It’s a day of long-awaited reunions in K-pop. Omega X may not have quite the legacy of Secret, but they’ve been out of the picture long enough to make Uncapped feel like a true comeback. This track brings together only seven of the group’s ten original members but successfully replicates their core sound. Uncapped is … Continue reading
Secret are one of those second-gen groups whose output completely pre-dates this blog. Over the years, I’ve reviewed exactly one of their songs through a retrospective feature, and to be honest their discography has never done much for me. Today, two of the group’s members (Hyosung and Jung Hana) have reunited alongside new member Yebin … Continue reading
USPEER debuted seventy-eight years ago and remained one of K-pop’s most confounding one-hit wonders. Okay… that might be a slight exaggeration. They actually debuted one year ago before dropping off the face of the earth as WM Entertainment underwent a major re-shuffling. The group now finds themselves under MW Entertainment (ran by former WM CEO … Continue reading
Consistent artist/producer pairings are not nearly as common as they used to be in K-pop, but fans are so used to see ONF and composer Hwang Hyun work together that there was mass outrage when last November’s mini album didn’t feature him at all. But now that the group has moved to a new agency, … Continue reading
The official start of summer may still be a few days away, but we’ve already entered the summer season of K-pop music. At its best, this means bright, buoyant fare that conjures images of beach days and sunny nights. My number one wish is that this summer somehow brings back the K-pop producers synonymous with … Continue reading
As with too many of their new-gen peers’ discographies, it’s hard to predict how a new RIIZE single might sound. In the past, there have been K-pop groups I knew I could count on to deliver the goods each and every time, and this was usually because they worked with a tight team of producers … Continue reading
Dropping one letter (and parentheses) from your group name shouldn’t be too big of a deal, but since rebranding as i-dle, the former (G)I-DLE has seen their chart powers diminish. It’s too early to tell if last year’s results were a fluke or not, but it makes their upcoming album feel like an important fork … Continue reading
Long ago, the K-pop elders foretold a prophecy: “Behold! Regardless of their sound or image, every fifth generation boy group shall get their swag on for one tuneless, out-of-character chant-fest.” As an amendment to their proclamation, the wise elders added: “Fear not, lovers of bright, melodic concepts. This hip-hoppery shall only be a pre-release.” RIIZE, … 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. I’m not sure you can call … Continue reading
The idea of a super group in K-pop is very exciting. Anyone remember SuperM? As far as I know, this trio of HYBE acts don’t plan to promote together past this one-off single, but the combination of LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and Katseye has the potential to maximize a joint slay to the nth degree. However, … Continue reading
Girl group Navillera debuted early this year with the rough-around-the-edges No Limit that built itself upon way too many current K-pop tropes. With follow-up Friday Night, they’ve returned with a bad song dressed up in an upbeat, summery style I tend to enjoy. This results in a very weird listen. First off, it’s been awhile … Continue reading
I last wrote about GOT7’s Jay B in late 2024. He was fresh off military service and releasing his first full album. Since then, he’s been touring and signed with new agency 528Hz. Today’s Layback offers a new sound for his title tracks, though this style of R&B has found a place on his and … Continue reading
It’s been four years since GFriend’s Yerin debuted as a soloist. Since then, she’s delivered exactly one comeback per year, so we might expect Shooting Star (조각별) to be her sole musical statement of 2026. With large gaps between albums, we might also expect her to make bigger musical statements. Alas, Shooting Star is pleasant … Continue reading
EPEX’s discography has been a real mixed bag so far. They’ve released a few solid tracks (2024 was a solid year for them), but more often their music has either been too generic or actively off-putting. New single Echo fits squarely within the first category. It’s a song that could have come from just about … Continue reading
izna have delivered a fractured discography so far, with some songs hitting harder than others. However, the highlight medley for their newest mini-album hinted at a synth-heavy sound that feels consistent among its tracks. This is a stellar identity for the group to pursue and results in their strongest title track yet. Metronome is pure, … Continue reading
Despite really enjoying BOYNEXTDOOR, their past few comebacks haven’t done much for me. Then, I thought it might all be over with the blustering hip-hop pre-release ddok ddok ddok. However, that song ended up growing on me in a way a track like Hollywood Action never did, and I’m not quite sure why. Regardless, this … Continue reading
Rather than promote a follow-up track from their recent album, BABYMONSTER have taken the rare approach of releasing a new song just a month after their comeback. This reminds me of the old days of album repackages, which I miss very much. They made comebacks feel more like eras and stretched out the excitement. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away THOUSAND MILES AWAY These days, I do a double take any time I see a K-pop song longer than four minutes. That shouldn’t be a rarity, but it’s so much more likely to find … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away STILL RAINING We’ve now reached the portion of the album where things slow down. SHINee are on my very short list of K-pop groups with great ballads, so a slower song is nothing to … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away ANTI BELIEVER ATMOS‘s first four tracks form an all killer, no filler suite of stylish dance music. Like the album’s teasers promised, it’s a whistlestop tour of genres SHINee have mastered. However, each song … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 