One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Flower (from Fallin’ Light – 2019) What I said then: “As with many J-pop tracks, Flower’s melody is pretty long-winded, taking several different refrains and melding them into one intricate chorus. Because of this, the song lacks the direct and immediate impact … Continue reading
STAYC’s 2024 material has been increasingly quirky, marked by oddball earworms like Cheeky Icy Thang. Their music’s appeal has always been a bit left of center, which is a good thing. But in a current girl group landscape that favors beige easy-listening, it’s interesting to hear them adjust to the trends. New single GPT does … Continue reading
Quality control at YG Entertainment has been all over the place for the past decade or so, and the agency’s newest artist BABYMONSTER is emblematic of that hit or miss approach. The group’s first full album is just around the corner. Clips of the songs have gradually been teased and the previews range from godawful … Continue reading
SNSD’s Sooyoung actually started her idol career in a short-lived J-pop group before eventually debuting in Korea. It’s funny, then, that it took this long for her to release a solo single in Japan. Better late than never, as Unstoppable recaptures some of the magic from SNSD’s discography while showcasing Sooyoung’s own charisma. A song … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Fingertip (from The Awakening – 2017) What I said then: “Right from the start, Fingertip establishes its unique transformation with the instrumental’s wah wah guitar riff. It’s the opening salvo that ushers in the group’s most high energy synth riff yet, expertly … Continue reading
TVXQ are set to release a 20th Anniversary album in Japan early next month. They already unveiled its lead track Sweet Surrender a few weeks ago and now they’re teasing again with the classic ballad Dearest. Some of their most successful Japanese work has been within this musical realm, and given the special occasion it’s … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Fever (from Fever Season – 2019) What I said then: “There are moments when the song wants to take off (especially the breathless, synth-dripped pre-chorus), but like so many tracks of this style, Fever constantly has to work its way back to … Continue reading
The Boyz had a very strong run of 2023 singles, but their 2024 has been comparatively sparse — at least where new music is concerned. Moving on from their Phantasy series, the guys are back with an edgier sound. Trigger careens between high-tempo electro pop and bombastic theatricality. Unfortunately, that mix sounds better on paper … Continue reading
In the lead-up to their second album, Twice sub-unit Misamo unveiled a cover of Namie Amuro’s 2008 hit New Look. As a lover of the original song, I found the update supremely lacking. It drained all energy from an otherwise solid piece of music. Now, the girls are back to right the ship with original … Continue reading
The sheer audacity of ITZY’s uneven Gold has (sort of) won me over, but when their newest album was released most fans were more focused on its b-sides. I didn’t find many of these b-sides all that engaging myself. However, Imaginary Friend immediately stood out as a highlight. JYP seems to think so too, as … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Falling Asleep Again (from Parallel/Rainbow – 2017) We’re back to ballad territory with this one. I tend not to listen to ballads often on their own, but I appreciate them within the context of an album. Falling Asleep Again is a fine … 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
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Fallin’ Light (from Fallin’ Light – 2019) What I said then: “Much of it plays like the quintessential GFriend song, but even when the beat kicks in for the chorus, it just doesn’t hit the highs I know they’re capable of. Apart … Continue reading
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
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Fall In Love (from LOL – 2016) Preceding the epic Navillera on an album was never going to be easy, but Fall In Love’s strings intro promises more excitement to come. The song is light and breezy, underpinned with distorted guitar to … Continue reading
Hello Gloom may still be a rising name in Korean music, but he’s crafted some of the best pop music of the past few years — both for himself and label-mate from20. His Mamacita is one of my favorite tracks of the year, delving deeper into dance music than ever before. New single Somebody slows … Continue reading
BTS’s Jin marks a big milestone by being the first member to return from the military and release music. And, I’m not talking about his Super Tuna from a few weeks ago! He’s ready to unveil an entire album, led by pre-release I’ll Be There. And with names like Gary Barlow and Arcades on the … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Eye Of The Storm (from Song Of The Sirens – 2020) Okay, now we’re talking! I’m a sucker for Eye Of The Storm’s bombastic opening. It’s like the kickoff to a musical. You know you’re in for some drama, and the rest … Continue reading
Before he enlists in the military, NCT’s Jaehyun is set to hold a two day fancon and has released a new single to tide us over while he enters hiatus. Unconditional arrives only two months since his first solo album and continues the vibey, on-trend r&b sound he established there. This seems to be the … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Emotional Days (from Fallin’ Light – 2019) GFriend’s Japanese work is very hit or miss for me, which is funny because their best material strongly recalls J-pop sounds. Emotional Days’ repetitive melody has potential, but the song never builds into anything spectacular. … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 