Wonho continues to be one of K-pop’s most consistent soloists, taking the reigns of his career by co-composing his work. This gives his music a sense of authenticity, but not the kind of “sit in the corner of a coffee shop with your guitar” authenticity that often colors our idea of a singer-songwriter. You can … Continue reading
It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to end the week with an open discussion post! To keep things civil, there are a few rules: Be kind and respectful to one another. Any harassing language will be deleted. This is not a place to state what you don’t like about me and/or my blog. Move elsewhere, … Continue reading
I’m not sure what it says about the state of the industry, but some of the best K-pop tracks of the past few weeks have been given “dance” or “performance” videos rather than the full comeback treatment. Take Treasure’s rocky remix of Darari, for example. The guys didn’t really promote it, but the accompanying video … Continue reading
It’s been a pretty dire week for K-pop releases, and I’m getting a little tired of griping about things I don’t like when it comes to songwriting and execution. So, I want to flip the script and focus on the things that appeal to me in a pop song. I thought about making this the … Continue reading
Japanese tracks by Korean idol groups have been pretty lousy lately, but Stray Kids have the benefit of self-composition. The guys’ production unit 3RACHA has already dabbled in the J-pop market, including the production of a standout track for J-idol group JO1. New single Circus takes a high-concept approach, putting as much focus on its … Continue reading
As BTS’s popularity has skyrocketed, the frequency of their output has dwindled – a surprising approach for an act as in-demand as they are. The past nineteen months have seen occasional solos and collaborations, but only a trio of full-group tracks. Now, we can add several more to their catalog. Their multi-disc compilation album Proof … Continue reading
“Woo! Ah!” is the sound I desperately want to make after listening to a new K-pop track. But more often than not, those exclamation marks have been replaced with angry face emojis this year. Seriously… this is getting old. Just a day after Secret Number’s by-the-numbers boredom of Doomchita, we have another aural assault from … Continue reading
Boy group Trendz debuted earlier this year with TNT (Truth&Trust), a song I can barely recall. Their first mini album didn’t instill much confidence, largely forgoing memorable melodies for blustering attitude. On follow-up Who (吼), the guys have bolstered the intensity but still struggle to find a song that lives up to that energy. Who … Continue reading
The odds are stacked against Secret Number’s Doomchita (둠치타) based on its title alone. Tracks with these weird onomatopoeia names tend to be as irritating as their sound effect suggests. Flash back to 2020 and this group had my attention with the effusive Got That Boom. Even earlier than that, their debut suggested a vocal-heavy … Continue reading
With over 3,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
I have a fear that many of K-pop’s 2022 summer offerings will opt for a subdued city pop sound. It probably won’t be proven true, but the industry does love a gentle coffeehouse vibe. Highlight’s Son Dongwoon has returned with his own summer track, and it falls closely along these lines. Today’s Weather (우리 날씨 … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk! EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP // EPISODE SEVEN RECAP // EPISODE EIGHT RECAP // EPISODE NINE RECAP // Ranking Queendom’s Final Singles I always kick off these … 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. Seventeen’s newest album maintains the strength … Continue reading
Rookie group CLASS:y aren’t wasting any time. They’ve divided their debut mini album in two parts, releasing both within weeks of each other. Shut Down was unveiled only a month ago and it’s already time for their first comeback. I know the K-pop industry moves fast, but this feels like a new record! Shut Down … Continue reading
We’re at the point in the year when upbeat summer releases should start becoming more common. Given the season, I’m surprised May was filled with so many darker concepts. If you’ve followed The Bias List for long, you’ll know how much I love a summer concept album. I’ve got a whole playlist of these songs … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts So… we’re almost halfway through 2022 and…. hmmm. Compared to the songs … Continue reading
May 31st, 2022 We arrived on the planet CRAVITY late last night and celebrated our successful voyage with an early sleep. No champagne for this team. Even if we had wanted a grand celebration, this planet’s quirky physics wouldn’t allow it. Gravity is constantly changing here. Our Mission Specialist dubbed it “crazy gravity,” or “cravity” … Continue reading
Back in January, Victon impressed with the brisk, powerful Chronograph. It still stands as one of the more memorable boy group comebacks of the year, forgoing many of 2022’s musical trends for a classic, propulsive K-pop sound. Four months later, the guys are back with (the stupidly-titled) Stupid O’Clock. With a title like that, you’d … Continue reading
Yesterday on the blog, we spent some time discussing genre and highlighting underutilized styles we’d like to see more often in K-pop. 90’s hip-hop came up as an option, just in time for NCT Dream’s repackage track Beatbox. This song has been pitched as a fun 90’s hip-hop throwback. This is some clever marketing but … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 