Breakout rookies SF9 are wasting no time establishing themselves, releasing a new mini album just two months after the last one. Thus far, the group has adopted an aggressive hip-hop style with mixed results, but for Easy Love (쉽다) they’ve switched it up quite a bit. This is SF9 as melodic as we’ve ever heard … Continue reading
No, this is not a cover version of I.O.I’s hit from last year. It’s one of those happy surprises k-pop gives us every so often, arriving with absolutely no fanfare but captivating with its high energy and breakneck pace. 14U (pronounced “one for you”) is one of the largest groups k-pop has ever seen. I’m … Continue reading
Last month’s Love & Live promotions finally felt like a step toward proper debut for the girls of LOONA. It’s not that the sub-unit were incredibly original or commercially lucrative, but it was the first time I got a sense of the endgame this project is working towards. With Everyday I Love You, we’re back to hearing from … Continue reading
To put it bluntly, Berry Good’s new music video is berry bad. Sorry for the lame pun, but it almost seems as if the director went out of their way to create the cheapest, most visually unappealing video they could muster. Luckily, I write my reviews without focusing too much on a song’s accompanying visuals. And … Continue reading
Girl group Laboum have been on the cusp of breaking through for several years now. They have a strong discography under their belt, but every time they release a single it feels as if it’s missing that extra little oomph that might help them climb to their rightful position at the top of the charts. With … Continue reading
Until today, Minzy was the only member of now-disbanded group 2NE1 without a solo release to her name. But now she’s struck out on her own, signing with a new label and enjoying a different sort of fame through popular variety show Sister’s Slam Dunk. Fortunately, she hasn’t forgotten the sound that forged her career, … Continue reading
Girl group Wa$$up are an excellent example of novelty-dependent hype failing to pay off in the long run. Rising to fame as a “twerking” group, the girls debuted in late 2013 amidst a swarm of controversy. Now three and a half years later, the controversy has died down and Wa$$up exist in uncertain territory without an identifiable brand … Continue reading
We’re officially in spring overload. And with that, I have to apologize for my continued lack of enthusiasm over many of the “springlike” songs released lately. More than almost any other country, Korea is obsessed with supplying an unending series of inoffensive seasonal tracks so light and unassuming that they just kind of fizzle into … Continue reading
It’s been awhile since listeners have heard the softer side of Zico’s solo music. As the leader of rambunctious boy group Block B, his sound is most closely tied with his playful, charismatic image. But of all his solo work, my favorite track is probably the soft, melodic I Am You, You Are Me from … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. It’s been weeks since I’ve written one of these buried treasure … Continue reading
Even with all its quirks and innovations, I consider myself to have a very solid understanding of the k-pop landscape. NCT’s ever-evolving configuration? Easy. LOONA’s year-long debut process? Not a problem. But the whole BOYS24 project is still a bit of a head-scratcher. This is despite watching (and enjoying) the entire competition series that launched … Continue reading
It’s been nearly four years since Teen Top has worked with producer Brave Brothers on a title track, even though he was largely responsible for building their trademark sound. But 2017 seems like the perfect time for a reunion. The group has lost a member in rapper L.Joe, and last year’s tepid Warning Sign was … Continue reading
Though I try to remain relatively objective when writing about music on this site, if I were to pick one specific sub-genre of k-pop as my least favorite, it would be the mid-tempo, acoustic coffeehouse sound that seems so pervasive this time of year in Korea. The fact that the solo career of Apink‘s Eunji … Continue reading
After the surprise resurgence of popularity for 2014’s ubiquitous Up & Down, EXID’s music began to feel shoehorned into a certain style. You certainly can’t blame them. Fame is not an easy target in k-pop, and once you’ve scored a hit, it’s smart to follow up with the formula that proved successful. That strategy worked … Continue reading
While 2016 gave us many notable debuts from big companies, 2017’s current crop of rookies seem to be coming from smaller agencies. In some ways, this makes their music harder to critique. Without big budgets and promotion behind them, it can be difficult to compete at even the most basic level. Still, a group like MVP … Continue reading
Only two weeks in and SM Entertainment‘s “season two” of Station has given us its first non-traditional release. As a kick-off to what promises to be a performance-focused project highlighting some of the agency’s strongest dancers, the hypnotic Dream In A Dream (몽중몽) is almost entirely instrumental. The song acts as a launching pad for … Continue reading
Though I have my qualms about digital singles replacing album releases, the biggest upside of a monthly title track schedule is that it allows an artist’s material to change along with the time of the year. Now that winter’s over, I expect that DAY6’s singles will begin to take on a sunnier pop style. They’ve already … Continue reading
After re-branding from their previous sound as pop group Minx, the girls of Dreamcatcher reemerged with the ballsy dance/rock hybrid of Chase Me. Looking back on my thoughts about that track in January, I probably wasn’t generous enough with my score. Though it left a defining mark back then, the song has only grown more impressive … Continue reading
Rookie boy group IMFACT have teased a monthly release schedule for 2017, but the month of March was conspicuously skipped. I have to assume this was due to preparation for new single Tension Up (텐션업), which seems to boast a bigger budget and scope than either January or February‘s tracks. For the first time since last … Continue reading
So far in 2017, SM Entertainment has released ten title tracks. About a third of those have belonged to Girls’ Generation leader Taeyeon. The agency has worked hard to foster her solo career, and her sales numbers certainly back that up. But unlike other listeners, I wasn’t 100% sold on this idea until February’s My Voice album release. … Continue reading
