Girl group MEOVV made their debut on Teddy’s The Black Label back in September with the disjointed Meow. That song seemed to come and go without much fanfare, but the girls have made a quick follow-up with new single Toxic. Co-written by YG Entertainment mainstays Teddy, Kush and 24, the song fits neatly within a … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Love In The Air (from Sunny Summer – 2018) Previous Thoughts: “Its robust instrumental features a dramatic strings riff and explosive electric guitar, all in service to one of the most uplifting pop beats we’ve heard in some time. The girls are … 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
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Love Bug (from Time For The Moon Night – 2018) We’ve entered the segment of this feature that will cover songs starting with the word “love.” There are five of them in GFriend’s discography (seven if you count “luv” and L.U.V” as … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! LOL (from LOL – 2016) Ah, the literal title track of GFriend’s first album. I always thought it would be funny if this had been a ballad given its title, but true to form LOL is a burst of K-pop joy. The … Continue reading
It’s been a good long while since CLASS:y last released music in Korea, and although they have a decent-sized singles run, I couldn’t tell you how a single song sounds off the top of my head. Such is the rapid pace and oversaturation of the K-pop market, I guess. New single Psycho & Beautiful sees … Continue reading
ATEEZ’s career has been divided neatly into series: Treasure, Fever, The World, and now Golden Hour. I’m sure hardcore fans will be able to identify sounds and storylines that make each series unique, but to the casual listener the group has retained many of its musical hallmarks across all these eras, favoring sonic bombast and … Continue reading
When the credits for Jin’s new album were unveiled, my eyes immediately fell upon one name: Gary Barlow. I would have never expected to see the British Take That member’s credit on a K-pop release. Barlow has written a fair amount of fantastic music, but his taste also tends to be a bit milquetoast. Of … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Life Is A Party (from Parallel/Rainbow – 2017) Previous Thoughts: “Life Is A Party is a fluffy little throwback, driven by retro synths, bass guitar and a repeated drum loop. In some ways, it’s quite restrained, yet offers a take on the … Continue reading
Though I haven’t often loved Bibi’s music the way others do, she was a fantastic addition to this year’s KCON LA and offered a contrasting style to many of the festival’s idol acts. She’s also a bundle of charisma, able to captivate with simply a whisper or sigh. New single Derre (데레) capitalizes on this … Continue reading
When last we heard from Primrose, they teased us with a Nordic title and imagery only to deliver the same cacophonous stomp favored by many of their peers. Freyja was a letdown, for sure. However, they’re back with yet another new sound. Steal Heart is a far funkier effort that puts great focus on their … Continue reading
After LOONA dissolved and re-formed as acts like Loossemble and ARTMS, Yves made her solo debut earlier this year. The stylish Loop offered plenty of potential but succumbed to so-so songwriting that failed to leave much of a mark. Now, she’s back with the Viola and she’s brought the beat with her. As soon as Viola … Continue reading
I had a dream last night that I went back to listen to ILLIT’s Cherish (My Love) and there was this whole new layer of production on its instrumental I’d never noticed before — including a prominent violin solo. During the dream, I wondered why I hadn’t loved the song on first listen. Upon waking … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Letter In My Pocket (from Pokémon the Movie XY&Z: Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna OST – 2016) Of course GFriend recorded a Pokémon OST! I mean, who better to do that? Better yet, it was released during their stellar 2016 run, drawing … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Labyrinth (from Labyrinth – 2020) Previous Thoughts: “The track draws strong influence from J-pop, but not the kind of ornate, wistful fare that inspired GFriend’s new single Crossroads. Instead, Labyrinth hearkens back to the high-energy techno of the late 90’s – one … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 