I find it strange to tie your album release to a seasonal single, but K-pop (and J-pop) do it quite often. If releasing an album in the month of December, you’re bound to get at least some holiday fare. We saw this from NCT Wish last month and now it’s &TEAM’s turn. Their album isn’t out until the 18th, but Illumination arrives a few days early.
&TEAM’s 2024 material has veered more sentimental than expected, including an excellent double shot of summer tracks. Illumination continues this trend, bringing us closer to balladry than ever before. But if you song must go slow for the holidays, this is my preferred way to do it. Illumination is driven by an insistent pop beat, urged along by twinkling synths and (of course) the occasional sleigh bell. It’s definitely a December track but feels broad enough to play year round.
More importantly, Illumination hinges on a series of beautiful melodies. Its chorus is warm and sweeping, opening the song’s scope just at the right time. I’ve been critical of &TEAM’s vocals in the past, but the performance here is downright gorgeous. The falsetto is strong but soft, perfectly complimenting the production. If anything, the track needs to expand further. It ends just as it should be delivering one more go-for-broke repetition of its chorus. Without this final exclamation point, Illumination dims just a bit.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The other day you posted on “X” about which groups are considered Kpop. I know you were referring to Kateye, etc… but &Team came to mind.
Here is my question to Nick or anyone else who wants to share some light:
Are we considering them Kpop?
This can change my top 20 list. Right now I kept them out, but I really really wanted to include 3-4 of their songs. 😅
When “Fireworks” came out, it made my top 10 and someone in the comments came at me saying it wasn’t Kpop (even though they made a Korean version of it).
I have liked absolutely everything they have put out since their debut, including this song. It’s beautiful!!
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To me they’re J-pop because that’s where they promote first and foremost, even though they’ve also promoted on Korean shows. Unless I’m mistaken, they’ve never had an entirely original Korean song, right? Just Korean versions of their existing work? That’s what makes them different from a group like NCT Wish, whose classification I find far more nebulous.
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Makes sense. Thanks!
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They’ve also mentioned in one event that they have yet to “debut” in Korea yet. They were hinting for it.
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I’ve always liked their vocals. This just seems really syrupy. Like I need to wash off the sticky sweetness and go listen to 82major on repeat.
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너무 좋어요!! Ahh this is very nice and one I’ll put on my KPop Christmas list even though they are JPop. I like this group – gives me a nice break from 헌국어 and I really enjoy the sound of the Japanese language, especially with this group.
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