Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! January … Continue reading
A K-pop group’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. The overriding opinion on STAYC’s ASAP … Continue reading
A K-pop group’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 super thrilled with the … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! Previous recaps: Episode One THE RANKING We kick off immediately with the rest of the global fan vote from last week and learn that sixth place goes to iKON. I can’t say I’m too surprised, and I don’t think it means that they’ve suddenly … Continue reading
A K-pop group’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. OnlyOneOf’s libidO just gets better with … Continue reading
As SM Entertainment’s Avengers-like super group, SuperM have been deployed as K-pop ambassadors, scooping up CFs in a variety of spaces. Occasionally, this results in new music. 2019’s Let’s Go Everywhere was a fun advert for Korean Air, while the newly released We Do soundtracks a partnership with Prudential Corporation Asia. Songs like this threaten … Continue reading
BAE173 debuted late last year with the fun funk pop of Crush On U. Like almost every boy group in K-pop history, darker, edgier waters surely lie before them. You can already feel a bit of that “maturity” poking through on new single Loved You (사랑했다). But, if the guys are going to bring the … Continue reading
STAYC were my favorite girl group debut of 2020, and that’s off the strength of a single song. So Bad – as many Black Eyed Pilseung tracks tend to be – was a total grower, and effortlessly wove retro synth trends into a quintessential K-pop sound. STAYC’s diverse set of vocal tones also helped their … Continue reading
The mysterious artiness surrounding OnlyOneOf can be a bit exhausting. I tend to enjoy their music most when it goes for the pop jugular, marrying an addictive hook to the group’s cool image. New single libidO isn’t exactly ‘straightforward,’ but it feels like the best blend of OnyOneOf’s experimental and commercial sides. Coupled with an … Continue reading
Whenever I see a new girl group track with an onomatopoeia title, I get nervous. If I could change one thing about current girl group trends, it would be to replace all the chirpy dum diddy la la la bum bums with melodies that show off the performers’ vocal skills. It’s not that this assembly … Continue reading
Yukika made her Korean debut just before the city pop revival took hold. This puts her in an enviable position. She comes across as a cool trendsetter, yet can also reap the benefits of that trend becoming more widespread. Her 2020 album was consistently strong, with the beguiling Yesterday positioning itself as a modern classic … Continue reading
Kim Jaehwan has a voice that can elevate any pop song. Too often, these voices are relegated to ballad after ballad after ballad. But, I love nothing more than hearing a powerful vocalist collide with an equally powerful dance or rock track. It’s one of the factors that made me such a huge fan of … Continue reading
Whenever Exile drops a new single, it feels like we’ve reached the final boss level. With more focus on the various Jr. Exile groups, their releases are less frequent than in years past. But, Exile is still the pillar of the whole enterprise, pulling in performers from various units to create a powerhouse squad. To … Continue reading
Double a-side singles are common in Japan. Similar to Korea’s double title tracks, they offer a chance for J-pop acts to quickly grow their singles discography. NiziU have immediately followed Take A Picture with its coupling song, Poppin’ Shakin’. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the group’s hyper pop style is rarely going to be for … Continue reading
EXO are one of my all-time favorite K-pop groups. In fact, much to my surprise they sit just below Infinite on this site’s “Bias List Scorecard” – a cumulative, weighted ranking of the acts with the most songs in my monthly round-ups. So, I say this as a major fan: EXO has some of the … Continue reading
It’s hard to believe D-CRUNCH has been around since mid-2018. With exactly one mini album released each year, the group’s long hiatuses make it difficult for their music to stick in memory. Each time they make a comeback, it’s like a long-lost friend returning to say hi. Often, their title tracks feel like they could … Continue reading
As hard as I’ve been on most of Lee Jinhyuk and Kim Wooseok’s solo releases, it might seem like I harbor some vendetta against UP10TION. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I even included one of their singles in my “Top 100 K-pop Songs of All-Time.” I think you can still admire … Continue reading
After a 2020 spent in rehabilitation after an awful accident during rehearsals for 2019’s SBS Gayo Daejun, Red Velvet’s Wendy makes a triumphant return with her first solo mini album. I feel like SM releases a ballad-heavy album every year around this time, and they rarely elicit anything more than a sigh from this particular … Continue reading
I fell in love with Astro’s music over the course of their debut year. In fact, I picked them as my favorite rookies of 2016 – above even the much-hyped NCT. However, I’ve barely recognized Astro in their past two comebacks. It wasn’t just that their concepts had become “darker.” The music itself felt increasingly … Continue reading
When Rosé’s On The Ground was released, I noticed that quite a few fans seemed to prefer its b-side Gone. So of course, I immediately checked it out. But more than anything, the song just reaffirmed my disinterest in this style of pop. I can’t say I’ve listened to On The Ground much since its … Continue reading
