There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: aespa – Switchblade (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
Back when aespa released their latest album, I almost wrote a “buried treasure” post for Switchblade. It’s my favorite track on Lemonade and the rare case of a talk-heavy dance song delivering on its promise. aespa must have known they had a hit on their hands because they’ve taken the rare step of releasing a … Continue reading
Song Review: Dayoung x Jay Park – Flirty
Dayoung has carved out a nice little career as a soloist, which is probably for the best since it doesn’t seem like Starship Entertainment will ever promote a WJSN comeback again. Her material has pulled strongly from 2000s R&B, making her team-up with Jay Park feel like a natural pairing. The two join forces on … Continue reading
Song Review: Kiss Of Life – Sweat
When last we heard from Kiss Of Life back in April, they were mining a Y2K sound the way so many of their peers have done over the past few years. Y2K has been one of their musical inspirations since debut, but they’ve found most success with sultrier summer fare like 2024’s Sticky. New single … Continue reading
A-JAX: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: Picheolin (Seventeen’s Dino) – Party Rock Rock
When the tracklist for Picheolin’s “debut” album was released, I was excited to see the name “Hitchhiker” on the credits for its title track. The visionary producer doesn’t seem to work on much material these days and his out-of-the-box thinking is always appreciated. However, with each pre-release track released under this alter-ego schtick, it became … Continue reading
Song Review: Red Velvet – Surfin’ Boy
Once a K-pop group reaches a certain stature, comebacks feel like big events because they just don’t happen frequently anymore. The last time Red Velvet released new music as a full group was all the way back in 2024 with their very good Cosmic. This time, they’re back with a bossa nova sound and summer … Continue reading
Song Review: TWS – Soda Soda
This year, I’ve been pining for a musical highlight that captures the summer energy while also being… you know… a good song. Those have been very hard to come by the past few weeks, but there are a few active groups who have a track record of releasing nothing but bangers. And, dangling off in … Continue reading
Song Review: BABYMONSTER – Moon
There’s something to be said about promoting your entire album with music videos, but there’s also a reason why some songs are meant to be b-sides and some are chosen as singles. In BABYMONSTER’s case, it’s a matter of personal taste. I didn’t care for title track CHOOM at all, but the summery sounds of … Continue reading
HELLO VENUS: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from July 26 – August 1
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (August 2, 2026)
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
KANG DANIEL: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of July 2026
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. July 2026 Overall Thoughts I really don’t want to be a buzzkill, but now that we’re … Continue reading
BESTIE: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: EMOTI:M – Spark
EMOTI:M are a new boy group from DNA Entertainment, the agency that used to manage the prolific (yet eternally nugu) GreatGuys. While it’s too early to tell if EMOTI:M will release as much material as their predecessors, they’ve certainly got the “nugu” part mastered with debut single Spark. I’m always happy to see boy groups … Continue reading
Song Review: KiiiKiii – Candy Pink Magic Hole Flip Phone
K-pop is well known for latching onto a specific musical trend (usually a year or two late) and refusing to let go until they’ve drained the sound for all its worth. This is fine if we’re dealing with a fun, malleable trend, but becomes increasingly maddening when the trend is narrow and poorly executed. It’s … Continue reading
WONHO: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
2026 LEGENDARY SONGS Inauguration Ceremony
I know there are many readers who look forward to this post each year, but I’ve been putting it off because I just don’t have many songs to inaugurate! For those new to the blog, this is a feature where I reveal any songs that have grown into a 10-out-of-10 rating since their initial review. … Continue reading
BOA: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading