Awkward band name aside, I want so badly to love this debut song. I’ll always be down for an anthemic synth-rocker with three exclamation points in its title. Add a keytar to the mix, weave in an electric guitar solo or two, and I’m sold. K-pop has a vacancy for cheesy 80’s power pop-rock and … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. October 2023 Overall Thoughts Though it boasted a more exciting line-up of big-name comebacks, October felt … Continue reading
Two things immediately caught my attention about Heejin’s Algorithm. First, a pre-release article mentioned the song taking influence from such 80’s luminaries as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and (yes, my queen of all pop queens) Janet Jackson. Second, the track is co-written by Yi Saebom, who gave us this incredible 80’s pastiche in 2020. Most fans … Continue reading
The success of BTS’s Dynamite continues to cast a long shadow as more and more boy groups try their hand at upbeat “everyone get out of your seats and dance!” type of Disney musical songs. It’s hard to get these exactly right, striking the balance between enjoyable cheese and corporate schlock. Most of these recent … Continue reading
Ex-B.A.P member Moon Jongup debuted as a soloist in 2020 with the addictive Headache, but it’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard from him. The long wait pays off with the release of a new mini album heralded by title track X.O.X. We’ve heard iterations of this song before. Take one slinky bassline, … Continue reading
There’s a long history of K-pop groups debuting in Japan, but the opposite rarely happens. I expect this to change as a new generation of Japanese groups formed and managed by Korean companies make their mark on the industry. NiziU are a JYP act and have been doing quite well for themselves in Japan and … Continue reading
Seeing Taemin at this year’s KCON reconfirmed his utter dominance as a performer. I’ve been lucky enough to watch him with SHINee a couple of times, but few artists can command a stage so completely on their own. He deserves all the hype he gets. With that said, I feel his music is beginning to … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
Riize’s Get A Guitar has proven to be a huge sleeper hit for me, alongside their very solid pre-debut track Memories. This one-two punch shot anticipation sky high for their follow-up, so when I saw the silly punnery of “Talk Saxy” coupled with the tease of an irritating Jason Derulo style sax loop, I couldn’t … Continue reading
Early visual teasers of LE SSERAFIM’s special Overwatch 2 single Perfect Night had me excited. Their 80’s aesthetic seemed to portend a concept change — maybe a successor to fellow retro girl group tracks La Di Da or I Can’t Stop Me? I mean, isn’t it time the HYBE girls turned up the synths and … 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’m about to contradict myself… In … Continue reading
It feels like ages since we last heard from GHOST9. After a very promising 2020 debut, the group has swerved from sound to sound — some more successful than others. But after an appearance on this spring’s Peak Time, the guys are back with a new album. Title track Ruckus is yet another transformation for … Continue reading
Jessi can always be counted on for a fun, colorful rap track — no matter the agency she’s signed with. Gum is her first work since leaving P Nation and signing with Jay Park’s More Vision, but you’d never know it from listening to the track. Gum is everything you’d expect from Jessi: energetic, a … Continue reading
The idea of a K-pop debut gets more muddled by the year, with pre-releases and pre-debut tracks quite common these days. G.O.A.T doesn’t even bill itself as a proper music video, though it’s the first full taste of upcoming group ONE PACT. These guys have a lot of goodwill behind them, with every member participating … Continue reading
Proving they can (barely) walk and chew gum at the same time, Woollim Entertainment has released a special digital single from Kwon Eunbi during the lead-up to Golden Child’s latest comeback. Longtime fans of the agency will know how rare this double whammy is for the agency! Kwon Eunbi is enjoying renewed attention this year, … Continue reading
Two years ago, Victon’s Do Hanse released an underrated highlight with his brash Take Over. I’ve been patiently waiting for him to make a solo return, and was excited to see him paired up with swaggering soloist BIGONE on a rock track. Be careful what you wish for I guess, because Gummy Bear is more … Continue reading
About a month after pre-release BYOB (Bring Your Own Best Friend), Billlie are back with title track DANG! (Hocus Pocus). That’s a lot of parenthesis! This one-two shot further establishes them as a quirky group who exist just outside the mainstream. DANG! enlists songwriters Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell among its team of four, and … Continue reading
Seventeen have yet again broken pre-order records for their new album. It’s astonishing how much of a global juggernaut they’ve become, especially considering Pledis Entertainment’s dire straights when they first debuted. This success calls for a victory lap, and new single God Of Music (음악의 신) is happy to oblige. I love the ambition in … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 