I spend the whole year plucking “buried treasures” from K-pop’s vast slate of albums, and now it’s time for those b-sides to have their own countdown! As usual, some of 2022’s strongest music was never promoted with a glossy video or music show blitz. Over the next two days, I’ll be counting down my forty … Continue reading
ATBO were the unlucky target of a rather snarky review on this blog back in July. Their debut wasn’t atrocious or unpolished. It was just a copy-and-paste of boy group tropes. Listening to many highlight medleys this week, I’ve become more convinced that original ideas are scarce in modern K-pop. A majority of songs sound … Continue reading
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. When writing about ATBO’s debut track, … Continue reading
Using new boy group ATBO as a case study, here’s how I imagine conversations within K-pop agencies might sound: Executive: So, we’ve decided to debut a new boy group and we’d like you to be in charge of the song. Producer: That’s so exciting! Thank you! I’ve had this idea for a great new sound– … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 