The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But just like most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights!
February 2022 Edition // March 2022 Edition // April 2022 Edition // May 2022 Edition // June 2022 Edition // July 2022 Edition // August 2022 Edition // September 2022 Edition // October 2022 Edition // November 2022 Edition // January 2023 Edition // February 2023 // March 2023 // April 2023 // May 2023 // June 2023 // July 2023 // August 2023 // September 2023 // October 2023
Benjamin – Uutta exää
Benjamin just doesn’t make bad songs. This is another synth-driven banger.
Conan Gray – Killing Me
I love this 80’s vibe Conan is mining. Moody verses give way to a bombastic Holding Out For A Hero style chorus.
Diamante – 1987
This is a loving re-creation of late-80’s rock. It’s very satisfying!
Dua Lipa – Houdini
Initially, I was underwhelmed by this. However, it’s quickly grown into a major earworm (as any Dua Lipa song is apt to do).
Eden XO – Bad Apple (1, 2, 3)
A little Padam Padam, but it’s quirky enough to stand on its own.
Erika Vikman – Elizabeth Taylor
I’ll gladly devour any new music Erika Vikman wants to give us, and Elizabeth Taylor continues her bombastic run of grade-A power pop. I hope this means an album is on the way!
Gia Woods – Your Engine (Album)
If you enjoyed Slayyyter’s new album the way I did, you owe it to yourself to listen to Your Engine for a nonstop barrage of upbeat europop.
KEiiNO – Insomnia
Another Nordic dance banger from KeiiNO. They don’t miss.
Mari Bella – Love Me / Hate Me
This is very Dua Lipa with a ton of bounce in its step. A very solid pop track!
Matteson – Waves
Metteson’s voice is striking and this atmospheric club track is so entrancing. I love the choral elements in the production.
Synne Vo – Ti kniver i hjertet
It’s a very Scandinavian round-up this month, and Synne Vo closes us out with a quirky dance track that has plenty of melodic bite. It’s a little Robyn-esque in places.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
ik your apathy for taylor swift but its hard to ignore probably one of the biggest album releases of the year (and its not even a “new” one!)
the original version of “new romantics” is pop perfection and she lowkey ruined it with the re-recording but its alright…
LikeLike
I have zero hope for reputation TV with how she ruined this album. why did she go for a country producer for a pop album…
LikeLike
Maybe I’m just not familiar enough with her original recording or I can’t hear lol but I really haven’t heard anything so scandalously wrong with the re-recording like everyone’s been saying. It all feels a little dramatic to me, like I can hear the small changes that people are pointing out but it really feels like its being overexaggerated haha…maybe as just a casual Taylor Swift listener I just don’t care as much so I guess I’ll leave the discourse to the Swifties
Anyways I appreciate the rerelease because it’s made me addicted to 1989 all over again, and I like the new vault tracks too! Now That We Don’t Talk is criminally short though.
LikeLike
At this point, I’ve acknowledged the fact that I’m too attached to the originals to give any of the re-recordings a fair shot. Now, I only really tune into the vault tracks and unfortunately this is the first Taylor’s Version where I’m not in love with any of the vault tracks (and 1989 is my second favourite Taylor album so this was a surprise).
“Say Don’t Go” is my favourite of the bunch (and the only that sonically sounds like it would actually fit on 1989) but there’s something missing that stops me from loving it. The other vault tracks sound more like Midnights tracks than 1989 tracks, at least in terms of production.
LikeLike
God the production on Houdini is just so fun lol
I’m also loving Allie X’s foray into 80s sounds with her two new singles Black Eye and Girl With No Face. I was a HUGE fan of her moody synthpop album Cape God from a couple years back but she’s bringing a bit more bombast and theatrics to this new album and I think it’s shaping up to be a strong early 2024 highlight, I can’t waittttt
LikeLike
That DIAMANTE vocal, sheesh! And that guitar solo [fans self]. What a great song.
LikeLike