It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … 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
Last week, AKMU’s Chanhyuk pre-released the slow burn Out Of My Mind as a teaser for his second full length album. The album has a retro, synth-kissed sound with an idiosyncratic flair different from the hyper-commercialized 80’s revivalism that took over pop music in the early-2020s. With that said, title track Vivid LaLa Love (비비드라라러브) … 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
Lee Chanhyuk’s second solo album is only days away and promises to mine many classic sounds of the 80’s. Prior to its release, he’s shared new track Out Of My Mind (돌아버렸어). From what I can gauge from the highlight medley, its synth-heavy sound is emblematic of what we’ll be getting on the full project. … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
Sometimes I can be remarkably bad at predicting which songs are going to grow into huge viral hits. When AKMU’s Love Lee was released last year, I found it both dull and cloying — a hard balance to pull off! But thanks to numerous TikTok dances, the song quickly became ubiquitous. I still find it … 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. January 2024 Overall Thoughts Well, what a nice surprise this month has been! After many years … Continue reading
The month of January has a reputation for being pretty dry when it comes to K-pop, right? This week has been anything but, and has certainly kept me on my toes when it comes to new releases. Next up is Lee Chanhyuk from AKMU, with his first solo single following his 2022 debut album. 1 … Continue reading
Before the end-of-year countdowns next month, I like to take a look at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and see how their year went. Obviously, 2023 is not over yet so any upcoming changes to an agency’s grade will be reflected next year. Following SM Entertainment‘s analysis earlier this week, it’s time to dive into … Continue reading
Back in 2014, I played AKMU’s debut album relentlessly. Their music felt so fresh and different, maintaining a pop edge while tackling quirky sounds and ideas that appealed equally to idol fans and indie aficionados. Since then, the duo has moved through an impressive breadth of styles, most recently on 2021’s Next Episode album. After … Continue reading
While I don’t incorporate a song’s video into the reviews on this blog, I’m definitely not immune to a striking visual. Music videos are a vital part of the industry, and it’s time to celebrate my favorites of 2022. 2022 YEAR-END MASTERPOST Honorable Mentions: ENHYPEN – Blessed-Cursed Onew – Dice IVE – After Like PSY … 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. October 2022 Overall Thoughts First off, I want to recognize Korea’s national period of mourning and … Continue reading
Concepts are a dime a dozen in K-pop. They’re part of the idol equation, but rarely do we hear an actual concept album. AKMU’s Lee Chanhyuk makes his solo debut with a full-length that takes us through death and rebirth. As part of this “new” Chanhyuk, the music brings in flourishes of 80’s synthpop – … Continue reading
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
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 2021 Overall Thoughts Well, July was… interesting. And by “interesting,” I mean unimaginably dull. Other … Continue reading
AKMU’s newest release is a collaboration album, with each of its tracks featuring a guest artist. None of these guests feel too surprising or left-field, but their presence has inspired the duo to experiment with their sound. NAKKA (낙하) brings together AKMU and IU – a recipe for surefire chart success. But, the track also … Continue reading
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
Well, what do we have here? Honest-to-goodness new music during the month of July?? Will wonders never cease! Actually, our long musical drought will soon come to an end as AKMU ushers in a K-pop deluge with their collaboration album next week. Apparently, all of its songs will be given some form of music video, … Continue reading
I think it’s obvious that I love a good statistic. In addition to my core rating system, I’ve got my top three songs of each month, my yearly countdowns and more data breakdowns than anyone could ask for. None of these are perfect ways to categorize or quantify something as subjective as music, but they … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 