Teen Top’s Niel has had a solo career for over ten years now. Back in 2015, he debuted with the Taemin-lite Lovekiller but has been active only sporadically since. She is his first solo single since last year’s underrated Parting Path and sees him taking on a more downbeat soul sound. Right off the bat, … Continue reading
We’ve got a new (pre) debut today in the form of girl group VVS, who have been teasing their arrival with some very ambitious, cinematic videos. I was hoping that ambition would make its way into their music, offering a new sound or style in a K-pop year that’s been pretty predictable so far. But … Continue reading
When last we heard from Chuu, she tried her hand at a pleasant synthpop sound. This seems to be very in trend for K-pop soloists, positioning them within the global market while still maintaining the more subdued vibe that’s taken hold of the industry’s girl group fare over the past few years. Like past efforts, … Continue reading
Kai’s been teasing the release of his new album with several songs, both of which took dance elements and subdued them to a leisurely pace. All the while, I’ve had to make peace with the fact that Kai clearly wants something different from his solo work than I’d expect. Title track Wait On Me continues … Continue reading
It’s no secret that I’ve found the past few weeks of K-pop releases dull, uninspiring and – in some cases – outright bad. All the while, one name loomed at the edges of my mind. “TWS. TWS. TWS.” My top rookies of last year placed all seven of their promoted tracks in my top 50 … Continue reading
Even though Apink’s annual anniversary releases aren’t promoted beyond a simple behind-the-scenes video, they’re still worth writing about based on the group’s stature alone. Unlike so many of their peers, Apink are still active fourteen (!) years after their debut. And, I appreciate that these celebratory singles aren’t the kind of drippy ballad most groups … Continue reading
Super Junior sub-unit L.S.S — comprised of members Leeteuk, Shindong and Siwon — have the dubious honor of the lowest-rated SJ release on this blog. In fact, last year’s Joke is one of the lowest-rated songs in general. Their music tends to blend retro with novelty for tracks that feel more like memes than enjoyable … Continue reading
When last we heard from TIOT (I swear… there are so many “T”-acronymed boy groups right now) they delivered the melodic pop rock of The Long Season. Though this song didn’t do much to stand out from the pack, its sound pointed a very promising way forward for the group and grew more addictive with … 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. Listening to NCT Wish’s new mini … Continue reading
I love being able to spotlight a severely under-the-radar act on this blog. Epic Travels quietly debuted last year but have since added member Sangil (formerly of Snuper!). If you need a catch-up on Snuper’s extraordinary singles run, this blog will be a great resource. Epic Travels’ new video for Tab Tab currently has just … Continue reading
EXO’s Kai pre-released Adult Swim earlier this month, wasting extraordinary potential on a dull, spoken-word chorus. His actual comeback is still around the corner, but before that he’s surprised us with another new track. Walls Don’t Talk picks up the pace a bit and feels slightly more developed than its predecessor, but still delivers a … Continue reading
As Top Media’s first girl group, Odd Youth have their own path to pave. That path has been rocky so far — at least musically. Their output has trended toward the garish, aiming for quirky but more often landing closer to cloying. It’s nice to see a young group experiment with sounds. However, I’d prefer … Continue reading
Girl group UNIS were one of a handful of survival series spawned groups who made their debut last year. Their two title tracks were solid but unspectacular. If you were to ask me to hum either one of them today, I don’t think I could do it. New single Swicy aims to lodge itself in … Continue reading
82MAJOR have made their name on a quirky hip-hop sound that feels more fully-realized than many of their close peers. While none of their songs thus far have stuck on my playlist for long, I admire their consistency and willingness to play around within their genre. Their music is always fun, and that’s no small … Continue reading
With DRIPPIN’s future uncertain, Rocket Punch disbanded and the vast majority of Golden Child gone, I think Kwon Eunbi may be Woollim Entertainment’s only active artist. What a sad state of affairs for an agency I dearly loved. Fortunately, her popularity remains high and strong management would likely fuel that ascent. I don’t trust that … Continue reading
NCT Wish had a moment last year — starting with their excellent Songbird and continuing into their upbeat banger Dunk Shot — where I could clearly hear the potential of a fun, youthful new generation of SM boy groups. But surrounding those songs has been material I’ve had a hard time connecting with. The music … Continue reading
It’s getting more difficult to decide which songs to write a review for on this blog. NiziU’s b-side What If (만약이라는 건 없어) is promoted by a “track video” today, which is basically a different term for a (somewhat budget) music video. I’m not sure whether the group will be performing this on music shows … 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. This has been an extremely mediocre … Continue reading
As a longtime fan, it’s been thrilling watching from20 and Hello Gloom’s Way Better transform from idea to boutique agency, swiftly collecting new artists like Pokémon. Their roster now holds five individual acts and today we have a new single from the one who started it all: from20. From20’s music has been remarkably consistent so … Continue reading
New JYP global boy group NEXZ debuted last year but hasn’t yet captured my attention with their music. This is despite watching and enjoying season two of the Nizi Project where the group was formed. Like fellow rookies KickFlip, it feels like JYP has saddled them with lesser material that regurgitates music from the agency’s … Continue reading
