TXT have gone all out for their new Japanese album, following single Can’t Stop with a second music video for album track Where Do You Go. I really like Can’t Stop and absolutely love my own cobbled together mix that adds a dance break and extra chorus, but of the album’s other new songs Where … Continue reading
Since their debut in 2023, BOYNEXTDOOR has steadily built up a large fanbase and this year they’ve continued to branch out to festivals like Lollapalooza. All the while, their music has kept its own color, pulling as much from very old pop genres as it does modern trends. New single Hollywood Action continues this approach … Continue reading
TXT are about to release their third Japanese studio album, making them well-established within the territory. Their albums have featured a mix of new material and Japanese re-recordings of Korean tracks, and this time we’ve got a proper lead single as well. Can’t Stop pulls from an addictive 80s sound and offers a peak at … 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 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
1. Head Shoulders Knees Toes // 2. Overdrive // 3. Hot Blue Shoes // 4. Caffeine Rush // 5. Overthinking // 6. Here For You HERE FOR YOU Fan songs are an integral part of an idol group’s discography, and they’re at their best when they’ve got some heft to their melody and production. TWS … Continue reading
1. Head Shoulders Knees Toes // 2. Overdrive // 3. Hot Blue Shoes // 4. Caffeine Rush // 5. Overthinking // 6. Here For You OVERTHINKING We’re back in highlight territory as the album moves toward its finale. When Overthinking was first teased, I commented that it sounded like “Lucky To Be Loved in the … Continue reading
1. Head Shoulders Knees Toes // 2. Overdrive // 3. Hot Blue Shoes // 4. Caffeine Rush // 5. Overthinking // 6. Here For You CAFFEINE RUSH Caffeine Rush is the only completely outsourced song on the new album without any of TWS’s usual composers participating in its creation. Among its composers are two of … Continue reading
Someone needs to calculate just how many times the schoolboy/schoolgirl concept has been used in J-pop. That would be impossible, of course, as it’s become one of the industry’s leading tropes. It still works, partly because the idols themselves are young enough to sell it but mostly because it’s an experience the vast majority of … Continue reading
1. Head Shoulders Knees Toes // 2. Overdrive // 3. Hot Blue Shoes // 4. Caffeine Rush // 5. Overthinking // 6. Here For You HOT BLUE SHOES I’m not sure what a “hot blue shoe” is, but it definitely paints an image in your head. If you thought TWS got hip-hop out of their … Continue reading
For groups like TWS who debut with a bright, youthful concept, the need to “mature” their sound is always lurking just around the corner. I’ve seen it with pretty much every act I’ve loved over the past decade and the inevitable arc from cute young kids to grown, sexy adults can go two ways. Either … 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
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. September 2025 Overall Thoughts We’ve hit the rare (?) double-header in K-pop with two back-to-back underwhelming … Continue reading
As Seventeen enters their inevitable military enlistment era, focus has shifted from group work to solos and sub-units. Next on the docket are S.Coups and Mingyu, joining forces alongside American singer/rapper Lay Bankz for a party track that heavily samples Roy Orbison’s iconic 1964 hit Pretty Woman. Wow… that’s a lot going on in one … 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
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
TWS have been teasing their October comeback for some time now and today we finally have our first taste of their upcoming mini album. As any regular reader of the blog already knows, I’ve become a mega fan of their music over the past two years and love the way they’ve been able to establish … Continue reading
Big Hit is going to make me write about every one of these damn CORTIS songs, aren’t they? The group’s debut rollout has now hit its fourth music video, leaving only one album track to go. That’s a lot of promotion, but I’m curious if it’s actually bearing fruit. Their music hasn’t worked for me … Continue reading
Given Big Hit’s track record, my expectations for new boy group CORTIS were high. Sadly, I haven’t been able to connect with any of their pre-release material. If I ignore the English lyrics of What You Want I can almost appreciate its 90s stoner rock pastiche, but songs like GO! leave me completely cold. Now, … 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
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 