Before EXO’s Chanyeol and Sehun debuted as an official sub-unit, they paired together to deliver last year’s SM Station track We Young. That song offered a nice balance between hip-hop and harmonized melody, with a warm tone that took advantage of the interplay between the guys’ voices. This weekend’s pre-release Just Us 2 followed suit, … Continue reading
The rise in popularity of K-hip-hop and K-r&b has fundamentally changed the K-pop landscape, and we’re reeling from those effects this summer. Hip-hop sub-units are nothing new for idol groups (hello, Infinite H!), but in a climate where this sound is becoming more ubiquitous they no longer feel like an unpredictable novelty. Bringing together members … Continue reading
Hyoyeon’s transformation into an EDM DJ initially felt like a gimmick, but last year’s addictive Punk Right Now proved that she was willing to have fun with the genre. With Badster, she delves deeper into the scene, offering a convincing dose of psytrance that throws much of its focus on crafting a high tempo instrumental. … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
TVXQ have been busy in both Korea and Japan since both members were discharged from the military in mid-2017. But so far, nothing they’ve released has quite matched their pre-enlistment material in my opinion. Yunho’s recent solo album brought back some of those old-school TVXQ vibes to great success, and will hopefully act as a … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
Like it or not, this summer in K-pop has been completely hijacked by downtempo hip-hop and r&b — a holding pattern that is likely to continue next week with big releases by EXO-SC and Kang Daniel. I personally despise this turn of events, but what are you going to do? The music charts want what … Continue reading
