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
ONF MY IDENTITY: In-Depth Album Review – Collab
1. The Stranger // 2. Night Tale // 3. Nothing But A Stranger (On Team) // 4. Anti Hero (Off Team) // 5. Good Place // 6. Collab COLLAB If I were to pick any song on this new album that felt like filler, it would be Collab. It’s not slow enough to offer the … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: February 2025
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
ONF MY IDENTITY: In-Depth Album Review – Good Place
1. The Stranger // 2. Night Tale // 3. Nothing But A Stranger (On Team) // 4. Anti Hero (Off Team) // 5. Good Place // 6. Collab GOOD PLACE Even after seven years, my favorite ONF track is still 2018’s Complete. I just think their vocals work so well against a tropical house beat. … Continue reading
ONF MY IDENTITY: In-Depth Album Review – Anti Hero (Off Team)
1. The Stranger // 2. Night Tale // 3. Nothing But A Stranger (On Team) // 4. Anti Hero (Off Team) // 5. Good Place // 6. Collab ANTI HERO After a bit of a slow down, My Identity roars back to life with its second unit track. Anti Hero comes courtesy of ONF’s “Off … Continue reading
Song Review: Wooyoung (ATEEZ) – Sagittarius
In addition to frequent song covers, ATEEZ members have been stealthily delivering solo tracks through a series called “ATEEZ Present.” I haven’t written about these songs on the blog since I don’t always cover ballads, but Wooyoung’s new Sagittarius has a bit more bounce in its step as well as a glossy performance video. As … Continue reading
Song Review: Jennie (BLACKPINK) – ExtraL (ft. Doechii)
Earlier this week, BLACKPINK’s Jennie unveiled the star-studded track list for her upcoming solo album. We’ve already heard her collaboration with Dominic Fike, but she’s also set to partner with Doechii, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis and FKJ. It’s a diverse list of talents, for sure. Doechii’s name stands out in particular, as she’s … Continue reading
ONF MY IDENTITY: In-Depth Album Review – Nothing But A Stranger (On Team)
1. The Stranger // 2. Night Tale // 3. Nothing But A Stranger (On Team) // 4. Anti Hero (Off Team) // 5. Good Place // 6. Collab NOTHING BUT A STRANGER Most ONF albums feature at least one ballad/mid-tempo, and My Identity is no different. This time, it comes courtesy of the group’s “On … Continue reading
Song Review: LiSA – ReawakeR (ft. Felix of Stray Kids)
Collaborations between Japanese and Korean acts have become more common, and as a fan of both music markets it’s fun to see the artists interact. ReawakeR is a big one, bringing together anime theme queen LiSA and Stray Kids’ ultra-popular Felix on the new OST for season two of Solo Leveling. Though the song has been … Continue reading
ONF MY IDENTITY: In-Depth Album Review – Night Tale
1. The Stranger // 2. Night Tale // 3. Nothing But A Stranger (On Team) // 4. Anti Hero (Off Team) // 5. Good Place // 6. Collab NIGHT TALE It’s been awhile since I’ve written a track-by-track in-depth album review, but ONF are long overdue for one. The six tracks I’ll be covering in … Continue reading
Song Review: LUN8 – Butterfly
Fantagio’s LUN8 have pinballed from trend to trend, not yet landing on a sound that distinguishes them from K-pop’s always packed crowd of rookie acts. New single Butterfly (나비) shifts style yet again, though this time they’re attempting something a bit more ambitious and unique. This transformation comes alongside a shift in members. One has … Continue reading
Song Review: KickFlip – Knock Knock
After years of waiting for JYP Entertainment to debut their team from 2021’s LOUD survival series, KickFlip were one of my most anticipated new acts of 2025. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to connect with their music so far. I was hoping the songs would grow on me with time, but if anything the opposite … Continue reading
Song Review: Xodiac – Time 2 Shine
Boy group Xodiac have largely flown under the radar despite releasing a handful of solid tracks. Time 2 Shine gives them the (soft) rock makeover that’s proven very trendy in new-gen boy groups. It won’t win any awards for originality, but there’s always room on my playlist for more melodic material like this. Opening with … Continue reading
Song Review: ARrC – nu kidz
Mystic Story’s first boy group ARrC debuted last summer with a pair of promoted tracks that mixed quirky ideas with well-worn boy group tropes. Their agency is known for creative concepts but I’m waiting for the music itself to stand on its own. Comeback nu kidz offers an intriguing first step into new territory even … Continue reading
Song Review: ONF – The Stranger
There’s this meme going around lately about pop artists “reheating their nachos,” which is basically an obnoxious way of saying “returning to the sounds they popularized and do best.” I get the sense that, although this is said in a loving nature, there’s a bit of reluctance threaded into the metaphor. But for better or … Continue reading
Song Review: POW – Gimme Love
When last we heard from POW, they were interpolating the chorus of Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend to middling effect, diluting that song’s power with too many overused K-pop tropes. Now they’re back with a special digital single that’s much more of a stripped back affair. If this month was delivering new K-pop comebacks with any regularity, … Continue reading
Song Review: KiiiKiii – I Do Me
With the debut of SM Entertainment’s new girl group just around the corner, Starship Entertainment has lodged a stealth attack by pre-releasing music from their upcoming girl group KiiiKiii first. Given the agency’s huge success with IVE, all eyes are on KiiiKiii’s emergence in the industry. And if I Do Me is any indication, the … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from February 9-15
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
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (February 16, 2025)
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
Global Pop Round-Up: February 2025 Edition
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