I was concerned when GHOST9’s new digital single didn’t include any music video teasers, making it feel more like one of those throwaway “for the fans” releases than a full comeback. Now, Awesome Day (째깍째깍) arrives with a low budget “lyric video” — never the most encouraging sign for a group’s future. The song itself … Continue reading
When the members of Kara embarked on solo careers, Nicole most reliably stuck with producers Sweetune. This instantly gave me a soft spot for her music. If you’re a fan of that production team, she’s got a few Sweetune bangers on her 2016 Japanese album Bliss. But times change and new management has brought new … Continue reading
Han Seungwoo has been active as a soloist for years now, but I have a hard time recalling any of his music. He’s a polished performer with a great voice. He just needs songs that cater to those skills while leaving behind a hook or melody that resonates beyond the comeback’s short promotional period. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
NCT Dream’s new Japanese single Moonlight has been kicking around for a few weeks now. In fact, I first wrote about it as part of my weekly J-pop series. At that point, we were unsure whether it would receive a music video or not, but I’m glad the track has gotten the promotion it deserves. … Continue reading
Leading up to the release of their second mini album later this month, TWS are the latest group to drop a promoted pre-release single. Generally, these have been stronger than the actual title track, with TWS’s own Plot Twist being the obvious exception. That song has gone on to become a mammoth hit on both … Continue reading
As a spin-off to my Battle of the B-sides feature, I’m pleased to announce the arrive of “Battle of the Title Tracks!” In this feature, I’ll be pitting three K-pop title tracks/singles against each other and choosing a winner. These songs will mostly be from pre-2016 since I’ll try to focus on music I haven’t … Continue reading
Just a few weeks after the release of their first full album, Xdinary Heroes are already back with a special digital single. Their recent output left a good impression on me, so the unexpected drop of Boy Comics (소년만화) is certainly welcome. Some of my favorite moments on the group’s album were when the music … Continue reading
Sometimes I can be remarkably bad at predicting which songs are going to grow into huge viral hits. When AKMU’s Love Lee was released last year, I found it both dull and cloying — a hard balance to pull off! But thanks to numerous TikTok dances, the song quickly became ubiquitous. I still find it … Continue reading
New girl group BADVILLAIN has pluses and minuses going for them. On the plus side, the group includes the little sister of Choi Bomin from Golden Child (a Bias List favorite, as if you didn’t know!). But they’re also called “BADVILLAIN” and that’s a really dumb name. I guess it’s meant to sound imposing, but … Continue reading
WayV returned last year with a solid album and an interesting title track. Now that summer fast approaches, their newest comeback promises something brighter and groovier. Given that one of my favorite WayV b-sides is 2020’s buoyant Electric Hearts, this is definitely welcome news. And with the NCT universe not as dominant as it used … Continue reading
It’s been a “will they or won’t they” situation with Kep1er over the past few weeks. After all, acts spawned from MNET competition shows usually come with an expiration date. However, the group has bucked tradition and extended their contract — minus members Mashiro and Yeseo. Shooting Star heralds the release of their first full … Continue reading
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
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. May 2024 Overall Thoughts There were a number of big-name releases in May, yet somehow the … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 