Xdinary Heroes fans are regularly fed by the band, who must be one of the most prolific acts working at the moment. It feels like new music is always just around the corner, whether that’s in the form of fully-promoted comebacks or drips and drabs of digital singles. New single FiRE (My Sweet Misery) falls … Continue reading
Doh Kyung Soo has one of the richest tones in K-pop, but as with so many great voices his solo music has usually steered toward ballads and coffeehouse-ready midtempos. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the style doesn’t exactly inspire excitement. Teasers of his first full album seemed to promise a more diverse set of … Continue reading
Jeon Somi has returned with what will likely be her only new music this year. Talk about a discography doled out in crumbs! Despite debuting as a soloist all the way back in 2019, she’s never been given more than one single or mini album per year, making it even more important that each and … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … 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
Prior to their comeback at the end of the month, One Pact released an EP of solo songs from each of the members. I won’t be writing about most of them since I don’t have much to say, but Jong Woo’s solo Passout instantly caught my ear and now it has a special video to … Continue reading
To round out my mid-year countdowns, I’ve got a spotlight on some of my favorite songs from music markets that aren’t Korea or Japan. To simplify things, I just call this category “pop.” It’s been a very strong year for pop music so far, though you might not know it if you’re only looking at … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. H1-KEY remain one of K-pop’s most … Continue reading
In the space of two weeks, I’ve gone from not knowing who or what 1VERSE was to being just about ready to sign up as captain of their fan club. You can thank their YouTube channel for that. This is the first act from new agency Singing Beetle, brainchild of former SM Entertainment A&R Michelle … Continue reading
It’s a bit bleak over here, ladies and gentlemen. Over the years there have been many times where I’ve been more enamored with the quality of J-pop’s output than K-pop, but 2025 is not one of those years. In fact, there are fewer highlights than I can ever remember at this time of the year … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. It’s been awhile since I’ve featured … Continue reading
I’m not going to review this song because I don’t want to be unnecessarily mean, but listening to rookie group BLINGONE’s re-creation of KARA’s immortal Mister makes for a fascinating case study and comparison between K-pop generations. It answers the question nobody had but everybody wants to know: What if a classic second-gen song had … Continue reading
Similar to last year, 2025 so far has been a singles game rather than a series of excellent albums. I have even fewer on my list than I did this time last year, and only one of them is a full album — though that classification is getting murkier as time goes on. There are … Continue reading
With ALLDAY PROJECT’s breakout success, co-ed K-pop groups may be having a moment. What better time for KARD to reheat the nachos they created and show the industry how it’s done? However, it’s been a very long time since those nachos felt fresh, as the group has moved from their refreshing tropical sound to a … Continue reading
Girl group RESCENE enjoyed a bit of momentum with last year’s single Love Attack, but their agency has been unable to capitalize on this so far. Title track Glow Up came and went with little fanfare earlier this year, and the buzz around new single Deja Vu also seems to be muted. The public clearly … Continue reading
This is a strange era for K-pop… at least when it comes to my own experience. On one hand, there are a handful of acts I feel more invested in than ever, which is the feeling everyone wants as a fan. In some ways, I’m more interested in K-pop than I have been in awhile, … Continue reading
2025 has seen a number of boy group debuts spawned from survival series, and so far they’ve been killing it. NouerA and Close Your Eyes led charge and now it’s AHOF’s turn. This global group was formed on SBS series Universe League and their awkward acronym stands for “All-Time Hall Of Famer.” Time will tell … Continue reading
As 2025 kicked off, BABYMONSTER were still promoting their first album with a series of follow-up tracks. A second album has been promised for this fall (though take that with a grain of salt given YG Entertainment’s track record) and the summer-themed Hot Sauce acts as its opening salvo, released digitally to kick off the … Continue reading
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 2025 Overall Thoughts We’re now at the midpoint of 2025, which means I’ll be publishing … Continue reading
I keep putting “(Victon)” after Han Seungwoo’s name whenever writing about his music, but it may be time to let that tag go. Given the state of the group’s contract renewals, it seems unlikely that they’d be coming back any time soon. Instead, it’s time to focus on solo projects and Seungwoo already has a … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 