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
Tag Archives: ahof
Buried Treasure: AHOF – Just Say Yes
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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 don’t like messing with established … Continue reading
Song Review: AHOF – Run To You
While it’s important for any group to stretch their sound and try new things, there’s a certain point where a sonic shift completely abandons the identity that made that group fantastic to begin with. Such was the case with AHOF’s Sugar High, which repainted them as the kind of badass, chant-happy boy group that already … Continue reading
Top 10 Worst K-Pop Songs of 2026 (So Far)
I generally consider myself a pretty positive, optimistic person and really want this blog to be a space that focuses on the good, but 2026 has been a uniquely challenging year when it comes to K-pop releases. I can’t remember a year where I wrote as many negative reviews, so I’m going to try something … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from June 7 – 13
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
Song Review: AHOF – Sugar High
Long ago, the K-pop elders foretold a prophecy: “Behold! Regardless of their sound or image, every fifth generation boy group shall get their swag on for one tuneless, out-of-character chant-fest.” As an amendment to their proclamation, the wise elders added: “Fear not, lovers of bright, melodic concepts. This hip-hoppery shall only be a pre-release.” RIIZE, … Continue reading
Year-End List Recap: The Best Overall K-Pop Comebacks of 2025
Before I move on to my J-pop and global pop countdowns over the next few days, I like to sum up the K-pop lists that have filled the past few weeks. The title of this post should technically be called “The Best Overall K-pop Comebacks & Debuts of 2025,” since not every album on this … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Choreography of 2025
It’s time once again for someone who knows next to nothing about dance to rank his favorite dances of the year. As usual, I tend to prefer quirky, iconic moves to technically difficult material. The thing is, the vast majority of idol choreo has become so polished that it’s hard to choose which routines are … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Music Videos of 2025
For a moment, I debated whether or not to go forward with this particular countdown this year. Yes, K-pop music videos are generally great, but to be honest I just don’t watch them as intently as I used to. I’m much more familiar with the music than the visuals, which threatens to turn this list … Continue reading
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2025 (40-21)
Now that I’ve taken a look at my favorite title tracks and singles of the year, it’s time to move on to… everything else. This countdown encompasses any track that didn’t receive a full music video. This becomes more nebulous by the year, with “track videos” and “special videos” and the like. I allow myself … Continue reading
2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon: Recap & My Top Performances
After KBS’s festival-that-didn’t-really-feel-like-a-festival last week, it’s time for the celebration to truly begin with SBS’s Gayo Daejeon. This is the show that airs every Christmas and usually features a ton of festive stages. It’s also held in a big venue with tons of artists in attendance, so it makes for a nice seasonal gift for … Continue reading
The Top K-Pop Albums of 2025: Mini Albums
This year, I’m breaking my “Top Albums” list into two: one focused on full-length albums and one focused on minis. For the mini album category, things get a bit repetitive because many of the year’s strongest acts released multiple projects and I don’t limit myself to spotlighting just one. As far as qualifications, I consider … Continue reading
2025 KBS Global Song Festival: Recap & My Top Performances
I’m back with a recap of K-Pop’s year-end festivals. As always, we’ve got events from KBS, SBS and MBC in that order. However, I wasn’t aware that KBS was saving their “Music Bank in Japan” special until December 30th so I’ll probably write about that one too. Honestly, I thought they’d just mash it together … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Rookies of 2025
I’ll take a look at K-pop’s established artists tomorrow, but I like to share my thoughts about this year’s rookies first. For me, 2025 was defined by its rookies. This is probably my most competitive countdown this year, as there were so many new groups I found compelling. Surprisingly, many of these emerged from survival … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2025 (Day Five: 10-1)
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of November 2025
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. November 2025 Overall Thoughts Though there’s still another month left of 2025, I always consider November … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from November 2 – 8
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
Buried Treasure: AHOF – Everything Is Love
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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. Apart from its brilliant title track, … Continue reading
Song Review: AHOF – Pinocchio
There’s a large contingent of us (relatively) old K-pop fans who constantly reminisce about the industry’s “good old days.” I’m sure this is very annoying to younger fans who are immersed in K-pop’s present, and it’s natural for any music market to evolve as time goes on. But whatever era you determine to be your … Continue reading
K-Pop Producer Spotlight: EL CAPITXN
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of K-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. EL CAPITXN … Continue reading