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 listening to ILLIT’s new mini … Continue reading
If NewJeans first popularized the subdued style of girl group pop/R&B that currently has a stranglehold on K-pop, ILLIT took that baton and added a chirpy, ‘beep beep boop’ type of chorus that has now become just as ubiquitous. Taken together, these trends have delivered a lethal blow to my own personal taste. To put … 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
This is the month BTS fans have been waiting for, as all seven members will soon have returned from their military-imposed hiatus. New group music will undoubtedly be in the works, but prior to that the guys continue to chug along with solo projects. After a double shot of solo singles in March, J-Hope is … Continue reading
K-pop has been mired in early-2000s nostalgia for the past few years. In my opinion, the industry has often adopted the most boring musical trends of that era, but occasionally we’ll see a group hijack the iconic production style of Y2K superstar producers Timbaland and The Neptunes. For Seventeen’s newest album, they skipped the middleman … Continue reading
HYBE has made an aggressive push into the Japanese market over the past few years, both debuting their own J-pop groups and deploying their Korean acts with original material. The latest to join this push is LE SSERAFIM, who previously released Japanese-language versions of their Korean hits. Different marks their first original J-pop track and … 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
It’s been a very slow week in K-pop, so a surprise pre-release from ILLIT saves me from digging in the archives and writing about something old today. Their comeback is slated for later this month with title track Do The Dance, but prior to that they’ve debuted the “brand film” for album opener Little Monster. … Continue reading
Compared to other HYBE groups, I’ve had a harder time getting into the groove of ENHYPEN’s discography. Each time they release a song that I love, they’ll follow it with two or three that leave me cold. That track record doesn’t exactly build confidence in new material, but I recognize how popular the group has … 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. TWS’s first Japanese single Hajimemashite (Nice … Continue reading
If you would have asked me a few years ago what I thought about HYBE Corporation, I would’ve had a few choice words to share with you. But somehow, many of my favorite new K-pop acts have now emerged from HYBE. And given &TEAM’s excellent musical track record, I was eager to see what the … 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. May 2025 Overall Thoughts The other day, I commented on Twitter/X that K-pop was struggling to … 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
Seventeen are celebrating a huge ten year anniversary today. They were popular right out of the gate, but few could have predicted just how massive they’ve become. I remember staying up very late to watch the premiere of their first music video (the ebullient Adore U) ten years ago, but I’ve grown more distant from … 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 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
Ahead of an eventual BTS reunion once everyone has completed their military service, oldest member Jin is back with his second solo mini album. I recently enjoyed watching him as part of the cast of Netflix variety series Kian’s Bizarre B&B, where he came off very well and added a quirky sense of humor. That … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 