Fresh off her role in season two of Squid Game, it feels like the perfect time for Jo Yuri to remind us that she’s also a singer. Her last title track was released almost two years ago, which feels like a century. The glossy Taxi remains one of her best, but judging by new single … Continue reading
Tag Archives: kpop
Song Review: NCT Dream – Chiller
Every so often, a song charms me in spite of itself. NCT Dream’s pre-release BTTF made so many musical moves that usually draw my ire. Its shouty sound couldn’t be more “NCT,” which has become less of a strength as time has gone on. Yet somehow, the song crossed the rubicon of annoyance and wormed … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from July 6 – 12
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: Close Your Eyes – You
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. Like title track Snowy Summer, Close … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: Twice – Mars
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. Overall, Twice’s new album is a … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: Super Junior – D.N.A.
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. I like Super Junior’s new single … Continue reading
Song Review: Lee Chanhyuk (AKMU) – Out Of My Mind
Lee Chanhyuk’s second solo album is only days away and promises to mine many classic sounds of the 80’s. Prior to its release, he’s shared new track Out Of My Mind (돌아버렸어). From what I can gauge from the highlight medley, its synth-heavy sound is emblematic of what we’ll be getting on the full project. … Continue reading
Song Review: ATEEZ – In Your Fantasy
ATEEZ have had a busy few weeks. Fresh off their latest comeback, the group has embarked on another big world tour and re-signed with their agency for an unprecedented seven (!) more years. Now, they’ve released a special edition of their latest album with new English-language track In Your Fantasy and a solo song from … Continue reading
Song Review: Twice – This Is For
Through popularity and persistence, Twice have amassed one of the largest K-pop girl group discographies out there, and that’s set to balloon even further with the release of a new album and solo tracks from each member. The album may boast a robust track list, but most of the songs’ running times take their cue … Continue reading
Song Review: BLACKPINK – Jump
Over the past few months, the members of BLACKPINK have blitzed the market with a variety of solo work, making greater inroads to international markets than ever before. However, it’s been a whopping thirty four months since their last group title track. In K-pop’s fast-moving ecosystem, that’s enough time for a literal change in generations. … Continue reading
Song Review: CrazAngel – I’m Just Me
I enjoy learning about the meaning behind the names of new K-pop acts — especially the stranger ones. As expected, “CrazAngel” is a combination of “crazy” and “angel,” which is quite funny on its own when taken literally. It also means “Craze on Stage, Angel in Life,” which feels like the PG version of a … Continue reading
Song Review: Kang Yuchan (A.C.E) – Champagne Poppin
A.C.E’s Kang Yuchan signed with from20 and Hello Gloom’s Way Better agency, joining a boutique line-up of solo male artists. It’s been fun watching this agency grow, though they have not been without their missteps. A set of ill-advised teaser photos for this very track had to be yanked off the internet as fans complained … Continue reading
Song Review: NOWZ – Everglow
Cube Entertainment’s NOWZ (formerly Nowadays) are in the middle of a reinvention. And while I initially dismissed last month’s pre-release Fly To The Youth as too lightweight, that song has dug its talons into my brain and emerged as a stealth summer highlight. The group’s new title track Everglow continues the rock soundscape from Fly … Continue reading
Song Review: Close Your Eyes – Snowy Summer
One of the most surprising (and welcome) developments of the year has been the strong musical identities of a trio of survival series spawned boy groups. Close Your Eyes, AHOF and NouerA have all debuted with great material that feels unique to them. In Close Your Eyes’ case, the guys bucked expectations by emerging with … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – BTTF
NCT Dream’s new album is right around the corner and they’re promoting it with double title tracks. We’ll have to wait to hear Chiller on Monday alongside the album release, but the guys have pre-released opening track BTTF today. The song blends the old with the new, much like the retro-futurism of the music video. … Continue reading
Song Review: LE SSERAFIM – Kawaii
Following up their promotions for Japanese single Different, LE SSERAFIM have released a music video for its b-side Kawaii. As they clearly want you to know from the producer tag attached to its title, this song was composed by popular Japanese musician Gen Hoshino. This is quite a coup for the group, instantly lending Kawaii … Continue reading
Song Review: VIVIZ – La La Love Me
Though VIVIZ’s music has never been able to reach the heights of their work with GFriend, my favorite single and album were released during the summer. The trio’s sweet vocal tones fit the season well. Another team who match summer perfectly is the dynamic duo of producers Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell. They’ve given us … Continue reading
Song Review: Super Junior – Express Mode
With some exceptions, SM Entertainment has become known for keeping its roster of artists around for the long haul. Super Junior are currently their second-longest running group and celebrate their twentieth (!) anniversary today with a new album. SM’s anniversary projects tend to be great (SNSD’s Forever 1, SHINee’s The Story Of Light series, SuJu’s … Continue reading
The Obligatory BIAS LIST K-Pop Demon Hunters Post
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been asked at least a dozen times whether I’m going to review the songs from the popular Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters. The answer is still “no,” though with this post I guess it’s kind of a semi-“yes.” I want to apologize to anyone who received an increasingly dismissive … Continue reading
Song Review: ILLIT – Jellyous
When deciding which song off ILLIT’s newest album to feature as a “buried treasure,” I waffled between Oops and Jellyous. I’m glad I chose the former because now I get to write about the newly-promoted Jellyous as well. This is also another chance to wax poetic about how much Do The Dance has grown on … Continue reading