Before making their first Korean comeback, rookie group NAZE are debuting in Japan. Spreading promotions across multiple countries has become pretty common in K-pop, but feels like an agency hedging their bets. NAZE’s Korean debut didn’t exactly set the charts (or this blog) on fire and I can’t imagine that Japan will be much more … 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
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
As is often the case with Japanese tracks, izna’s Dumb Hot! was released a few weeks before its music video. Sometimes, that offers the chance for a song to ingratiate itself without visuals setting any concrete expectations, but there’s not enough song within Dumb Hot to succeed on its own. To put it bluntly, there … 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 2026 Overall Thoughts The less said about August, the better. These past few monthly round-ups … 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
I’ve got a bone to pick with whoever schedules summer releases. I know summer technically extends most of the way through September, but why on earth wouldn’t you drop a song called “Sunburst” at the beginning of the season when listeners can get the most out of it? To be fair, Sunburst has been available … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … 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
Whenever I see that girl group X:IN has a new comeback, I know I’m in for something… interesting. In this case “interesting” does not equate to “good,” as they’re one of the lower-ranked groups on this blog. Somehow, their music almost always manages to self-sabotage, showing promise before doing something bizarre to mess it all … Continue reading
While it goes without saying that we all miss the full 9-member ZEROBASEONE, I actually think they work insanely well as a five piece. Much of this is down to intention. It feels like — to a certain extent — they’ve gone from a (very good) MNET survival group to a longterm K-pop act with … Continue reading
BOYNEXTDOOR have several distinct modes to their songwriting, and they’ve found the most success with a hyperactive indie-pop sound best characterized by last year’s blockbuster If I Say, I Love You. A few months ago, they were ddok ddok ddoking in their homeland and now they’re Boom Boom Booming in Japan. However, this single might … Continue reading
I write this review en route from KCON LA, where TXT headlined day three of the festival (more on that later). In a fun twist of fate, it was also the day their most recent Japanese single was released. Setsuna Hanabi (セツナハナビ) follows a very strong Japanese album last year and largely carries the pace … 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
Rookie SM girl group Hearts2Hearts are throwing their hat in the J-pop ring with their first original Japanese single. Iconic Heart arrives on the heels of a very successful 2026 in Korea. The group’s bright pop sound seems tailor-made for Japanese tastes, but Iconic Heart lacks the effusive hooks of their best work. Right off … 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
Starship Entertainment’s new boy group AEN debuts as a hybrid K-pop/J-pop group, releasing versions of each song on their album in both languages. As someone who prefers having a “definitive version” of a song, I’m not usually a fan of tracks recorded in multiple languages, but I understand the commercial strategy behind it. At any … Continue reading
This year, I’ve been pining for a musical highlight that captures the summer energy while also being… you know… a good song. Those have been very hard to come by the past few weeks, but there are a few active groups who have a track record of releasing nothing but bangers. And, dangling off in … 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. July 2026 Overall Thoughts I really don’t want to be a buzzkill, but now that we’re … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 