Last spring, Mamamoo’s Solar dipped her feet into a more upbeat dance sound with the club-ready Colors. In general, the Mamamoo members have done a nice job experimenting with their solo material. And when you’ve got vocals as strong as they do, you can get away with interpreting just about any genre. This sense of … 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. March 2025 Overall Thoughts While this year in K-pop has not wowed me yet (not even … Continue reading
Well, my favorite J-pop group has finally dropped their entire catalog on streaming today. I’ve already reviewed every Kis-My-Ft2 single in-depth on the blog, but I think I need to finally do an overview of their discography now that it’s available worldwide. Earlier today, I took a look at the group’s massive singles’ catalog, but … Continue reading
Well, my favorite J-pop group has finally dropped their entire catalog on streaming today. I’ve already reviewed every Kis-My-Ft2 single in-depth on the blog, but I think I need to finally do an overview of their discography now that it’s available worldwide. Just like my News feature last year, I’m going to start with the … Continue reading
Most of the acts who participated on last year’s Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace made quick comebacks soon after the series concluded. However, Tempest took their time, finally emerging with new music nearly five months later. Unfreeze arrives about a year since 2024’s Lighthouse and is their first Korean comeback after becoming a sextet. … Continue reading
Though they’re primarily based in Japan, JYP girl group NiziU has global ambitions. Love Line (운명선) is their second Korean single, further establishing the girls as part of the K-pop landscape. And while it may exist between markets, the song itself borrows from girl group sounds of the past for a flavor that feels unique … Continue reading
New girl group izna made their debut last November with a song that never seemed to capture the public’s attention in the way I’d expect from their pre-debut hype. Given this, I’m surprised they took so long to promote more music, but now they’re back with digital single Sign. This song reunites them with famed … Continue reading
When LE SSERAFIM’s album was released earlier this month, the b-side that seemed to capture most attention was Ash. I think that song’s just fine, but feels more indebted to its mood and soundscape than the type of melodic pop I tend to prefer. Instead, my ears were drawn to the off-kilter throwback Come Over. … 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
Late last month, new Korean-American trio RE:WIND surprised me with their fantastic pre-release RE:SET. It’s so fun when an act bounds out of the gate with strong material. This track set the stage for their debut single Forever, but unfortunately I don’t find myself as bowled over this time. This is a tough one because … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve been impressed with Just B’s willingness to experiment with their sound. To me, it seems that they’ve refashioned their underdog status into an advantage and excuse to try new things. Last year’s pop/punk anthem Daddy’s Girl was a career high, and now they’ve switched things up again with the electro hyperpop … Continue reading
I’ll always check out K-pop’s “nugu” groups because often their music will take more risks than their bigger-named peers. However, these efforts are also constrained by budget, making the execution a bit chaotic at times. I didn’t care for boy group Eastshine’s earlier work enough to write about it, but the teasers for new single … Continue reading
K-band Lucy is down to a trio at the moment as member Gwangil serves his mandatory enlistment. Seeing them as three doesn’t seem right, but they’re plunging ahead with an upcoming new album and pre-release single Wakey Wakey (잠깨). The band have promised new things this era, but judging from this track their signature sound … Continue reading
Following fellow member Yeonjun’s solo single GGUM last year, TXT’s Beomgyu has emerged with his own track. Panic has been labeled as a “mixtape,” though by its very nature a mixtape needs more than one song to be an actual “mix.” More accurately, this is a digital single that Big Hit likely didn’t want to … Continue reading
Rounding out Stray Kids’ blitz of unit tracks, we’ve got Lee Know and Seungmin’s Cinema. Thus far, I’ve enjoyed Changbin and I.N’s Burnin’ Tires the most, though none of the songs have really caught fire for me. As two of the most notable vocalists in the group, Cinema promises a very different sound than the … Continue reading
It can be difficult to keep all of K-pop’s three-letter-acronym-named boy groups straight, especially when that moniker changes midway through an act’s career. TNX were briefly known as “The New Six,” but have seemed to revert back to the acronym for this new promotion. We last heard from them about a year ago when they … Continue reading
To K-pop fans, J-pop’s extended promotional schedule might seem crazy. The audio of CRAVITY’s new single Jelly Bean was released all the way back in mid-February, but the physical single and music video weren’t available until today. This gives J-pop acts a nice window to promote up until their release date rather than save all … Continue reading
With over 5,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
Over the past few days, Stray Kids have been releasing music videos for each of the unit tracks on their new mixtape. We’ve already heard from Changbin, I.N, Han and Felix, leaving four more members to go. Up next is Bang Chan and Hyunjin. Their Escape brings just as much bombast as the past two … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 