Today marks the debut of a new group with a new acronym. So, of course I had to look up what “ADAP” stands for. I was hoping for something completely bonkers, but was instead met with the sweet and predictable “All Dreams Are Possible.” Sadly, all dreams are not possible in the cutthroat world of … Continue reading
After releasing one of the year’s most promising debuts, poor UNCHILD have been put through the ringer. Their first comeback TiNG TiNG was initially teased for early September, yet days before its release the project was indefinitely postponed. I’ve seen enough K-pop agencies and acts fold over the years to fear that we might never … Continue reading
1. We Up // 2. Call My Name // 3. Heavy HEAVY I’m not usually a fan of English lyrics in K-pop, but the right lyric, used sparingly, can be very effective. Heavy is probably the most direct manifestation of this single album’s healing concept and was completely misrepresented by the short clip we heard … Continue reading
When thinking about my “Career in Song Ratings” feature, BoA was the most intimidating artist to approach. She simply has a wealth of material stretching over twenty five years. Such a vast catalog guarantees a wide variety of quality and sounds, from ballads to thumping dance tracks. New Japanese single Hohaba (歩幅) fits within the … Continue reading
After their incredible mini album this spring, I’m a bit irked ZEROBASEONE haven’t made a group comeback since. However, the members have still been very active, with solo work from Sung Hanbin and Kim Jiwoong and the debut of hip-hop unit EMP, consisting of Seok Matthew and Park Gunwook. I didn’t write about their mixtape … Continue reading
Baby DONT Cry released a couple of solid singles early on in this year, but have been relatively silent throughout the summer and fall. Though they haven’t done much to craft a signature sound of their own, their music has been decent so far. Unfortunately, new single Replay hinges on too many of K-pop’s overused … Continue reading
There are vastly different expectations for promotion and release dates between Korea and Japan. While it’s expected that everything (song, mv, album) will drop at once for a Korean comeback, Japan tends to announce release dates very far in advance and dribble out pieces of the project over the space of weeks or even months. … Continue reading
1. We Up // 2. Call My Name // 3. Heavy WE UP Initially, I wasn’t too optimistic about the b-sides on TWS’s new single. For one, the highlight medley undersold the sound of the songs, choosing clips that weren’t all that representative. Then, the song descriptions themselves were a list of some of the … Continue reading
RESCENE have had one hell of a 2026. Their 2024 single Love Attack enjoyed an unexpected resurgence to the very top of the charts, which alone would have been a huge achievement. But even more impressively, this success doesn’t seem to be limited to one hit. The group’s entire discography has seen a similar resurgence, … Continue reading
Treasure haven’t released much new material this year, but 2026 marked a transition into a much tougher hip-hop sound. Despite June’s If I leaving me cold at first, the song eventually won me over with its off-kilter hooks. Judging from the previews of new single Shock, I was unsure if this track could do the … Continue reading
For the first time while listening to a xikers album highlight medley, I had the pleasant sensation of feeling like their agency chose the correct title track. For context, there’s usually at least one great track on every xikers album, yet it rarely gets chosen for promotion. DIENAMITE comes a little late in the season … Continue reading
TWS have spent the better part of the year touring and promoting in Japan, so although they’ve been consistently busy it feels like they’ve been away for longer than normal. But before we move into year-end comeback hiatuses, they’ve returned with a new single album and title track Call My Name (내 이름을 불러줘). This … 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’ll open this buried treasure post … Continue reading
Thus far on the blog, Japanese/global group cosmosy’s work has been relegated to J-pop round-up posts. They’ve promoted occasionally on Korean music shows, but I haven’t connected with any of their music. However, new Korean single Give Me Love offers a shift in sound toward the aggressive electro stomp that’s become one of the year’s … Continue reading
Following their February comeback, BLACKPINK’s members have been busy with solo work this year. Jisoo pre-released her track Click in early September and is back with new song Addicted today. Presumably, this is all leading to a more substantial project, though judging by the two songs we’ve heard so far it’s difficult to predict just … Continue reading
AM8IC made their debut about a year ago and haven’t returned since. This is long enough for me to completely forget what I found so promising about their pre-debut song (which is still pretty good, btw). It’s a tough world for nugu groups from small agencies, made even tougher if they’re rarely allowed to promote … Continue reading
The soft, easy-listening trend in K-pop isn’t unique to girl groups. Every once and awhile, a boy group also jumps onto the bandwagon, muting their sound palette for an atmospheric shuffle. Such is the case with N.TOP’s new single Silhouette (실루엣). This group debuted last year and has been semi active in both Korea and … Continue reading
Rookies Heart Of Woman are gearing up for their first comeback early next month, but have dropped a surprise pre-release today. Their first album was a stuffed project that spawned several promoted tracks, though it came across as quite scattershot sonically. I’d love to hear them develop a strong, signature sound going forward, but a … Continue reading
XLOV have built their name on a high-concept, visually striking rollout that has garnered a dedicated fanbase. And with their most recent album, that concept started to pair with music that felt more fleshed out and befitting of the group’s natural theatricality. New single Hush continues the forward electro motion but forgets that a great … Continue reading
Over the past few years, JUSTB have been playing around with hyperpop, reinventing themselves as an alternative to K-pop’s mainstream idol groups. Now, they’ve returned with a concept album of sorts, and that concept is K-pop itself. This reminds me of the early-2000s group that was actually called “K-pop” (not a great SEO choice!). For … Continue reading
