Song Review: AB6IX – Stupid
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – Stupid

AB6IX are like K-pop’s “little engine that could.” They’re far past their commercial peak, yet keep churning out new music with regularity. And, that music often carries an upbeat energy that makes it feel as if the group is just getting started. New single Stupid takes an emotive approach, recalling K-pop’s early efforts in pulling … Continue reading

Song Review: AB6IX – NVKED
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – NVKED

Despite consistently releasing new music, AB6IX have struggled to recapture the buzz of their debut era. Instead, they’ve expanded their sonic palette, exploring a variety of genres with generally strong results. 2021’s funky Cherry was one of those successes and new single NVKED echoes that upbeat energy. NVKED has an effusive, bounding instrumental, pulsing with … Continue reading

Song Review: AB6IX – Grab Me
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – Grab Me

Up to this point, I’ve found AB6IX’s (surprisingly large) discography quite workmanlike. Their music is often good, but always on the generic side without much in the way of unique personality or perspective. It doesn’t help that they flit between genres very often, meaning you never know what you’ll get when a new comeback rolls … Continue reading

Song Review: AB6IX – Loser
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – Loser

AB6IX offered an sleek, fashionable vision when they first debuted in 2019, but as the years have gone on I’ve struggled to maintain excitement in their music. Part of this is down to lack of consistency. They’ve struggled to maintain a definable sound and musical perspective, which makes a lot of their work feel generic. … Continue reading

Song Review: AB6IX – Sugarcoat
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – Sugarcoat

AB6IX have had a rough go of it, initially emerging as a heavily-hyped, post-Wanna One group who seemed destined for instant a-list stardom. Since then, their musical output and chart positions have varied, without a signature sound taking hold. Member Daehwi has found great success as a producer, most recently competing in KBS’s Listen Up … Continue reading

Battle of the B-Sides: Winner, Changmin, AB6IX, ZE:A, Romeo
Feature

Battle of the B-Sides: Winner, Changmin, AB6IX, ZE:A, Romeo

K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading

Song Review: AB6IX – Savior
Review

Song Review: AB6IX – Savior

AB6IX’s recent comebacks have been all over the place, swerving from noisy beat drops to light funk to stately synth-pop. It’s a far cry from their debut year, which presented a sleek, stylish dance sound that seemed to be their calling card. Savior switches things up again, bringing in new producers and a new, darker … Continue reading