I love when a group surprises me, and last year NEXZ made it onto my personal bias list with the brilliant Beat-Boxer. This year, their even-better Mmchk solidified that status and had me looking forward to anything the guys released next. New single Saucin’ was premiered last week at KCON LA and draws heavy inspiration … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
OURBIRTHDAY make their official debut today under JYP subsidiary INNIT Entertainment. This follows a truly diabolical pre-release that dampened my hopes for their eventual sound. Thankfully, Squeezy is a small step up. The song largely jettisons the annoying sing-chant approach of Hungry for a funkier, old-school approach. This doesn’t mean that Squeezy is any huge … Continue reading
This was my tenth year attending KCON LA, and as usual I want to offer some thoughts on the experience. If you’re interested in previous recaps, click here: 2016 // 2017 // 2018 // 2019 // 2022 Pt.1 // 2022 Pt.2 // 2023 // 2024 // 2025 Overall Thoughts Regarding the Event Positives 1. I … Continue reading
Red Velvet’s Surfin’ Boy seemed to polarize opinion, but in a strange twist of fate we’ve got a song that actually sounds more like a classic Red Velvet “velvet” track in the form of Jun. K’s new single featuring Wendy. This digital single doesn’t reinvent any wheels, but its smooth, groovy R&B sound is very … 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
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Stray Kids announced their latest mini album well in advance, first teasing it with the release of its opening track Run It back in June. That song offered an interesting branch away from the core Stray Kids sound, attempting a more World Cup, anthemic energy. I thought this might mean they would take a big … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … 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
Like FTIsland and CNBlue before them, DAY6 have settled into an elder statesman position as one of K-pop’s leading idol rock bands. The difference is that most members of DAY6 also sing on their tracks, offering the opportunity for multiple solo careers. Young K made his solo debut back in 2021 but hasn’t released an … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Fresh off a funny little foray into country music last year, J.Y. Park has returned to his bread and butter. New single Wet acts as a theme to this year’s Waterbomb Festival and also pulls him back to the dancefloor, recalling vinyl pants of days gone by. Of course, this is an artist now well … Continue reading
OURBIRTHDAY will eventually be a seven member group under JYP subsidiary INNIT Entertainment, but they’re rolling out their members in waves. The first three (Hyejin, Achiraya and Baby — yes, you read that last one right) have made their debut today with pre-release single Hungry (Side A). If this were truly my birthday, I’d be … Continue reading
I’ve resisted writing about JYP Entertainment’s GIRLSET until now because they only have the slightest connection to K-pop and I haven’t cared enough about their music to have much to say. However, it’s a slow day/month/year and the group is set to promote this new song on Korean music shows, so it feels like the … 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
When looking back at this year in K-pop, there wasn’t really an album that caught my attention until April. Thankfully, things moved in a more positive direction after that. However, for the first time that I can recall all of the albums on this list are minis. I’m not sure what (if anything) that says … 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
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. June 2026 Overall Thoughts This month felt like it was divided in half, with most of … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 