H//PE Princess took the unusual approach of releasing their title track weeks before the mini album dropped. Stolen was a repetitive but weirdly enjoyable take on retro hip-hop, but follow-up One Day reveals a new side to the group. For an act billed as a ‘hip-hop girl group,’ they’ve got some solid vocalists on their … Continue reading
Taeyang’s new album is a mixed bag of styles, with few of them fully-realized in the way his best work has been. The strongest material hearkens back to eras past while infusing its sound with more modern touches. Such is the case with Would You, which feels like a long lost 2000s Taeyang track while … Continue reading
There are some groups in K-pop that I want to love even as their music keeps me at an arm’s length. Such is the case with XLOV, who have a wonderful concept and compelling imagery. However, most of their songs just haven’t matched that potential so far. Because of this, I’m happy to see them … Continue reading
IDID made a quick comeback after their September debut, but left fans waiting after that. Six months later, they’re finally back with new single Fly!, melding their old-school hip-hop sound with upbeat melodies. This fits squarely within a realm of current new-gen boy group sounds where acts flip the aggressive, hard-edged hip-hop of the fourth … Continue reading
The members of KARD have been consistently releasing solo work over the past few years, and now it’s J.seph’s turn to show what he can do. As one of two male members in the group, it feels like he was often in the shadow of BM, whose charisma has a much louder approach. This makes … Continue reading
Whenever I write about a Boyfriend song, I find myself begging readers to go back and check out their discography. To my mind, they have one of the most underrated catalogs in all of K-pop — especially if you enjoy the work of producers Sweetune. Unfortunately, their last six years have been a series of … Continue reading
Amidst the back-and-forth between ZEROBASEONE and AND2BLE, it can be easy to forget that there’s a new reigning champ in Boys Planet world. ALPHA DRIVE ONE made their debut earlier this year with a non-starter of a dance/hip-hop track, though as predicted the album sold well over a million copies. Another album is scheduled for … Continue reading
To my memory, we’ve never seen a popular K-pop group split in half and re-debut as two separate groups within a week’s time. Such is the case for the newly-reconfigured ZEROBASEONE and AND2BLE, which takes four former members and adds another. Head-to-head comparisons between the two groups will be inevitable and I wouldn’t be surprised … Continue reading
Today may be a barren day for new K-pop releases, but IVE have slid into the empty slate with a music video for new Japanese single Lucid Dream. Their Japanese work has been a mixed bag so far and overall feels pretty inessential. This track does nothing to buck that trend. For Lucid Dream, the … 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. The other day, I had a … Continue reading
It’s been interesting to watch LE SSERAFIM’s trajectory shift over the years. They debuted with a sleek, stylish sound and a tight team of collaborators led by the once-great production duo Score and Megatone. But as time has gone on, the group’s music leaned further toward novelty, seemingly designed for memes and short-form content. This … Continue reading
Oh My Girl’s voice is severely missed in the modern K-pop landscape. And to be clear, I’m talking about pre-2020 Oh My Girl, back when the group sang gorgeous melodies over ornate, fantastical instrumentals. That’s a strain of girl group music we just don’t hear anymore and as far as I’m concerned it’s a vital … Continue reading
Monsta X’s Shownu and Hyungwon debuted as a duo in the summer of 2023. I saw them perform that year at KCON, yet for the life of me I can’t remember the song. That tends to happen with these slinky, bass-driven tracks that K-pop churns out on the regular. There are simply too many of … Continue reading
K-pop summer songs come in all shapes and sizes, from bouyant blasts of pinwheeling energy to drowsy grooves perfect for lounging around in the sun. Unsurprisingly, Bibi has chosen the latter for her new single Bumpa. She doesn’t really have a toe in the idol world anyway, pursuing a quirkier singer-songwriter route instead. To me, … Continue reading
Astro may not release music as a group anymore, but its members still make solo comebacks from time to time. Last summer, Yoon Sanha dropped a solid album that drew upon funk and hip-hop. That approach continues with new single IDK Me. Sanha’s one of those “all rounder” idols. I can’t think of one thing … Continue reading
TWS’s No Tragedy album has replicated the exact promotional strategy as last year’s Try With Us mini, leading with a more bombastic pop track and following up with a mellower highlight. I already wrote about All The Possibilities back in April and you can find that text below. But now that the track has officially … Continue reading
Since their debut, xikers have shared producers with agency seniors ATEEZ, making it difficult to truly climb out of their lengthy shadow. Oftentimes, they feel like a junior ATEEZ to me, but their team rarely gives them music as undeniable as ATEEZ’s best hits. Perhaps its not surprising that their biggest musical triumphs have stepped … Continue reading
As the first act to spawn from MNET’s new era of survival series, I.O.I made their debut the same year The Bias List was founded. For as much discourse as they drove, the group really didn’t last for long. Back then, this whole process was new — including contract negotiations. I.O.I released music for just … Continue reading
Riding off the success of LNGSHOT’s debut, agency founder Jay Park is injecting even more credibility to the group by collaborating with them on an album release. I wasn’t too impressed with last week’s teaser 4SHO 4SHO, but understood the point of that exercise. LNGSHOT are building a fanbase at the fringes of mainstream K-pop, … Continue reading
NCT’s Taeyong jumped right from military enlistment to the studio, or at least that’s how it feels based on the quick release of his new album today. Maybe he’d already been working on the project pre-enlistment. He’s already teased us with pre-releases Rock Solid and Storm, each showing different facets to his sound. Now, it’s … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 