Continue reading
TAHITI: A Career In Song Ratings
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
Song Review: aespa – Switchblade (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
Back when aespa released their latest album, I almost wrote a “buried treasure” post for Switchblade. It’s my favorite track on Lemonade and the rare case of a talk-heavy dance song delivering on its promise. aespa must have known they had a hit on their hands because they’ve taken the rare step of releasing a … Continue reading
Song Review: Dayoung x Jay Park – Flirty
Dayoung has carved out a nice little career as a soloist, which is probably for the best since it doesn’t seem like Starship Entertainment will ever promote a WJSN comeback again. Her material has pulled strongly from 2000s R&B, making her team-up with Jay Park feel like a natural pairing. The two join forces on … Continue reading
Song Review: Kiss Of Life – Sweat
When last we heard from Kiss Of Life back in April, they were mining a Y2K sound the way so many of their peers have done over the past few years. Y2K has been one of their musical inspirations since debut, but they’ve found most success with sultrier summer fare like 2024’s Sticky. New single … Continue reading
A-JAX: A Career In Song Ratings
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