Earlier in the year, fueled by my frustration over Golden Child’s long hiatus, I compiled a list of post-2016 debuts who had been out of the spotlight for the longest time. Poor Victon landed at number four. Nostalgic Night (그리운 밤) acts as their first title track in over seventeen months – a lifetime in … Continue reading
Longtime readers will not be surprised to hear that I’ve had trouble getting into GOT7’s music these past few years. Ever since they started writing more of their own material, their sound changed in a way that just wasn’t for me. However, their May mini album offered hope. I wasn’t overly enamored by the title … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lucky (from Growl – 2013) When it comes down to it with a pop song, I look for good energy and a good melody above all else. Lucky is not one of EXO’s boundary-pushing tracks. In fact, it’s one of their most … Continue reading
Though I’ve already written about (and ranked) the Queendom finale songs, (G)I-DLE have made the smart move to pair their track Lion with an official music video. I think they deserve a full review for their efforts, right? While the song does nothing to dispel the accusations of cultural appropriation that swirl around the group … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lovin’ You Mo’ (from Countdown – 2018) After a bevy of high-octane electronic dance tracks, EXO’s Countdown dials things back a bit for the groovy, skittering Lovin’ You Mo’. The song opens in understated fashion, reliant on its sneaky bassline to build … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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 always expect Taeyeon albums to be 100% ballads, and I’m … Continue reading
Second chances are rare in K-pop, but for four of Pristin’s ex-members (Eunwoo, Minkyeung, Gyeongwan and Yaebin), a new opportunity has emerged in the form of girl group HINAPIA. However, this debut comes from a much smaller entertainment company, lacking the industry clout (and budget) of Pledis Entertainment. Nevertheless, Drip arrives with its fair share … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Love, Love, Love (from Overdose – 2014) Writers more clever than I have described Love, Love, Love’s otherworldly beauty — its sharp melding of musical instruments and ideologies from around the world. But, as important as it is to acknowledge its ambition, … Continue reading
So much of K-pop is about style, but some groups put extra effort into establishing their aesthetics and lore. This approach paid off for girl group LOONA, and now their creative director Jaden Jeong has set his sights on OnlyOneOf. I can’t say the group’s music has done much for me so far, but the … 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 2019 Overall Thoughts Well, friends, we have finally climbed out of the murk! October was … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Love Me Right (from Love Me Right – 2015) Released at the height of EXO’s funk-pop era, Love Me Right is a dynamo of a comeback. Right from the start, the instrumental deposits us into the groove, like a warp portal to … Continue reading
Over the past few years, my connection to GFriend’s music has started to fracture. From 2015 to 2017, they released some of my absolute favorite K-pop songs in recent memory, culminating in the flawless trilogy of Rough, Navillera and Fingertip. Since then, the group has lost too much of the power from their “powerful innocence” … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lights Out (from Universe – 2017) Ending EXO’s 2017 winter album in theatrical fashion, Lights Out is as close to a torch song as the group has given us. Its impassioned melody rises and falls over a piano instrumental. Lights Out is … Continue reading
Like too many other groups this month, rookies We In The Zone are down a member for their first comeback. So, in a way Loveade represents a fresh start. The group received some fan love this May with their debut, but are definitely in need of a boost when it comes to attention from the … Continue reading
Last year, Yubin was at the forefront of K-pop’s city pop revival, releasing a pair of retro songs that found a small – but passionate – audience. Before the unveiling of new single Silent Movie (무성영화), she hinted that the song would take a more subdued approach. If you’re anything like me, “subdued” is not … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Let Out The Beast (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Let Out The Beast is the kind of track that screams “dance performance.” Built around a high-energy r&b beat with tense strings and insistent chirps of synth, Beast is as much a … Continue reading
Voting controversies or not, the Produce 101 juggernaut rolls on with the debut of yet another special rookie unit. BDC hail from Brand New Music, putting them in a bit of a predicament. The agency just debuted boy group AB6IX this year to great success. History dictates that it’ll be awhile before they’re ready to … Continue reading
More than any other year so far, 2019 has seen SM Entertainment’s NCT project expand its tentacles toward foreign markets. Chief among these initiatives is WayV, the Chinese branch of the NCT Universe. C-pop has its own musical preferences, but WayV’s discography has acted as a pretty seamless extension of SM’s Korean work. This proved … Continue reading
This May, A.C.E released one of 2019’s most thrilling title tracks: the rock-tinged, attitude-driven Under Cover. The guys seemed to have found their niche, taking the intensity of their debut-era material and fusing it to a complex, inventive instrumental. Their new release Savage (삐딱선) proves why I’m so adamant about idol groups finding the right … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lady Luck (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) Opening with distorted vocals that sound like the pop song version of blowing a raspberry, Lady Luck retains this unconventional bass even as additional elements are added to the instrumental. Its production … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 