After a few years of (musically) diminished returns, ATEEZ climbed back on my radar in 2025 by attempting new sounds that injected a sense of freshness to their formula. Both of last year’s Korean title tracks and their Japanese single made it onto my year-end countdowns, re-igniting my curiosity for where they might take their … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2026
Song Review: THE SSYNDROME – Good Boy
THE SSYNDROME made their debut late last year, emerging in an era flush with rock bands. Just this year alone, it feels like I’m writing about a rock act every week — and that’s not even including all the rock-influenced comebacks from idol groups. Korea is really into guitars at the moment. This isn’t a … Continue reading
Song Review: SKINZ – Why U Mad
You know new K-pop releases are in a terrible state if all I have to write about is a pre-release from one of the industry’s “virtual” groups. SKINZ follow PLAVE as the latest virtual act to attempt a successful launch. They debuted last year and are set to release their first mini album soon. Before … Continue reading
Song Review: Navillera – No Limit
The word “Navillera” hits me with an instant serotonin boost because I instantly remember the GFriend song of the same name. For my money, no girl group has released a better title track than that in the last ten years, which is actually a depressing thought when I ruminate on it too long. Today, “Navillera” … Continue reading
Song Review: ZEROBASEONE – LOVEPOCALYPSE
One strange aspect of the K-pop industry is that it doesn’t really care about endings. Once their cash cow has been fully milked, it’s usually put our to pasture unceremoniously. Often, the only time we get a decent disbandment song is when that disbandment comes unexpectedly and a group’s final comeback ends up being their … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from January 25 – 31
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (February 1, 2026)
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