FTIsland have been a staple of the K-pop landscape for over ten years now. Having debuted so young, none of the members have yet embarked on their two-year military conscription, making their music a reliably steady presence. This consistency of comebacks threatens to blunt excitement for new material. After all, “absence makes the heart grow … Continue reading
In an unexpected twist, rookie group IN2IT seem to be finding their niche with a campy, concept-driven brand of dance pop. April’s Snapshot introduced this style with its catwalk appeal and voguing choreography. Now, the group has doubled down on the flamboyant fun with head-turning title track Sorry For My English. As the title of … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. With new single Always You, Astro have become the latest in … Continue reading
Thus far, Newkidd’s biggest claim to fame is member Ji Hansol, who trained with NCT and won a spot in The Unit’s project group UNB. Following an increasingly common trend of pre-release schedules, Newkidd hasn’t officially debuted yet. After last year’s forgettable sub-unit single album Will You Be Ma, the guys are back as a … Continue reading
As much as I complain about tropical house’s takeover of K-pop, there are a few acts who get a pass. KARD is one of them. Variations of the tropical sound have been their thing since pre-debut, so their continued reliance on the style doesn’t feel as patronizing as other groups. With that said, they’ve already … Continue reading
After kicking off a series of digital singles with last November’s Here We Are, Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk are on the cusp of dropping their first Japanese album in three years. For whatever reason, SM Entertainment never seemed that intent on establishing Super Junior in the Japanese market, but these two have found success … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Though rookie group ONF’s discography may be small, they’ve been on … Continue reading
Astro have been put through the wringer these past few months, as their agency Fantagio came dangerously close to collapsing. This pushed a planned June comeback to July, restricting the group’s ability to promote their title track on music shows. It’s been nearly nine months since their last comeback, but they’re back with a song … Continue reading
Amidst all of the tropical, synth-soaked dance pop, K-pop’s summer usually offers at least a couple moments of counter-programming. A ballad here, or some moody hip-hop there. Soloist Jeong Sewoon flipped expectations by releasing a very summery sounding single back in January, and has now returned with a jazzy mid-tempo that more strongly recalls wintertime. … Continue reading
Of all the girl groups working in K-pop right now, GFriend have consistently released my favorite music. This makes their top ten list pretty incredible, as the vast majority of these songs are absolute stunners. The group hasn’t been quite as prolific as some of their peers when it comes to title tracks, releasing only … Continue reading
Though their Korean comebacks have become more sparse and under promoted as time has gone on, Boyfriend regularly release Japanese music. Rather than stick with a clearly defined sound, their J-pop output has varied in both style and quality. Unfortunately, new single Call Me falls somewhere towards the bottom of the pack. Its unassuming nature … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. For awhile now, it’s felt like GFriend has been hiding their … Continue reading
The past two months have seen a veritable army of girl groups vying for the “queens of summer” title previously held by the now-disbanded Sistar. But the season wouldn’t be complete without one of Sistar’s former members throwing her hat into the ring. And who better than Hyolyn, whose airy vocals are perfectly suited to summertime … Continue reading
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been five long years since Bigbang’s Seungri last released solo music. In the meantime, his fellow members have had their chance in the spotlight, cementing their individual styles as Seungri threw much of his attention into lucrative business ventures. As time passed, the thought of a 2018 solo project … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Listening to Seventeen’s new album for the first time, I wondered … Continue reading
In the heated battle to release 2018’s K-pop song of the summer, GFriend have pulled out the big guns and enlisted producer Duble Sidekick for their new title track. Duble Sidekick have become forever entwined with this season after crafting many of Sistar’s iconic summer hits (Loving U, I Swear, Shake It), and they bring … Continue reading
The rise of Kim Chungha has been astonishing to watch. While she finished in the top four of Produce 101‘s first season, she always seemed to be overshadowed by some of the bigger personalities of her I.O.I group members. Yet, while many Produce-related girl groups struggle to find their place in K-pop’s crowded marketplace, Chungha … Continue reading
Triple H made their unit debut in May of 2017, bringing together soloist HyunA and Pentagon members Hui and E’Dawn to form a trouble-making trio. 365 Fresh was a wonderfully retro funk track that got a bit overshadowed by its controversial music video. One might think that this muted commercial response would cause Triple H … Continue reading
Back in 2016, it felt like Ladies’ Code were on the cusp of a resurgence, rising from tragedy with a newly matured sound. But then 2017 passed with no new music from the girls. And in the ever-fickle world of K-pop, a year might as well be a lifetime. It’s refreshing, then, to hear the … Continue reading
After kicking off the year with the colorful music video for power ballad Paint Me, Mamamoo have embarked on a release schedule centered around colors and seasons. March gave us Yellow Flower and the folksy EDM of Starry Night, and now the girls have moved onto “red” summer with the Latin-pop of Egotistic (너나 해). … Continue reading
