Seventeen are here to cap off an incredibly successful 2024 with the release of a new Japanese single. Shohikigen (消費期限) has been available for awhile now (I first wrote about it as part of a J-pop round-up), but they’ve just unveiled the music video for the song. While it’s rare for a K-pop act to … Continue reading
TWS has been a musical balm this 2024, offering structurally diverse bursts of exciting pop when everyone else was going beige and repetitive. To me, there hasn’t been a debut year this airtight in years and now the guys are tying a bow on their successful 2024 with a shift to a more sentimental sound. … Continue reading
So, I sat down and watched all three days of the MAMA Awards this year. Well… almost all three days (there was definitely some fast-forwarding). After a few years being pretty resigned to the ceremony, I was curious this year because so much of my favorite 2024 music came from artists who were big enough … 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
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … 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
When the credits for Jin’s new album were unveiled, my eyes immediately fell upon one name: Gary Barlow. I would have never expected to see the British Take That member’s credit on a K-pop release. Barlow has written a fair amount of fantastic music, but his taste also tends to be a bit milquetoast. Of … Continue reading
I had a dream last night that I went back to listen to ILLIT’s Cherish (My Love) and there was this whole new layer of production on its instrumental I’d never noticed before — including a prominent violin solo. During the dream, I wondered why I hadn’t loved the song on first listen. Upon waking … Continue reading
Album repackages are common in K-pop, but it’s been four months since the original release of ENHYPEN’s latest album, making this revisit feel more like a brand new comeback. No Doubt continues the laidback vibe of its predecessor XO (Only If You Say Yes), upping the tempo a bit but refusing to break free of … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! L.U.V. (from Time For Us – 2019) Whenever I see this track pop up I want to sing the classic Apink song of the same name. GFriend’s L.U.V. is quite different but includes the requisite spelling you tend to get with a … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! It’s You (from Time For Us – 2019) I find GFriend’s second album pretty hit-or-miss, and this unfortunately falls into the latter category. The song is just not that interesting, trudging along an uneventful mid-tempo groove that blends muted synths with trap … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Hope (from Fever Season – 2019) The synth textures that open this track are very effective and the light new jack swing beat that follows makes me think we’re in for another early-career GFriend classic. Hope definitely nods in that direction, but … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Here We Are (from Labyrinth – 2020) We’re slowing things down again with a lovely mid-tempo track. The opening verse does little for me, but Here We Are climaxes in a beautiful, layered chorus. The melodies aren’t much to write home about, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Hear The Wind Sing (from The Awakening – 2017) GFriend flirted with the tropical trend every once and awhile and Hear The Wind Sing definitely has hints of that sound in its percussion. However, its brilliance is adding strings to its house … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! GRWM (from Walpurgis Night – 2020) What I said then: “GRWM isn’t quite as disco as the three tracks that precede it, but it offers a shot of adrenaline that fits GFriend well. It’s got that galloping electro beat I love so … Continue reading
Earlier this year, TXT unveiled the angsty Deja Vu, capitalizing on the rock-infused sound that made their 2021 so exemplary. However, I felt that song’s production held it back from blooming into the highlight it should have been. Now, the guys have reverted to their second mode of pop song: upbeat, disco-kissed dance music. They’ve … 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 2024 Overall Thoughts I’ve probably opened with this overused phrase during previous Octobers, but I’m … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Flower Garden (from Time For The Moon Night – 2018) What I said then: “MIO also produced last year’s excellent Please Save My Earth, and borrows the same wind-tunnel layering effect for Garden‘s pre-chorus. It’s hard to explain this specific audio trick … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Flower (from Fallin’ Light – 2019) What I said then: “As with many J-pop tracks, Flower’s melody is pretty long-winded, taking several different refrains and melding them into one intricate chorus. Because of this, the song lacks the direct and immediate impact … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Fingertip (from The Awakening – 2017) What I said then: “Right from the start, Fingertip establishes its unique transformation with the instrumental’s wah wah guitar riff. It’s the opening salvo that ushers in the group’s most high energy synth riff yet, expertly … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 