Though VIVIZ’s music has never been able to reach the heights of their work with GFriend, my favorite single and album were released during the summer. The trio’s sweet vocal tones fit the season well. Another team who match summer perfectly is the dynamic duo of producers Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell. They’ve given us … Continue reading
With some exceptions, SM Entertainment has become known for keeping its roster of artists around for the long haul. Super Junior are currently their second-longest running group and celebrate their twentieth (!) anniversary today with a new album. SM’s anniversary projects tend to be great (SNSD’s Forever 1, SHINee’s The Story Of Light series, SuJu’s … Continue reading
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been asked at least a dozen times whether I’m going to review the songs from the popular Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters. The answer is still “no,” though with this post I guess it’s kind of a semi-“yes.” I want to apologize to anyone who received an increasingly dismissive … Continue reading
When deciding which song off ILLIT’s newest album to feature as a “buried treasure,” I waffled between Oops and Jellyous. I’m glad I chose the former because now I get to write about the newly-promoted Jellyous as well. This is also another chance to wax poetic about how much Do The Dance has grown on … Continue reading
Thus far, BTOB members have experimented here and there with their solo work but never strayed too far from the balladry that’s made them so popular. On past efforts, Lee Changsub has embraced nostalgia, offering his takes on older genres and even newer iterations of older genres. New single Vroom Vroom (부릉부릉) is not a … Continue reading
To be honest, the title “Charizzma” sends a shiver down my spine. Naming your song “Charisma” would be cheesy enough since this is a quality you should be showing rather than telling, but adding the “Z’s” (a la the cringey slang “rizz”) practically makes the song collapse in on itself before even starting. HITGS already … Continue reading
Xdinary Heroes fans are regularly fed by the band, who must be one of the most prolific acts working at the moment. It feels like new music is always just around the corner, whether that’s in the form of fully-promoted comebacks or drips and drabs of digital singles. New single FiRE (My Sweet Misery) falls … Continue reading
Doh Kyung Soo has one of the richest tones in K-pop, but as with so many great voices his solo music has usually steered toward ballads and coffeehouse-ready midtempos. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the style doesn’t exactly inspire excitement. Teasers of his first full album seemed to promise a more diverse set of … Continue reading
Jeon Somi has returned with what will likely be her only new music this year. Talk about a discography doled out in crumbs! Despite debuting as a soloist all the way back in 2019, she’s never been given more than one single or mini album per year, making it even more important that each and … 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
Prior to their comeback at the end of the month, One Pact released an EP of solo songs from each of the members. I won’t be writing about most of them since I don’t have much to say, but Jong Woo’s solo Passout instantly caught my ear and now it has a special video to … Continue reading
To round out my mid-year countdowns, I’ve got a spotlight on some of my favorite songs from music markets that aren’t Korea or Japan. To simplify things, I just call this category “pop.” It’s been a very strong year for pop music so far, though you might not know it if you’re only looking at … 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. H1-KEY remain one of K-pop’s most … Continue reading
In the space of two weeks, I’ve gone from not knowing who or what 1VERSE was to being just about ready to sign up as captain of their fan club. You can thank their YouTube channel for that. This is the first act from new agency Singing Beetle, brainchild of former SM Entertainment A&R Michelle … Continue reading
It’s a bit bleak over here, ladies and gentlemen. Over the years there have been many times where I’ve been more enamored with the quality of J-pop’s output than K-pop, but 2025 is not one of those years. In fact, there are fewer highlights than I can ever remember at this time of the year … 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. It’s been awhile since I’ve featured … Continue reading
I’m not going to review this song because I don’t want to be unnecessarily mean, but listening to rookie group BLINGONE’s re-creation of KARA’s immortal Mister makes for a fascinating case study and comparison between K-pop generations. It answers the question nobody had but everybody wants to know: What if a classic second-gen song had … Continue reading
Similar to last year, 2025 so far has been a singles game rather than a series of excellent albums. I have even fewer on my list than I did this time last year, and only one of them is a full album — though that classification is getting murkier as time goes on. There are … Continue reading
With ALLDAY PROJECT’s breakout success, co-ed K-pop groups may be having a moment. What better time for KARD to reheat the nachos they created and show the industry how it’s done? However, it’s been a very long time since those nachos felt fresh, as the group has moved from their refreshing tropical sound to a … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 