ONEUS have been operating as a four-piece for awhile now and it definitely feels like something substantial is missing without Seoho’s voice. Still, they’re keeping things chugging along with new Japanese release Under — a perfectly pleasant and almost immediately forgettable light funk pop track. This kind of a song is a dime a dozen … Continue reading
Author Archives: Nick
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of June 2026
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. June 2026 Overall Thoughts This month felt like it was divided in half, with most of … Continue reading
BOYFRIEND: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: Keyveatz – OXY
AOMG’s hip-hop girl group Keyveatz made their pre-debut back in April, setting the stage for today’s full debut. I couldn’t tell you much about that earlier track beyond that fact that I didn’t enjoy it, and OXY‘s title brings to mind the slang term for the well-known opioid that’s caused a wave of addiction over … Continue reading
Song Review: Choi Yoojung – Perfect Target
Fresh off the massive chart success of I.O.I’s reunion, former member Choi Yoojung is back with her first new single since 2022. This time, she’s taking influence from another 2026 chart behemoth. Perfect Target (비장의 무기) feels like a natural successor to the second-gen nostalgia of Yena’s Catch Catch. I’m all for second-gen nostalgia, though … Continue reading
T-ARA: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: Seventeen V8 (Vernon & The 8) – singasong
One benefit of a huge group configuration is that you can break into an almost unlimited number of solos and sub-units to promote while other members are on hiatus. Such is the case with Seventeen. They haven’t released a full-group track in a year but have debuted several pairs of members with varying sounds and … Continue reading
HISTORY: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from June 21 – 27
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 (June 28, 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
LOONA: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: June 2026
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
Song Review: M.O.N.T – Run
It’s a quick review today since I don’t usually write new reviews on Saturdays and it’s been ages since I wrote about boy group M.O.N.T. However, I figured some readers would appreciate hearing this song because it has a more classic K-pop sound that’s far from the trends of today. There are certain song titles … Continue reading
ZEROBASEONE: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: HITGS – Little By Little
Girl group HITGS (that’s “Hip, Innocent, Teenager, Girls, Story” for those in the know!) debuted with a kitschy sound that matched their very young ages but have slowly blossomed into a more mature style. Even if this hasn’t yet resulted in memorable music, it points toward potential that could be exciting in the future. Little … Continue reading
Song Review: from20 – Big Boy
After a string of knockout synth pop singles, from20 has reinvented himself as a hyper-sexualized cartoon character. Last year’s Eye Candy and Social established this persona and new single Big Boy takes it even further. These songs remind me of a certain style of early-2000s pop/hip-hop — deliberately silly but also attempting a sort of … Continue reading
Song Review: ATEEZ – Bad
It’s been one step forward, two steps back with ATEEZ lately. After a promising 2025, a pair of early-2026 tracks succumbed to some of the group’s most frustrating instincts. That slump continues with new title track Bad, which lives up to its name. I mean, this review almost writes itself, right? Replace the “she’s” in … Continue reading
4MINUTE: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: AtHeart – Say It
AtHeart debuted last summer and have been steadily promoting since. Every song they’ve released so far has been rated in the 7s on this blog, which pretty much sums up my feelings about their music. It’s inoffensive but unmemorable, slotting them within a swath of fifth-gen girl groups without much sonic identity of their own. … Continue reading
HIGHLIGHT: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading