Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post.
I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: a 0.5 shift here, a 0.25 shift there. But, it’s a fun way to keep track of how my feelings on songs have changed over time – as well as which tracks currently have momentum on my playlist.
And remember, just because a song is marked as a “faller” doesn’t mean I hate it! Falling from a “9” to an “8.75” is no shame. 9+ rated songs occupy a totally different playlist in my music library, so I’m pretty particular about what qualifies. It’s a high bar.
This month’s feature covers the period from August 23rd to September 19th.
RISERS
Billlie – Ring Ma Bell (What A Wonderful World)
Rating: 8.5 → 8.75
Junji (OnlyOneOf) – Be Mine
Rating: 7.75 → 8.25
NCT 127 – 2 Baddies
Rating: 6.75 → 7
OnlyOneOf – Zurui Onna
Rating: 7.75 → 8
Rocket Punch – Flash
Rating: 8.25 → 8.5
Tempest – Can’t Stop Shining *Biggest Riser*
Rating: 8.75 → 9.25
FALLERS
Ha Sungwoon – Focus
Rating: 7.75 → 7.5
Key – Another Life
Rating: 9.25 → 9
Lee Changsub – Surrender *Biggest Faller*
Rating: 8.5 → 8
Lee Jinhyuk – Crack
Rating: 7.75 → 7.5
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
glad 2 baddies grew on you (a bit) because i honestly liked it same with shut down
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I’m with you on Can’t Stop Shining, because I also can’t stop playing the everloving fk out of it :”) Pre-chorus of the year as far as I’m concerned ❤
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Nooo not Another Life :(((((((
What happened that made it lose 0.25 points?
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Don’t worry, I still like it! But, I haven’t had the urge to return to it frequently the way I do with any song rated above a “9.”
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2 BADDIES 2 BADDIES 1 PORSCHE
2 BADDIES 2 BADDIES 1 PORSCHE
(also nice to see Junji grew on u)
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I’m really surprised surrender has fallen. I still give it a spin at least once a day, hooks are just so damn catchy and the fact it’s so short means it never outstays its welcome. I rarely sing along to a kpop song because of course I know doodle squat about the Korean language but it’s an easy one to sing along to. 2 Baddies has grown on me too but the chorus still feels really weak and is only bolstered by the decent groups vocal that only NCT can deliver.
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Another Life and Surrender went even higher up for me I feel haha. 2 Baddies… I haven’t listened to once after the first time. Lord.
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I LOVE ‘Another Life’ but yeah it didn’t have that much-staying power. I think that comes from the fact the instrumental is a bit too simplistic and doesn’t have that many switch-ups. It is still for sure in my top 10 this year.
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Ring ma bell is definitely a riser for me. Didn’t care for it when I heard it, but it’s a 9 for me now. I like Can’t Stop Shining, but I don’t really go back to it. Same with Same Scent. Love love Surrender though and I’m obsessed with Billie’s album.
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Can’t Stop Shining is also really growing on me. I realized it reminded me of Cravity’s Cloud 9 except with a more interesting instrumental — just bright debut boy group at its best. Tempest is definitely shaping up to be a top rookie group of the year for me.
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You haven’t reviewed this one but Enhypen’s ‘One In A Billion’ has grown on me so much.
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This song has surprising grit and its straightforward approach in its production did it many favours. Definitely around the 8s for me!
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NO Another Life, WHY? I get your reasons, but I love it personally.
Also, OnlyOneOf really claiming their spots in the risers, arent’ they?
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I love it too! I wanted to leave a comment about it on the post you made about it but it didn’t let me 😦
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‘Flash’ is definitely a grower for sure, first listen I wasn’t too sure but I quickly came to love it.
Rocket Punch has been on such a quality streak recently, wish they could break through the GG barrier and find some success.
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Surrender should work, but it just doesn’t groove all that much.
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So “2 Baddies” grew on me in a big way… Unexpected but not inexplicable. That bass line is bouncy as all get out, and I tend to enjoy songs with bounce to them – apparently in this case bounce overcomes rap/chant-heavy, which I am biased against. Would still like to toss the lyrics into a trash can though, no matter how stupid catchy the rhythm is.
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