The extended “LOONAverse” continues to fracture and expand since the initial group’s dissolution last year. Some members have become a new act called Loossemble, Chuu’s gone solo and five more (JinSoul, HaSeul, Kim Lip, HeeJin, and Choerry) have signed with creative director Jaden Jeong to form ARTMS. This new group doesn’t officially debut until the … Continue reading
Just weeks after V released his own post-enlistment single, bandmate J-Hope is back with a full-on hiatus era album. Not only that, but his Hope On The Street is billed as a “volume one,” meaning we likely have much more coming. For the album’s single Neuron, he’s enlisted (pun totally intended) some of K-hip-hop’s big … Continue reading
Though it has yet to be officially confirmed by their agency, there have been reports that this will be TAN’s final comeback. Hopefully that doesn’t end up being the case, but Hyper Tonic is bittersweet for more than one reason. It’s likely the last new song we’ll hear from the late, great producer Shinsadong Tiger. … Continue reading
Of all the new girl groups debuting this week, I was most looking forward to Candy Shop. This is more to do with the song production of K-pop legend Brave Brothers than anything else. Candy Shop is his agency’s first new girl group after Brave Girls (now BB Girls) departed last year. The only thing … Continue reading
“New K-Pop Girl Group Week” rolls on with the debut of UNIS. They were formed through SBS reality show Universe Ticket and include members of Cignature and PRIKIL (a J-pop group). They’re a “project group,” which presumably means they’ll only promote for a limited time. That makes the quality of their music all the more … Continue reading
As covered in my review of pre-release Rose, Super Junior-D&E’s GGB has been mired in controversy over the implications of its title. As a foreign listener without the cultural context to be offended, it’s easier for me to ignore this and focus on the merits of the song itself, though I don’t understand why the … Continue reading
SM Entertainment is in full swing this week, releasing a new NCT Dream mini album yesterday and a new single from K-pop legend BoA today. New BoA music is always something to celebrate, even if her promotions are usually more subdued these days. The sound of new single Emptiness (정말, 없니?) echoes this approach, harnessing … Continue reading
Newly-debuting girl group Rescene are apparently fans of the two-syllable onomatopoeia song title. After delivering pre-release YoYo late last month, they’re back with their official debut UhUh. Neither of these titles inspire much confidence, but the songs have been stronger than those sound effects suggest. Though UhUh is a mixed bag, its highlights outweigh its … Continue reading
It’s a well-worn K-pop trope for bright, happy-go-lucky boy groups to eventually turn dark, brooding and shouty. However, this transformation usually doesn’t happen within the space of a one comeback! After bursting into listeners’ hearts with the buoyant On And On last November, AMPERS&ONE have already succumbed to mind-numbing shout-chanting on new single Broken Heart. … Continue reading
I don’t know why the name “ME:I” makes me giggle, but it does. It sounds like something you’d come up with from a random K-pop name generator. In fact, ME:I are a J-pop act, formed through the latest season of Produce 101 Japan. But like their predecessors JO1 and INI, they’re essentially a Japanese act … Continue reading
HYBE’s empire continues to grow with the debut of new girl group ILLIT. They’re under subsidiary Belift Lab and formed through the series R U Next?. They’re the first of a few new girl groups emerging this week, and their debut single Magnetic feels perfectly in line with current trends. HYBE (and specifically, NewJeans) have … Continue reading
We’ve long since crossed the threshold of having definable NCT units with their own sound and purpose. Instead, the past five or six years have seen the rise of a standard SM Entertainment style, and when the agency does release a song that embraces a different sound it feels almost revelatory. Unfortunately, the only revelatory … 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. DAY6’s new album may not reinvent … 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
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
If you read my monthly “Global Pop Round-Up” feature, you’ll know how much I like dance music. It’s rare to find a straight-up club track in K-pop these days, as idol group configurations usually require an arrangement that mixes genres and tempos. The last all-out dance track I can remember was Somi’s Fast Forward — … Continue reading
I wrote a track-by-track review of Ryugujo’s new EP a few days after it was released, and I’ve only gone on to appreciate it more since then. It feels like Ryugujo’s music takes a quantum leap forward every time they release something new. This will be a hard feat to keep up, but it’s been … Continue reading
n.SSign have promised three title tracks from their newest album, and they seem to be spreading them out. Funk Jam arrives over a month after they started promoting Happy & (a song that grew on me a lot, by the way). When I first saw the album’s track list, the combination of the words “funk” … Continue reading
During Lucy’s first two years after debut, they felt like one of the freshest acts in K-pop. Their music overflowed with ideas and hooky melodies that kept me coming back for more. Since then, they’ve settled into a reliable niceness. I’m not sure if it’s them or me, but I haven’t been able to muster … Continue reading
Last time we heard from The New Six, they were kicking it old school with the upbeat Kick It 4 Now. That track leveraged nostalgia to its advantage, melding new jack swing beats to catchy hooks. But this being K-pop, we can’t simply build on a good thing. New single Fuego offers a completely different … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 