Though NewJeans’ 2024 releases have enjoyed successful runs on the charts, there’s a growing feeling of stagnation with their music. You can only do ‘breezy cool’ so many times before the songs start to blend into one another. It’s time to inject a new genre influence, and the New Jack Swing of Supernatural may be … Continue reading
In between being part of the biggest K-pop group on the planet, the members of Seventeen have found time to slowly but steadily develop side careers as soloists and sub-units. Unit tracks are usually divided between their Dance, Vocal and Hip-Hop teams, but albums have occasionally featured duo recordings as well. This is the first … Continue reading
NewJeans are spoiling fans with back to back releases of double A-side singles. Last month gave us Bubble Gum and How Sweet, while June promises Right Now and Supernatural. And if you’re one of the many NewJeans faithful, you’ll be happy the group has stuck with their trademark, lighter-than-air sound. On the plus side, songs … 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
Leading up to the release of their second mini album later this month, TWS are the latest group to drop a promoted pre-release single. Generally, these have been stronger than the actual title track, with TWS’s own Plot Twist being the obvious exception. That song has gone on to become a mammoth hit on both … 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
I don’t really take music videos or imagery into account when writing reviews on The Bias List, but when all is said and done I’ll likely remember this era of RM’s career more for the videos than the music. The one for new single LOST! is particularly evocative — quirky, surreal and suitably claustrophobic. Whether … Continue reading
It’s been a fraught month for HYBE, with NewJeans unwittingly stuck at the center of their controversies. Very little of this drama has anything to do with the group themselves and everything to do with the chaos swirling around them, but with a seeming cold war brewing between the NewJeans and ILLIT camps regarding plagiarism … Continue reading
Alongside their full-group comeback Maestro, Seventeen’s specialized units are also releasing music videos for their new songs. We’ve already heard from the Hip-Hop and Performance Teams, and now it’s time for the Vocal Team to bring this series to a finale. Sub-unit Seventeen BSS found tremendous success with a cheering song last year, and Cheers … Continue reading
Alongside their full-group comeback Maestro, Seventeen’s specialized units are also releasing music videos for their new songs. Following the hip-hop team’s LALALI comes the performance team’s Spell. My favorite unit tracks often emerge from the performance team, but given the nature of their specialty these songs also tend to benefit from an accompanying visual. Spell … Continue reading
ENHYPEN’s Fatal Trouble is part of a “special album” tied to their Dark Moon storyline. This series comprises music videos, webtoons and web novels. It may be lost on those of us who are casual fans, but these days every K-pop group needs to have lore and ENHYPEN’s apparently includes vampires, werewolves and blood alters. … 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
For awhile, there was some question whether BTS members would enlist in the military, given the breadth of their achievements and the valuable soft power they’d developed for South Korea. The enlistments ended up happening, but the music still flows during their hiatus as RM becomes the latest to release “new” material without being able … Continue reading
Alongside their full group comeback Maestro, Seventeen’s specialized units are also releasing music videos for their new songs. First up is the hip-hop team with LALALI. I’ve become increasingly weary of song titles that are little more than a series of “la las,” but this sub-unit has delivered surprises before. LALALI makes boisterous use of … Continue reading
I considered relegating &TEAM’s Samidare to my J-pop round-up on Sunday, but the group is notable enough to K-pop fans to warrant at least a mini-review. After all, they’re the guys who gave us last year’s double whammy of Firework and Dropkick — both of which were 2023 highlights. As far as HYBE boy groups … 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
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. April 2024 Overall Thoughts K-pop years aren’t always frontloaded, but January was so strong that its … Continue reading
Best-Of compilation albums are uncommon in K-pop, but if any group deserves to have their singles bundled into an anthology it’s Seventeen. They’ve been releasing bangers since 2015, though I’ve found their more recent work harder to get into. This album features four new songs — each of which will be getting a music video … 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
One thing about The Bias List is that — even if agencies are coming apart at the seams and the industry is on fire — I try my best to filter out the noise and laser focus on the music. I guess I’m that meme of the dog sitting at a table in a burning … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 