I haven’t written a review for a Jeung Eunji song in six years, which is kind of crazy when you think about all that’s happened since then. She hasn’t released much music in the 2020s, but the summer theme of her new mini album caught my eye. I’m hanging on to the last remnants of … Continue reading
Every so often, SM Entertainment releases “track” videos for songs that aren’t the main focus of a promotional campaign but serve to build hype. Often, these videos spotlight only a portion of a song, but sometimes they encompass the entire thing. NCT 127 are gearing up for their tenth anniversary comeback. They’re down to five … Continue reading
When last we heard from WayV, they marked the winter season with a 90s hip-hop track. Hip-hop has become a bigger part of their ouevre in general, taking a more streamlined approach than the hulking vocal drama and theatrical arrangements of years past. New single Vision Wings (鸢) continues this overall trend but adds traditional … Continue reading
KiiiKiii blew up big time this January with their hit 404 (New Era), quickly establishing their place at the forefront of this generation’s girl groups. They’ve also become one of the architypes of K-pop’s current dance trend, blending hyperpop with early-2010s EDM. Personally, the first word that comes to mind when I think of them … Continue reading
HYBE is preparing to dominate the conversation once more with the upcoming debut of TUIDE, the first group under their newly established ABD label meant to cater exclusively to girl groups. The optimist in me continues to hope that a new group means a new sound and concept, but judging by pre-release track GRLS the … Continue reading
Just like NewJeans’ soft, lightly experimental sound went on to influence years of girl group releases in their wake, I fear we’re about to see the same with Cortis’s success. Hopefully, this will be more REDRED than Acai, but either way I’m worried this means even less melody/theatricality/singing and shorter songs for K-pop in the … Continue reading
ARTMS pre-released their track Born Stunner a couple weeks ago and it would be an understatement to say I disliked that song. Every once and awhile, some poor release bears not only the brunt of its own shortcomings but the brunt of being the latest in a long line of similar songs with similar shortcomings. … Continue reading
Stray Kids announced their latest mini album well in advance, first teasing it with the release of its opening track Run It back in June. That song offered an interesting branch away from the core Stray Kids sound, attempting a more World Cup, anthemic energy. I thought this might mean they would take a big … 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. After my first listen to Palm … Continue reading
WHIB are back with their second mini album of the year and their concept couldn’t be more different than January’s Rock The Nation. Such is the case with idol groups trying desperately to break out: throw anything you can at the wall and hope to god that something sticks. This tends to be a risky … Continue reading
Starship Entertainment’s new boy group AEN debuts as a hybrid K-pop/J-pop group, releasing versions of each song on their album in both languages. As someone who prefers having a “definitive version” of a song, I’m not usually a fan of tracks recorded in multiple languages, but I understand the commercial strategy behind it. At any … Continue reading
NOWZ’s struggle has not been one of quality but one of momentum. They were on a nice roll last summer with a few solid back-to-back singles, but Cube Entertainment seems to have a problem scheduling comebacks because it’s been almost nine months since we’ve heard from them and all the agency has to show for … Continue reading
Back when aespa released their latest album, I almost wrote a “buried treasure” post for Switchblade. It’s my favorite track on Lemonade and the rare case of a talk-heavy dance song delivering on its promise. aespa must have known they had a hit on their hands because they’ve taken the rare step of releasing a … Continue reading
Dayoung has carved out a nice little career as a soloist, which is probably for the best since it doesn’t seem like Starship Entertainment will ever promote a WJSN comeback again. Her material has pulled strongly from 2000s R&B, making her team-up with Jay Park feel like a natural pairing. The two join forces on … Continue reading
When last we heard from Kiss Of Life back in April, they were mining a Y2K sound the way so many of their peers have done over the past few years. Y2K has been one of their musical inspirations since debut, but they’ve found most success with sultrier summer fare like 2024’s Sticky. New single … Continue reading
When the tracklist for Picheolin’s “debut” album was released, I was excited to see the name “Hitchhiker” on the credits for its title track. The visionary producer doesn’t seem to work on much material these days and his out-of-the-box thinking is always appreciated. However, with each pre-release track released under this alter-ego schtick, it became … Continue reading
Once a K-pop group reaches a certain stature, comebacks feel like big events because they just don’t happen frequently anymore. The last time Red Velvet released new music as a full group was all the way back in 2024 with their very good Cosmic. This time, they’re back with a bossa nova sound and summer … Continue reading
This year, I’ve been pining for a musical highlight that captures the summer energy while also being… you know… a good song. Those have been very hard to come by the past few weeks, but there are a few active groups who have a track record of releasing nothing but bangers. And, dangling off in … Continue reading
There’s something to be said about promoting your entire album with music videos, but there’s also a reason why some songs are meant to be b-sides and some are chosen as singles. In BABYMONSTER’s case, it’s a matter of personal taste. I didn’t care for title track CHOOM at all, but the summery sounds of … Continue reading
EMOTI:M are a new boy group from DNA Entertainment, the agency that used to manage the prolific (yet eternally nugu) GreatGuys. While it’s too early to tell if EMOTI:M will release as much material as their predecessors, they’ve certainly got the “nugu” part mastered with debut single Spark. I’m always happy to see boy groups … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 