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
Tag Archives: kep1er
Song Review: Kep1er – Straight Line
Kep1er’s future as a group remains unsteady, with activities set to end in early July unless their contract is extended. I’m not sure if we’ll get another Korean comeback before that point, but for now fans can enjoy a new Japanese album from the group. Some of their strongest material has been released in Japan … Continue reading
The Top 40 K-Pop Album Tracks & B-Sides of 2023 (20-1)
One of the unique features of The Bias List is its “buried treasure” write-ups. I try my hardest to comb through every major K-pop album released each year and when a song catches my ear I highlight it on the blog. This countdown is an encapsulation of those write-ups, ranking my top 40 b-sides and … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (November 12, 2023)
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
Song Review: Kep1er – Grand Prix
Kep1er’s burgeoning Japanese discography has already resulted in one of their best songs, so there’s reason to be optimistic about any new releases. Grand Prix has a fun racing concept and bouncy sound, but right from the start I knew it would be an uphill battle for me. As with many of their peers, Kep1er … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: October 2023
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
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of September 2023
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. September 2023 Overall Thoughts After a very strong August, it felt like we entered the K-pop … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Galileo
More often than not, Kep1er’s b-sides tend to eclipse their title tracks. Check out Back To The City, Together Forever and MVSK to see what I mean. They’ve yet to promote a song that connects with me in the same way, but with a possible contract extension in the works they may have more time. … Continue reading
KCON LA 2023: Recap & Review
This year’s KCON will live in infamy for a number of reasons: outrunning the remnants of a rare hurricane on my way home, testing positive for covid a day after, etc etc. However, this craziness doesn’t mean I don’t have highlights and commentary to share! For the first time, KCON LA’s concerts extended to three … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: Kep1er – Back To The City
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. Earlier this year, Kep1er released Japanese … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Giddy
K-pop groups must stop unveiling their music videos before their album release. It seriously messes with my review schedule! To make matters worse, I had nearly finished my write-up for Kep1er’s Giddy when the song froze and contorted into a harsh sound of mangled metal. My computer locked up and I was forced to do … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (March 19, 2023)
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
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (Feb 26, 2023)
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
Song Review: Kep1er – I Do! Do You?
When I first delved into J-pop nearly a decade ago, the easiest entry points were K-pop acts performing in Japanese. They had built-in familiarity, and the acts tended to take a safe approach that complimented their Korean discography. Now that I’m steeped in Japanese music from Japanese creators and performers, I find most J-pop releases … Continue reading
R.I.P. K-Pop’s UNIVERSE App (2021-2023)
Upon the announcement of its official closure, I joked about owing K-pop’s Universe app a proper obituary. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really do need to document the demise of this longstanding frenemy. During its brief existence, Universe promised creepy AI-generated idol interactions (or so I’m told). … Continue reading
2022 MBC Gayo Daejejeon (Song Festival): Recap & Best Performances
It’s time for K-pop’s final year-end festival of they year! As usual, MBC’s Gayo Daejejeon coincides with New Year’s Eve, pausing midway through for a countdown to 2023. Although HYBE artists were absent from the festival again this year, MBC’s Gayo tends to include a greater variety of genres than the other festivals. We had … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: October 2022
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
Song Review: Kep1er – We Fresh
Not every K-pop group will be for every listener, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Throughout 2022, I’ve listened to all of Kep1er’s music, watched them compete on Queendom and seen them live at KCON. And still, I approach new single We Fresh with tons of trepidation. From the teasers alone, I knew there’d be … Continue reading
Song Review: Kep1er – Sugar Rush
Full disclosure: leading up to this release I promised myself I would forgo the usual parody review that has become a Bias List tradition when new music is released via the Universe app. After all, this whole venture has lasted much longer than I expected and my creative well has begun to run dry. But … Continue reading
THE BIAS LIST at KCON 2022 LA (Part One)
After a three year hiatus, KCON LA returned in 2022 for its ten-year anniversary. The annual K-pop pilgrimage is back, and although none of my absolute favorite, tier one acts were attending, I couldn’t resist making the journey for the sixth time. As usual, I can’t “review” KCON because the experience is multifaceted and – … Continue reading