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
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
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
Technically, there are still a few weeks left of summer in my area, but with days getting shorter and back-to-school looming around the corner, we’re quickly transitioning to fall. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to look back at the past few months and determine my ultimate 2025 summer playlist. I … 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. H1-KEY remain one of K-pop’s most … Continue reading
Similar to last year, 2025 so far has been a singles game rather than a series of excellent albums. I have even fewer on my list than I did this time last year, and only one of them is a full album — though that classification is getting murkier as time goes on. There are … 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. June 2025 Overall Thoughts We’re now at the midpoint of 2025, which means I’ll be publishing … 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
In my corner of the world, the first few days of this summer have been mired in showers and a cool breeze, but in K-pop we’re witnessing the beginning of a battle between girl group summer tracks. From where I stand now, Hearts2Hearts’ Style has only grown in stature while I’m worried I might have … Continue reading
When we last heard from H1-KEY, they offered the shimmering pop goodness of Seoul (Such A Beautiful City). That song built upon a varied discography with little sonic through line apart from strong melodies. New single Let It Burn (뜨거워지자) continues to shift their sound, taking a pop/rock approach that feels grittier than most idol … Continue reading
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
As per tradition, the next few weeks on The Bias List will be stuffed with all sorts of year-end countdowns, mostly concerning the year in K-pop but also encompassing J-pop, global pop and even Japanese dramas! Basically, it’s a chance for me to take stock of my year in fandom and celebrate the things I … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … 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. August 2023 Overall Thoughts For the first time this year, I could have easily filled a … Continue reading
H1-KEY have developed a nice niche of classic-sounding, melodic K-pop. Their songs play like comfort food, but they’re anchored by a robust set of vocals and detailed production. Seoul (Such A Beautiful City) continues this streak, even if much of it feels like a tourism CF. But really, doesn’t all K-pop exist as subconscious advertisement … Continue reading
The slow-burn success of H1-KEY’s Rose Blossom was one of the year’s most surprising (and deserved) stories, and the group has taken their time to deliver a follow-up. Time To Shine (불빛을 꺼뜨리지 마) arrives courtesy of the same composer (Hong Ji Sang) and offers a sprightlier sound than its predecessor. This track forges an … 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 2023 Overall Thoughts For the second month in a row, I couldn’t really find any … Continue reading
H1-KEY impressed with last summer’s three-track Run album, delivering a series of songs that shared a timeless K-pop appeal. With strong vocals and plenty of energy, they became a dark horse among 2022’s prolific slate of girl group debuts. New single Rose Blossom (건물 사이에 피어난 장미) leads their first mini album and again forgoes … Continue reading
Yesterday was an opportunity to spotlight established artists who had a great year. Now, it’s time to look at 2022’s new debuts. It was a pretty big year for debuts — particularly girl groups. Many of 2022’s highlights came from these acts, making this list difficult to compile. The ranking is so dependent on what … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts Counting up all of July’s releases, I’m not sure we’ve ever had … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 