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. I was probably a little hard … 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. Tomorrow is TXT’s most consistent album … Continue reading
Three years ago, (G)I-DLE’s Yuqi released the brilliant Bonnie & Clyde — a pummeling piece of pop/rock with the driving energy of a dance track. That song utilized her husky tone in ways we rarely hear from (G)I-DLE’s work, making me long for more solo work. That era is finally upon us with a mini … Continue reading
ILY:1’s past few comebacks have traded in the kind of post-GFriend/Lovelyz “innocent” sound not found often in today’s girl groups. The song have been facsimiles, but nostalgic ones. Now, the group has taken an edgier swerve with the funky dance pop of new single IMMM. And for the first minute or so I was convinced … Continue reading
Catch The Young’s debut song ended up growing on me over time, but my biggest impression was that the track was very strong but the performance left something to be desired. Funny enough, follow-up Voyager has the exact opposite problem. The guys sound much more comfortable here and the vocal performance is way more polished, … Continue reading
Nothing has been more depressing than watching the slow downward drift of Woollim Entertainment. They’ve long been host to my favorite K-pop artists and an A&R team who reliably selects top tier songs. However, the agency hasn’t released more than a three-song single album since November 2022. I’m not sure what’s going on, but their … Continue reading
Kiss Of Life made a notable debut last summer with multiple solo releases leading up to a full group track. It was a mixed bag musically, but offered glimpses of how exciting they might sound in the future. So far, their material hasn’t quite lived up to that promise, but new single Midas Touch rekindles … Continue reading
“Spring songs” don’t seem to be as big a deal in K-pop as they used to be. This time of year, we used to be assaulted with all sorts of gentle, coffeeshop fare perfect for the season. But now that “subdued” has become a K-pop buzzword, I guess many songs fit this bill without needing … Continue reading
Today marks the debut of Cube Entertainment’s Nowadays. They follow in the footsteps of agency seniors Beast, BTOB and Pentagon, each of which debuted with a song very in keeping with their K-pop era. By all accounts, we’re now in K-pop’s fifth generation, but the boisterous OoWee feels more in line with the industry’s past … Continue reading
One huge difference between the K-pop and J-pop markets is the presence of rock music in idol culture. Obviously, there are rock groups in Korea that perform on weekly idol music shows, but the genre is far less present in the mainstream. Because of this, project group QWER’s sound feels much more Japanese. They even … Continue reading
As is common these days, VVUP made a “pre-debut” last month with the inert Doo Doom Chit. Presumably, they’ve saved their strongest material for their actual debut and title track Locked On is definitely an improvement upon its predecessor. That probably won’t be enough to distinguish themselves from the girl group crowd, but there’s potential … Continue reading
What to do with a solo Lucas single in 2024? I’ll let others rant about the moral implications of debuting him as a soloist. I’m very good about separating the artist from the art. As a rabid Michael Jackson fan, that’s become a necessity! As always on this blog, I’d like to focus on Renegade … Continue reading
TXT’s comebacks have been divided between series of albums and special “minisodes” that offer brief breaks from the lore. This branding doesn’t really affect the music. There have been highlights from both formats. The group found especially solid footing in 2021 when their title tracks embraced angsty pop/rock. The teasers for new single Deja Vu … 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. March 2024 Overall Thoughts Okay, this year’s already a little weird. We kicked off with an … Continue reading
The lead-up to BABYMONSTER’s Sheesh has been an experience, to say the least. Every one of its teasers highlighted the same part of the song, with the girls sheeshing at us one by one over the course of what seemed like an eternity. The original purpose of teasers is to raise excitement for a song, … Continue reading
Bang Yongguk’s solo music can be hard to pin down. I often classify him as an artist who mixes rock and rap in evocative, moody ways. But then a song like Movimiento comes along. Bucking expectations, this track brings Yongguk to the dancefloor. A club beat runs under nearly every moment of Movimiento, tying his … 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
Upon hearing Chungha’s new single album, many commented that opener I’m Ready felt more like a title track than the playful sing-talk of Eenie Meanie. I agree, and judging by the virality of I’m Ready‘s newly-released promo video, it may end up having the last laugh after all. I’m Ready finds Chungha firmly back on … Continue reading
Xikers have already established a tradition of including at least one song on each album that I must skip for my own well-being. Last summer, that track was Koong. Now, it has a sibling. I appreciate the energy here and I assume that’s why it would appeal to some listeners. If you enjoy being shouted … Continue reading
With over 4,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 