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 – Dream With Us
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’m not sure you can call … Continue reading
Song Review: LE SSERAFIM x ILLIT x Katseye – Iconic By Mistake
The idea of a super group in K-pop is very exciting. Anyone remember SuperM? As far as I know, this trio of HYBE acts don’t plan to promote together past this one-off single, but the combination of LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and Katseye has the potential to maximize a joint slay to the nth degree. However, … Continue reading
B.A.P: 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: Navillera – Friday Night
Girl group Navillera debuted early this year with the rough-around-the-edges No Limit that built itself upon way too many current K-pop tropes. With follow-up Friday Night, they’ve returned with a bad song dressed up in an upbeat, summery style I tend to enjoy. This results in a very weird listen. First off, it’s been awhile … Continue reading
Song Review: Jay B – Layback
I last wrote about GOT7’s Jay B in late 2024. He was fresh off military service and releasing his first full album. Since then, he’s been touring and signed with new agency 528Hz. Today’s Layback offers a new sound for his title tracks, though this style of R&B has found a place on his and … Continue reading
APRIL: 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: Yerin (GFriend) – Shooting Star
It’s been four years since GFriend’s Yerin debuted as a soloist. Since then, she’s delivered exactly one comeback per year, so we might expect Shooting Star (조각별) to be her sole musical statement of 2026. With large gaps between albums, we might also expect her to make bigger musical statements. Alas, Shooting Star is pleasant … Continue reading
Song Review: EPEX – Echo
EPEX’s discography has been a real mixed bag so far. They’ve released a few solid tracks (2024 was a solid year for them), but more often their music has either been too generic or actively off-putting. New single Echo fits squarely within the first category. It’s a song that could have come from just about … Continue reading
BLOCK B: 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: izna – Metronome
izna have delivered a fractured discography so far, with some songs hitting harder than others. However, the highlight medley for their newest mini-album hinted at a synth-heavy sound that feels consistent among its tracks. This is a stellar identity for the group to pursue and results in their strongest title track yet. Metronome is pure, … Continue reading
Song Review: BOYNEXTDOOR – Viral
Despite really enjoying BOYNEXTDOOR, their past few comebacks haven’t done much for me. Then, I thought it might all be over with the blustering hip-hop pre-release ddok ddok ddok. However, that song ended up growing on me in a way a track like Hollywood Action never did, and I’m not quite sure why. Regardless, this … Continue reading
Song Review: BABYMONSTER – Sugar Honey Ice Tea
Rather than promote a follow-up track from their recent album, BABYMONSTER have taken the rare approach of releasing a new song just a month after their comeback. This reminds me of the old days of album repackages, which I miss very much. They made comebacks feel more like eras and stretched out the excitement. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
SONAMOO: 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
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 31 – June 6
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 (June 7, 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
SUPER JUNIOR: 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
SHINee ATMOS: In-Depth Album Review – Thousand Miles Away
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away THOUSAND MILES AWAY These days, I do a double take any time I see a K-pop song longer than four minutes. That shouldn’t be a rarity, but it’s so much more likely to find … Continue reading
I.O.I: 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
SHINee ATMOS: In-Depth Album Review – Still Raining
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away STILL RAINING We’ve now reached the portion of the album where things slow down. SHINee are on my very short list of K-pop groups with great ballads, so a slower song is nothing to … Continue reading