As part of my “A Career in Song Ratings” feature, I’ve been looking at trendlines for idol releases. When it comes to song quality, most groups start strong and taper off as they go on. This makes sense, as those early years are vital for gaining a foothold in the industry. In this way, CRAVITY … Continue reading
1. All The Possibilities // 2. You, You // 3. Why You So Bad? // 4. Get It Now // 5. Fire Escape // 6. Back To Strangers ALL THE POSSIBILITIES All The Possibilities was revealed a month earlier than the rest of the album at TWS’s most recent fancon, leading many fans (myself included) … Continue reading
Rookie group KEYVITUP is now on their third music video from their debut EP. I haven’t been a fan of much from them yet, and calling a track “legendary” is only setting listeners up for disappointment. The word legendary is thrown around too cavalierly in my opinion and certainly doesn’t apply to this song. Rather … Continue reading
While I’ve found 82MAJOR’s output to be a mixed bag so far, I’m always interested to hear what they come up with. Of all the younger boy groups pursuing hip-hop as their guiding force, these guys seem to have the most fun with it. Recently, their music has taken a more EDM shift but new … Continue reading
The phrase “crying on the dancefloor” connotes a certain type of dance record — propulsive and sleek but driven by a sentimental (often melancholic) melody. It’s a contrast many of us love and even though the title of Lee Chaeyeon’s new single promises the exact opposite, its melding of emotion with club aesthetics is very … Continue reading
Fresh off the massive success of last year’s Blue Valentine, NMIXX are gearing up for its follow-up album. That album is set to release next month, but they’ve started its campaign early with Crescendo. JYP groups have been absolutely prolific at the moment, with multiple acts from the agency promoting at the same time. I … Continue reading
It didn’t take long for QWER to go from little-known girl band to chart mainstays. 2024’s T.B.H shot them to instant stardom and they’ve been successful ever since. Bands have enjoyed a resurgence overall in K-pop, but I love when QWER function less as a band than a poppy idol group who just happen to … Continue reading
Since leaving RIIZE, Seunghan has re-debuted as the XngHan&Xoul project, releasing the upbeat Waste No Time last summer. That song showed a ton of potential but didn’t quite fulfill on its ambitions. Now, with new mini album Glow, he takes a deeper dive into club music and the sound feels more assured and exciting. House … Continue reading
It’s nice to fall in love with a group’s music right off the bat, but I also love when an act wins me over bit by bit until I become a huge fan. Such is the case with NEXZ, whose Beat-Boxer impressed last year but just kept growing more and more addictive as the months … Continue reading
Given K-pop’s less-than-stellar track record over the past few months, I’ve been putting all my eggs in a basket called TWS. That’s way too much pressure to put on one release, but the group has earned the anticipation. Since their debut in 2024, their run has been absolutely impeccable, maintaining a bright, melodic color while … 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. This will be a weird “buried … Continue reading
All of a sudden, it feels like a certain type of EDM has taken over K-pop — or at the very least taken over HYBE Corporation. This isn’t an unwelcome development in my eyes (anything to kick up the industry’s tempo a bit!), but we haven’t yet arrived at the anthemic, melodic, euphoric early-2010s EDM … Continue reading
Since their debut, VVS have yet to score a song rating above the sixes on this blog, which puts them in rarified air. To make matters worse, I constantly get them confused with VVUP, who have fared a little better ratings-wise. In general, any act that puts dollar signs in their song titles is unlikely … Continue reading
SNSD’s Hyoyeon continues her run as a DJ/solo artist with new single MOVEURBODY. This song has been available for about a month now, but a music video premiered today so I thought I’d give it a little write-up. After all, HYO has been responsible for some bangers in the past. Throughout her solo career, HYO … Continue reading
The Bias List is currently churning out new “A Career in Song Ratings” posts, where I rank established artists’ singles runs against each other. When I eventually get to B1A4, they’ll be one of the few groups I split into two entities. For me, there’s such a difference between the five-member version of B1A4 and … Continue reading
Over five years since STAYC’s debut, High Up Entertainment has debuted a new girl group. UNCHILD have one of those K-pop names that sounds ridiculous at first but will likely become common parlance as the group establishes themselves. However, it’s not a name built to last. Can you imagine a bunch of forty or fifty … Continue reading
Close Your Eyes had a banner 2025, though I didn’t connect with their most recent album as strongly as their first two. This is despite their movement into a more dance-oriented style, which would usually appeal to me. I guess I prefer when a group takes time to establish a signature sound before experimenting with … Continue reading
Super Junior’s Donghae has released his first full album today, preceded by the lukewarm Good Day (which I thought sounded like a commercial jingle). However, the album’s highlight medley sounded more promising and the clip of title track HAErise (í•´ 떴네) definitely caught my ears for its dancefloor-ready sound. When the unit Super Junior-D&E first … Continue reading
Late last year, Boys Planet spin-off group EVNNE became permanent, though this came at the expense of two members. Now a five-piece, they’ve reoriented their sound to fit the trends of the day. If new single Backtalk (뱉어) is any indication, their A&R team has noted the success of Cortis’s rage hip-hop and decided to … Continue reading
NCT Wish debuted just over two years ago but have already beaten many of their 2023-24 peers to the punch when it comes to releasing a full album. SM Entertainment is usually pretty generous with their full albums, and I wonder if that’s because the agency’s genesis came at a time when full albums were … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 