Over the past several days, we’ve been treated to a pair of girl group releases that abandoned k-pop’s lighter tropes for something more edgy and fierce. As catchy as their material is, Gugudan has so far steered in the complete opposite direction, punctuating their sugar fluff pop with giddy exclamations and baby-like coos. It’s an … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Last Romeo (from Season 2 / Be Back – 2014) Perhaps Infinite’s most underrated single, Last Romeo is their final (at least for now) collaboration with Sweetune. The song augments their 80’s synth sound with live band production that gives the instrumental … Continue reading
Block B has maintained a certain level of success (especially as soloists) over the past two years, but it feels like their group work has lost some of its momentum ever since their nearly two-year hiatus after 2014’s H.E.R. February’s boisterous Yesterday seemed to herald a return to form, and Shall We Dance‘s very title … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Just Another Lonely Night (from 24 Hours/For You – 2015) Infinite’s original Japanese material has been hit and miss, with some of their b-sides eclipsing the actual singles. That’s the case with Just Another Lonely Night, which opens with an addictive vocal … Continue reading
With Dramarama, I think Monsta X have given k-pop its most awesome song title of the year. The word alone is so ridiculously overblown, conjuring a sense of rock opera action movie bombast (or maybe just “jazz hands”). It’s delightfully tongue-in-cheek — except this is k-pop, so of course it’s not actually tongue-in-cheek. My biggest … Continue reading
Over the past few weeks, k-pop has enjoyed a much-needed resurgence of proper choruses. And though EXID never quite fell victim to the trend of instrumental riffs masquerading as hooks, there were a number of times during new single DDD (덜덜덜) that I feared the song may take that dreaded, melody-averse turn. But then again, … Continue reading
About two months ago, I gave up hope that the Every DAY6 Project would continue to be a year-long release of title track-worthy material. What started as an ambitious opportunity for the guys to display a variety of promoted songs has gradually turned into a complete-the-album b-side roll out. That would be fine, but DAY6’s … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Julia (from Over The Top/Paradise – 2011) Julia’s most indelible hook has no words, leading the track with a nonchalant, almost disconnected delivery. But the rest of the song is no slouch, either. The falsetto-driven chorus is a real treat, as is … Continue reading
It took them awhile, but girl group Sonamoo have finally released two fantastic, back-to-back singles. This summer’s Friday Night was an unexpected, disco-infused treat, but I (아이) ups the ante by pulling influence from k-pop’s past. The song may have been produced by one half of the ubiquitous e.one production duo, but its dramatic, brass-spiked … Continue reading
Though the emotional EDM of May’s Don’t Wanna Cry was far from Seventeen‘s usual sound, it ended up being one of the year’s biggest growers. And as the group led up to their second full album with a string of sub-unit releases, fans were promised an evolving, newly matured style. But this is Seventeen, who … Continue reading
As part of their preparations for their first comeback in over two years, Super Junior have been releasing a documentary series online. If you’ve been watching, you’ll already have a pretty good idea of how Black Suit sounds. Upon hearing the first clip a couple of weeks ago, I feared that the song might be … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Inception (from Destiny – 2013) With a title like Inception, you might expect something truly mind-bending. The song doesn’t go that far, but it is one of the most unique entries in Infinite’s catalog. Driven by a slinky synth loop and mid-tempo groove, … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. As much as I’ve enjoyed Twice’s singles, I’ve never pegged … Continue reading
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call F.Cuz the most consistently underrated group in modern k-pop. Over the course of their six years together, the guys recorded tracks in three languages and released a string of incredibly solid singles. But no matter how strong their material was, they were always overshadowed by … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! In The Summer (from Infinitize – 2012) A staple of their live shows, In The Summer‘s warm acoustic nature is Infinite at their least guarded. The song steps away from the high-tempo dance pop that characterizes most of their work, but maintains … Continue reading
Since SM Station’s inception, some of its biggest beneficiaries have been the guys of EXO. The project has often paired the members with unlikely collaborators or simply let them go solo, but many of the resulting tracks have ended up to be quite boring. I understand the desire to break EXO out of the glossy … Continue reading
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. Daniel Caesar … Continue reading
As GOT7’s Korean output has continued to evolve, their Japanese releases have tended to stick to a similar pattern. For better or worse, they’ve developed a swag-driven j-pop persona that favors attitude and bluster over melody. This has resulted in a guilty pleasure or two, but never a song that can rival their best work. … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! I’m Going Crazy (Infinite F) (from Season 2 / Be Back – 2014) Before they debuted as an official sub-unit, Infinite F released this quirky blend of icy synth and subdued hooks. Infinite’s music doesn’t often take a very experimental bent, but … Continue reading
Producer Ryan S. Jhun has had a dynamite year so far, composing song after song after song of consistently high quality. And in between his more hyped releases, he’s partnered with rookie group VAV. The guys’ past three singles have all been crafted by Jhun, and now they’ve collaborated again for She’s Mine. If I’m … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 