It’s been almost three years since I wrote about Saturday, which is practically a lifetime in K-pop. The group is down to four members and has substantially changed their sound for new single Stay (있을게). Along with ILY:1, they’re the second act to mine old Gfriend sounds today. As far as I’m concerned, this is … Continue reading
When we last saw ILY:1, they were mining Oh My Girl’s old production team for a glistening facsimile that became an early 2023 highlight. With the changing of the seasons, the group has also changed its influence. This time, My Color targets an early-GFriend sound — a style I happen to be an enormous fan … Continue reading
Eight years after debut, Monsta X has unveiled its first official sub-unit. Rather than give the unit some catchy, clever name, they’ve opted for the simple and forthright “Shownu x Hyungwon.” For those not familiar with the group, these two are Monsta X’s main and lead dancers. Love Me A Little was co-written and co-produced … Continue reading
I wanted to do some kind of countdown or feature leading up to Infinite’s long-awaited comeback next week, but I quickly realized I’ve already written about pretty much everything Infinite-related on the blog. In fact, I’d wager no one on the internet has written as much about them as I have! So, rather than try … Continue reading
HORI7ON were brought together through MLD Entertainment’s Dream Maker series, and have already revealed a couple of songs (to various degrees of success). They’ve just released a mammoth, twenty (!) track debut album, though a number of those tracks are only available on the physical CDs. SIX7EEN is their newest single, and sees them approaching … Continue reading
I’m a sucker for a great summer K-pop track, and we haven’t had many of those this year. Enter: Oh My Girl — with a track that’s literally called “Summer Comes.” It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from the group, and they have a bulletproof back catalog to build upon. Their take on … Continue reading
In a funny bit of global pop synergy, we’ve got will.i.am and Britney’s Mind Your Business followed days later by ITZY’s None Of My Business. These songs have nothing in common, but I like to imagine them in conversation with each other. ITZY’s new album isn’t out until next week, making None Of My Business … 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
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
They may not be on everyone’s radar, but from20 and Hello Gloom from The Faker Club are two of 2023’s most consistently solid artists. Their creative partnership is firing on all cylinders, resulting in music and videos that often eclipse the material coming from K-pop’s biggest agencies. Not bad for an indie label founded by … Continue reading
I went to watch the video for ETA on YouTube and it was immediately preceded by an iPhone advertisement backed by the song’s hook. Make no mistake what HYBE is doing here. This NewJeans EP is branding at its most integrated. In fact, imagining these brief, jingle-like songs as stylish commercials may offer a more … Continue reading
The annual Bias List Legendary Songs Inauguration Ceremony has returned! Yes, I’m a few months late on this, but it’s been a busy year of new releases and I was waiting for an empty day to compose this feature. It’s exceedingly rare for me to award any song a 10-out-of-10 rating on release day. Instead, … Continue reading
More than anything, NewJeans’ music has become an interesting excuse to analyze pop music expectations and preferences. It’s increasingly clear that their songs are designed to be streamed over and over again in a loop. They don’t exhaust listeners with big, glitzy pop peaks. Their melodies are simple and sleek, often delivered in an aloof … Continue reading
Dear K-pop gods, I beseech you. Please, please rekindle your ability to craft an upbeat summer track that isn’t 85% exuberant chanting and melodies in nursery rhyme style. These elements can be fun in moderation, but too much of this fizzy sugar rush results in fatigue and stomach pain. I dig Kick-Start‘s punky guitars, and … Continue reading
I’ll be forever side-eying DSP Media for abandoning Mirae’s promising futuristic concept to turn them into just-another-boy-group. Since then, their music then has seen highs and lows but lacks continuity and vision. Jump is another sonic swerve, borrowing elements from early-90’s hip hop and fusing them to a rather pedestrian song. I like this group … Continue reading
Though Hui didn’t score enough votes to join project group ZEROBASEONE, he’s able to leverage his stint on Boys Planet for increased attention on his group and solo work. This is the guy who co-wrote the mighty Energetic, so I have faith he’s still got incredible things up his sleeve. Whale is not one of those … Continue reading
Hours before his military enlistment, iKON’s Jay has dropped his first EP. As the group’s main vocalist, his solo sound offers a sensual atmosphere and plenty of space to show off his voice. Blue Moon is pleasing in a purely aesthetic way, but barely registers as a song. Blue Moon is brittle and slight, driven … Continue reading
Sub-unit Mamamoo+ are making a relatively quick comeback after releasing their single album this March. Like last time, they’ve kicked things off with a pre-release. Save Me (지구에 혼자 남게 된다면) lowers the tempo for a vocal showcase in keeping with Mamamoo’s strengths. As beautifully as this may be performed, Save Me feels like musical … Continue reading
The MBTI personality test is one of those popular trends that’s totally passed me by, but NCT Dream’s pre-release Broken Melodies has only grown stronger with time. So even though I have no idea what an “ISTJ” is (Google says an ‘Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging’ personality), I’m eager to check it out. This song … 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
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 