Funny enough, “woo!ah!” is the sound I made when I first heard Rollercoaster‘s teaser. My opinion on woo!ah!’s music has varied dramatically over the years, hitting an all-time low point with June’s cloying Danger. Now, the group has taken a confident step in the retro synth direction. Regardless of the results, you’ll always find me … Continue reading
Victon are back as a five-member group. Leader Seungwoo is finishing up his military service, while Heochan left the group earlier this year after a DUI. The guys have had a rough go of it, and the style of their music has tended to change with the times. Virus sees them embracing both elegant synth … Continue reading
Unless I’m missing something, DRIPPIN’s The One is the final big postponed K-pop release to arrive. Of course, it also happens to be the comeback I was most looking forward to. With The One, DRIPPIN have concluded their Villain series (until the inevitable repackage, that is!). Both Villain and Zero were highlights of the year, … Continue reading
Girl group Fifty Fifty are set to officially debut at the end of the month, but they’ve pre-released Lovin’ Me today. I was struck by its teaser, which seemed to promise a more refined, mature sound than many of K-pop’s current girl groups are offering. The full song more-or-less delivers on this promise and points … Continue reading
I’ll make a potentially unpopular confession: I’m just not a fan of Chen’s solo material. Given his status as a balladeer, the headwaters were always going to be against him. I don’t have much space in my music library for soft ballads. But, I love his voice and there are quite a few EXO ballads … Continue reading
VERIVERY are emblematic of a common boy group trajectory. They debuted with a fun New Jack Swing-inspired sound. This set them apart from their peers, even if it didn’t lead to extraordinary sales. Then, they got swept up in Road to Kingdom and re-emerged as one of many boy groups peddling darker, angsty sounds. These … Continue reading
One of this K-pop generation’s biggest mysteries is how Oh My Girl went from being a leading girl group to an act that barely gets promoted anymore. WM Entertainment has really dropped the ball with this one, and that fumble has extended to their musical choices. This spring’s Real Love was a breezy little bop, … Continue reading
The strong series of b-sides that framed LE SSERAFIM’s debut Fearless helped make that song a big grower. In contrast, nothing outside of title track Antifragile really struck me from their newest album. I would’ve loved to see a music video for songs like Blue Flame or The Great Mermaid, but HYBE decided to save … Continue reading
Fresh off her win on American Song Competition (a phrase I never thought I’d write on this blog…), AleXa is back with the release of her first mini album. While she debuted with a cool sci-fi concept, her music has gradually explored new avenues. None of the songs have really clicked me, and her ASC … Continue reading
Sometimes it feels as if the K-pop industry is toying with their fans – seeing just how awkward a song they can force upon us. This year, no agency has been guiltier than JYP. From NMIXX’s mixx-pop excursions to ITZY’s footwear fantasies to Stray Kids’ ping ping pings, it’s as if everyone at the agency … Continue reading
Rookie boy group Trendz are the latest to return with material originally scheduled for October. Thus far, the guys haven’t done much to land on my radar, though June’s Who improved with time. I appreciate when they lean heavily into rock guitar, and new single Vagabond leverages this strength. But, the song is not without … Continue reading
Is it too early to hear the influence of NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM in other girl groups? Now that “girl crush” seems to have faded a bit, it feels like their subdued – almost aloof – sounds are the next stage in girl group trends. ICHILLIN’s Draw (My Time) is an interesting hybrid of the … Continue reading
CRAXY released music video after music video in September, most of which I didn’t cover in detail. I’m not sure where their agency is getting the funding for all this promotion, but I wish they’d pool the money together and give us another song as fun as 2020’s Aria. Instead, they’ve churned out Poison Rose, … Continue reading
Seventeen’s Japanese discography has been a mixed bag, opening with the incredible Call Call Call in 2018 and never quite matching that energy. Many of their J-pop songs trend toward the lyrical, opting for dreamy soundscapes and subdued tempos. New single Dream may be their most reserved track yet. I’d go as far as calling … Continue reading
A couple weeks after ex-bandmate Baekho’s solo debut, Nu’est’s JR — now working under his given name — has unveiled his own post-group work. Like Baekho, he’s already recorded several solo tracks as part of Nu’est’s albums. These songs were more varied than his position in the group might suggest. I Hate You, With and … Continue reading
NINE.i emerged earlier this year with a song and album that positioned them firmly within existing boy group tropes. Their appeal lies in self-production, though they’re helped by composer Kim Seung-soo (who may or may not be one half of Sweetune, depending on your source). The teasers for their first comeback hinted at more daring … Continue reading
It can be difficult for a band in their thirteenth year to craft music that rivals their commercial peak. This is affected by the inherent ageism in the pop industry, but even without that challenge there comes a time when a group has simply ‘been there, done that’ with most genres and sounds. Where do … Continue reading
Nature’s Code W is the first in a string of postponed idol comebacks we’ll see over the next week or so. And, the girls have taken a sledgehammer to K-pop’s brief hiatus, re-emerging with the bonkers Limbo (넘어와). This is the group who gave us the insanity of Oopsie (My Bad) and Rica Rica, so … 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
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. October 2022 Overall Thoughts First off, I want to recognize Korea’s national period of mourning and … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 