WOODZ surprise-released an aggressive rock stomper back in July — shortly after returning from his military enlistment. He’s clearly ready to strike while the iron of his career is hot, and I love that approach. Today, he’s returned with a more fully fleshed out visual and a song whose emotive sound is likely to appeal … Continue reading
After a few underwhelming months, it seems as if K-pop’s comeback floodgates will burst open in October. Before that, we’re treated to a few pre-releases from artists slated to return next month. SM Entertainment’s Hearts2Hearts don’t yet have a mini or full album to their name and have presented conflicting sounds so far. The Chase … Continue reading
In 2020, AAA’s SKY-HI formed his company BMSG and since then he’s debuted a constant surge of new acts. The vast majority of this music has not been for me, as it often favors the type of clanging, shout-heavy hip-hop that I dislike in K-pop as well. Still, I appreciate his ambition and most of … Continue reading
Boy group TIOT have waffled between the wonderful and the frustrating, finding most success on this blog when they let their vocals do the talking on softly anthemic pop-rock. New single My Pride lacks the obnoxious production of their most polarizing work but struggles to find a compelling replacement. My Pride feels like a late-album … Continue reading
Last year, Kingdom added a “The,” capitalized their “D” and released one mini album before taking a lengthy hiatus. It all seems like much ado about nothing, and the title of special single Last Flower (화월가) makes me a bit concerned for their future. Still, it’s nice to see them revert back to the historical … Continue reading
GENBLUE blur the lines between K-pop and C-pop, composed of both Korean and Taiwanese members and promoting music in both languages. So far, their Chinese singles outweigh their Korean work, but they seem to be making a renewed push into the market with new track Badass. This title already gives me pause, as I often … Continue reading
Since their debut, rookies HITGS have released some truly diabolical material — songs I’ve disliked but have gone on to begrudgingly sing along with because they’re so stupidly catchy. This doesn’t make the music good, but it leaves an impression. New single A-Ha! dispenses with many of the gimmicks of the group’s past to embrace … Continue reading
In a K-pop climate where everyone seems to be harnessing rock touchstones, EXO’s Suho has thrived on the genre for years. It’s been a sweet spot for his solo music and new title track Who Are You continues to paint him in this light. It’s a sprawling mid-tempo seemingly designed for road trip sing-alongs. This … Continue reading
Earlier this month, JYP Entertainment rookies KickFlip pre-released the anthemic pop/rock track Band-Aid, showcasing a sonic upgrade that fits them so well. That soundscape continues with new title track My First Love Song (처음 불러보는 노래), which underpins its rock energy with a consistently bounding beat. There’s a brightness to this song that helps it … Continue reading
TWS have been teasing their October comeback for some time now and today we finally have our first taste of their upcoming mini album. As any regular reader of the blog already knows, I’ve become a mega fan of their music over the past two years and love the way they’ve been able to establish … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … 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
Big Hit is going to make me write about every one of these damn CORTIS songs, aren’t they? The group’s debut rollout has now hit its fourth music video, leaving only one album track to go. That’s a lot of promotion, but I’m curious if it’s actually bearing fruit. Their music hasn’t worked for me … Continue reading
The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But just like most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights! February 2022 … Continue reading
PREVIOUS RECAPS: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven // Episode Eight // Episode Nine // Episode Ten // Episode Eleven Are you guys still with me? Even as these recaps become mostly copy-and-paste from wikipedia? I always commit to seeing things … Continue reading
When Taemin released his single Veil last week, I was surprised it wasn’t paired with a music or performance video. After all, he’s one of K-pop’s premiere visual artists, with choreography and sheer star presence often elevating the songs themselves. It turns out we just needed to wait a few days before that video materialized. … Continue reading
Japanese girl group XG are gearing up for their first full-length album next January, and given J-pop’s extended promotional period its main single has dropped a few months early. Thus far, XG’s output can usually be slotted into three distinct categories: hip-hop, dance and r&b. GALA finds a way to combine these genres into something … Continue reading
Treasure’s latest mini album is one of those projects where every song is solid but none stand out as classics. There are worse things to release, and consistency is always an asset even if the music tops out at a “B” or “B+”. Multiple songs could have acted as the album’s title track, and Treasure … Continue reading
Subsidiaries are something we think of with corporations like HYBE and YG, but JYP Entertainment has slowly been branching out in this way as well. Boy group ALL(H)OURS are technically under their extended roster and soon there will also be girl group DDDD 25, formed through the series The Entertainer. Before that, the group’s Youngbin … Continue reading
Primrose released a joy bomb of a pop song with the buoyant Cinema early this summer. That track had surprising staying power for me, powered by a splashy chorus and unabashedly upbeat energy. I’d have loved to see the girls continue down this musical lane, but instead they’ve returned with the more subdued Love Your … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 