When compared to the length of Queen Bee’s history as a band, I’m quite a latecomer to their fandom. Super Memorial (超メモリアル) celebrates fifteen years of music, but it feels as if they’re just getting started. The band released my favorite song of last year and vocalist Avu-chan produces my favorite group of the moment … Continue reading
Looking back at the blog, I realize I haven’t written a full song review for a Bullet Train single since the group reconfigured with four new members. More than a decade after their debut, they’re now a nine-member act — including a new vocalist. I’ve been mixed on their more recent output, though last year’s … Continue reading
I have this odd trend of under-rated RIIZE’s title tracks when they’re released, only to end up loving them in a few week’s time. This was especially true with January’s Love 119 — a 2024 highlight whose chanted chorus put me off big-time when it first came out. New single Impossible will not have the … Continue reading
I haven’t been keeping up with idol band ONEWE and didn’t realize two of its members had been discharged from the military earlier this year. Yonghoon and Kanghyun are back for the group’s new track and they’ve certainly been missed. Beautiful Ashes (추억의 소각장) sees the guys continuing where they left off, though it’s a … Continue reading
New girl group Unicode is unique in that all its members are Japanese. I’m not sure how that’s going to serve them in an industry that feels quite insular, but their agency has been smart to give them a quintessentially Korean sound for debut single Let Me Love (돌아봐줄래). Most pertinent to my interests, the … Continue reading
In what’s becoming a clear pattern, ILLIT are the latest HYBE-associated K-pop act to see record-breaking success on the charts with their debut Magnetic. Many fans have become upset about their persistent comparisons to NewJeans, but although the details may be unique for each act, I think the observation is apt. We need a name … Continue reading
I don’t know if there’s actual correlation between the two, but ever since Johnny’s Entertainment rebranded into Starto Entertainment, I’ve had a hard time falling in love with their music. Maybe it’s an A&R thing, or maybe it’s simply a symptom of a changing industry environment. Whatever it is, recent songs by some of my … Continue reading
With the new LOONA-adjacent act ARTMS steadily releasing music, the renamed Loossemble are here to offer their own addition to the ever-expanding LOONAverse. Last year’s re-debut Sensitive showed promise, and new single Girl’s Night builds on that with a blast of feel-good fun. The song is still firmly within their wheelhouse, powered by muted synth … Continue reading
I may be showing my age here, but when I hear the phrase “Earth, Wind & Fire” I only think of one thing. BOYNEXTDOOR don’t strike me as the funk disco type, but they did begin to win me over with last year’s addictive But Sometimes. They’ve got a swaggering energy that feels more natural … 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
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
The music video for Kis-My-Ft2’s newest single has been out for a few days, but I’ve been holding off on writing about it because I honestly couldn’t decide how I felt about the song. For those who have never heard of this group, they boast my favorite J-pop discography, largely due to songs like this … Continue reading
DKZ are the latest K-pop group to release an album called “Reboot.” For whatever reason, these “reboots” have a really great track record, resulting in super strong work from Wonder Girls, Golden Child and Treasure. But this time around, I’m not really sure what DKZ are rebooting. Title track Like A Movie sounds like it … Continue reading
The lead-up to ARTMS’s debut album promises a number of tracks and videos, quickly establishing the lore it took over a year for creative director Jaden Jeong to craft with LOONA. This kicked off with intro track Birth, which felt more like a series of ideas than a full-fledged song. New track Flower Rhythm is … 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 so nice to have ONF … Continue reading
Despite making their debut in 2020, I’ve never written about a Rolling Quartz song on the blog before. Korean rock bands like this fall into a unique category. They often perform on weekly music shows alongside idols, but their music and promotion has an approach that feels more indie. Whatever you want to call it, … Continue reading
EPEX’s material has been pretty hit or miss for me, but digging deeper into their song credits the group has worked frequently with (most of) the team that’s crafted The Wind’s discography. I’ve got my eyes on these producers, and for new single Youth2Youth (청춘에게) they seem to have brought a bit of that soaring, … Continue reading
K-pop loves nothing more than to run a trend into the ground. You’ll get a fresh, exciting debut track (ITZY, NewJeans) only to see years of middling copies that suck all the charm from the sounds you first fell in love with. We’re currently in an age of what many have called “easy listening” girl … Continue reading
If we imagine the K-pop industry as a shopping street, ONF’s music is that quirky little boutique sandwiched between big box stores. Their continued pairing with producer Hwang Hyun has resulted in a discography that — while varied in sound — boasts a consistent character and perspective. This has made them the only K-pop act … 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 