One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Red Umbrella (from Parallel / Rainbow – 2017) This is such a burst of summer energy. It’s the closest GFriend’s music ever got to bossa nova, yet it also pulls in a hearty dose of disco. The track is on the lighter … Continue reading
I didn’t watch Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace, but I’m enjoying my own post-show ranking as each artist releases new material. So far, I must give the crown to 8TURN with CRAVITY just behind. Next up is YOUNITE, who placed fourth on the series’ finale. Earlier this year YOUNITE impressed with the fun hip-hop … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Rainbow (from Rainbow – 2017) Previous Thoughts: “Rainbow is built around the sort of hook that is hard to find in 2017 K-pop — a snowballing refrain that incorporates multiple melody lines into a cohesive, sustained chorus. I especially love the raised … Continue reading
In both their solo endeavors and their team work, from20 and Hello Gloom have bounded from strength to strength this year. Their Way Better agency is aptly named, as it’s become the go-to place for high quality Korean dance music. The two traverse genres but tie everything together with an inviting energy and an ear … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Rain In The Spring Time (from The Awakening – 2017) Every once and awhile, it’s nice to hear a delicate ballad like this. GFriend perform them better than most, and Rain’s combination of twinkling keys and atmospheric synth stabs give the song … Continue reading
After the latest series of Road To Kingdom concluded last month, its participants are gearing up for comebacks and special singles. 8TURN placed right in the middle of the final rankings, but when last we heard from them on the blog my thoughts weren’t as rosy. Thankfully, Like A Friend (이럴거면 다음생에) is a total … Continue reading
Today in K-pop has been devoted to seasonal songs and Road To Kingdom comebacks. ONEUS check off both boxes with their new single Rupert’s Drop (루퍼트의 눈물), offering a stately winter ballad weeks after concluding their activities on Road To Kingdom. The group won second place on the series, just behind CRAVITY (who also released … Continue reading
This time of year usually means sleighbell driven cheer or comfy ballads. A series of winter tracks have already been released and girl group Fifty Fifty have chosen the latter approach for their delicate When You Say My Name. You all know I’m not the biggest fan of ballads, but some of my favorite seasonal … Continue reading
The next few weeks on The Bias List will be stuffed with all manner of end-of-year countdowns. From K-pop to J-pop to global pop to dramas, it’ll all be covered. This is a fun way to tie a bow on the year and celebrate all the things I loved in 2024. These countdowns kick off … Continue reading
Several years ago, Stray Kids took a humorous approach to Christmas with the off-kilter Christmas EveL. It’s rare that a K-pop group releases more than one holiday single, but the guys are back with a treat for their Japanese fans. Christmas Love is far jollier and more obviously targeted to this season. In fact, it … 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
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Please Save My Earth (from The Awakening – 2017) Previous Thoughts: “The earnest hook is classic GFriend, but it feels more dreamlike here. There’s a lot going on in the track itself, but it’s so tightly packed that every element seems to … Continue reading
Thank you all for participating in the first ever BIAS LIST READER’S SURVEY! I received nearly 700 responses over the past few days and it’s been really fun digging into the results. I wanted to share the overall trends and offer some commentary of my own. It looks like we’ve got a seasoned group here, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Paradise (from Fever Season – 2019) To be honest, this is a song I rarely remember exists. The whole Fever Season mini album isn’t one of GFriend’s works I return to often, and this is one of its most forgettable tracks. I … 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! Our Secret (from Time For Us – 2019) Previous Thoughts: “I love its breathless verses, which have a sense of propulsion that really gets the energy going. The song’s tropical synth loop is derivative as hell, but still manages to be catchy … Continue reading
I haven’t listened to Rosé’s debut album yet, but judging from the promotion so far I feel that the raucous Bruno Mars duet APT. will be a sonic outlier. It’s always annoying when an album’s biggest hit sounds nothing like any other song surrounding it. This is less of a concern in the age of … Continue reading
JYP founder Park Jinyoung was one of K-pop’s first global visionaries, seeking Western partnerships far before it was the trendy thing to do. Without Wonder Girls’ 2009 foray into the States, a track like Strategy might not exist at all. Twice have already made themselves known worldwide, but this new single offers their first big-name … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 