Pentagon may be an unknown group to some, but its leader Hui has co-composed two of k-pop’s most ubiquitous tracks this year. Working with production team Flow Blow, he’s created both Produce 101‘s tropical-inspired Never and Wanna One’s immense Energetic. It’s still early in the game, but with his talents on board, Pentagon have the potential … Continue reading
DAY6’s monthly Every DAY6 project kicked off with a bang during 2017’s first few months, but like every promotional plan this ambitious and long-lasting, the impact of their releases has started to lull as the year has gone on. It’s not that the past few months’ songs have been of poor quality, but they definitely … Continue reading
Ever since their return in late 2015, B.A.P have blitzed Korea with a string of diverse genre comebacks, all in a bid to regain the hype that powered their first year after debut. This steady stream of releases has been something of a mixed bag, but you have to give it to the guys for … Continue reading
With the exception of last year’s Lotto, EXO‘s repackaged title tracks have always been stronger than the release that preceded them. This trend continues with Power, even if the song is ultimately too tame to rank among their absolute best material. Most fans will likely be discussing this comeback’s hyper-colorful, self-referential music video more than … Continue reading
You’ve got to root for a group like BLACK6IX. Judging from their cheap music video (seriously, the fact that they couldn’t even manage the interlacing and frame-rate correctly is embarrassing), the guys are working on a shoestring budget. They’ve barely been given the opportunity to promote, but their debut single showed promise. And against all … Continue reading
The last time Lee Gikwang promoted as a soloist was before Beast or Highlight were even a thing. He made his debut as AJ (short for the ultra-lame “Ace Junior”) six months before Beast released their first single. Back then he was singing about his “dancing shoes,” and the vocoder-heavy track hasn’t exactly aged well. … Continue reading
Though he’s released a handful of solo material, Babylon’s most memorable role so far has been as the hook-man on Zico’s infectious party track Boys & Girls. New single LALALA echoes that song’s atmosphere, but proves that Babylon is more than capable of fronting a track of his own. It’s gotten to the point in k-pop … Continue reading
If there was one contestant I wished would have made it into Produce 101’s boy group Wanna One, it’s twelfth-place finisher Jeong Sewoon. Not only was he a personal favorite, but I felt that he had a lot to gain from being in a group. For as much potential as he displayed throughout the series, … Continue reading
Good Day’s Rolly is what happens when you take the worst song from your album and make it the title track. The girls are new to the k-pop landscape, but have received a boost right off the bat by featuring Wanna One‘s Bae Jinyoung in their music video (he hails from the same agency). And … Continue reading
Late last year, Henry publicly expressed frustration with his label, SM Entertainment, for the lack of opportunities they were providing for the release of new music. Ever since, he’s enjoyed something of a renaissance, appearing on an ever-growing list of variety shows and releasing a string of successful digital singles. Score one for the artists, … Continue reading
Some may argue to the contrary, but for my money HyunA hasn’t given us a truly great solo single since 2014’s Red. Instead, she’s been caught in an unending loop of releasing essentially the same song year after year. For this reason, Babe‘s shift in sound is worth celebrating alone. HyunA cemented her solo super-stardom … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Pristin’s debut album didn’t really do much for me, but … Continue reading
VIXX sub-unit LR debuted two years ago with the melancholic Beautiful Liar, which suited Leo and Ravi well even if it wasn’t exactly the late-summer anthem many of us may have been craving. VIXX’s music is occasionally criticized for taking itself too seriously, opting for dark, theatrical concepts rather than a more accessible sound. And … Continue reading
The debut of Woollim’s new boy group has been rumored for well over a year, increasing expectations for what Golden Child may sound like. And from a personal perspective, the guys are the successors to my ultimate bias, Infinite. This runs the risk of inviting a host of unwarranted comparisons, but DamDaDi (담다디) sounds nothing … Continue reading
Before I go on to ravage parts of Papillon, let me introduce this review by stating that Jackson is one of my very favorite k-pop personalities. Though I’ve been a listener of k-pop for a long time, I never really got into the variety show side of things until mid-2014. It was then that the … Continue reading
Beyond the steady stream of debut groups from known agencies, there exists a whole other shadow world of k-pop rookies who spring from agencies too small to offer much promotion. These groups are often saddled with a minuscule production budget and a debut track by unknown composers. Their chances at long-term success are very minimal, … Continue reading
Pristin’s debut track Wee Woo seemed to grow on many listeners, but my experience was a bit different. The song remains dangerously catchy, but its more grating elements haven’t aged well. In some ways, I’m actually surprised that the group’s music is performing as strongly as it is. The cutesy, childish influences that permeate their … Continue reading
Since their debut last November, I’ve struggled to really connect with Victon’s sound. Debut track I’m Fine was fun but lightweight, and the jerky production of follow-up Eyez Eyez just didn’t captivate. Interestingly, their strongest moment thus far has been the streamlined dance pop of What Time Is It Now, which was only promoted as an … Continue reading
Despite a rocky start, girl group Momoland knocked it out of the park with last spring’s surprisingly anthemic Wonderful Love. That song’s EDM remix even became a brief meme thanks to member Jooe’s over-excited performance during the dance breakdown. You’d think the group’s agency would be eager to quickly capitalize on that notoriety with a … Continue reading
DIA have fallen into a classic rookie group trap, releasing comeback tracks of so many different genres and concepts that it often feels like the girls are trying on a series of outfits rather than finding one style that actually fits. It doesn’t help that the group has also been in constant flux, gaining and … Continue reading
