You all know I love a bad K-pop acronym. The confusing name of newly-debuted girl group ifeye stands for “Imagine & Find Energetic Young Eyes.” Um… creepy? For me, they’re most notable for their partnership with producer Leez, who was partially responsible for guiding ATEEZ and Dreamcatcher’s early career and has made great music for … Continue reading
Despite a promising start, girl group Billlie has experienced some growing pains as they attempt to carve out their musical niche in the K-pop market. Today, they’ve opted for their first unit track. Snap brings together lead vocal Moon Sua and lead dancer Siyoon on a hard-hitting hip-hop track. While it may showcase some skill, … Continue reading
For the long-awaited release of Mark’s first solo album, he’s promoting with a title track named after his birth year. Birthdays aside, 1999 was an awesome year for music. Everyone was in party mode due to the impending turn of the millennium. Pop music was diverse and dominant, with MTV and TRL serving as hubs … Continue reading
K-pop is littered with acts who – for one reason or another – didn’t get the full spotlight they deserved. I’ve spent plenty of time ranking and reviewed the industry’s biggest artists, but these underrated acts should never be forgotten. This feature will take a look at disbanded groups and rank/rate their entire singles run, … Continue reading
ARTMS’s new single Burn was originally scheduled for release last week, but promoting a song with that title during South Korea’s wildfire emergency would be quite insensitive so they wisely pushed the release back until today. It’s ARTMS’s first promoted work since last year’s debut album and offers a sleeker, more mainstream sound. At its … Continue reading
I don’t often review music that doesn’t have an accompanying video, but every once and awhile big acts release a stand-alone single without the full promotion given to title tracks. ENHYPEN are preparing for their upcoming stint at Coachella and have released the English-language Loose prior to that milestone stage. To be honest, I don’t … Continue reading
Xikers have a pretty crazy range when it comes to their song reviews on this blog. It seems that I either love or hate their material and there isn’t much room in between. For every Bittersweet there’s a Red Sun. For every Do Or Die there’s a Koong. So, where does new title track Breathe … Continue reading
With Kai serving his mandatory military enlistment, it’s been just over two years since I’ve gotten to write about one of his solo singles. But now that he’s back, he’s wasted no time getting into the studio. A new mini album is on the way with pre-release Adult Swim tiding us over in the meantime. … Continue reading
Close Your Eyes is a new boy group formed through the audition series Project 7, which came to my attention because of contestant Shin Jaewon who had previously debuted with The Wind. Jaewon didn’t end up becoming part of the group, meaning I’m not familiar with any of the actual members. Unlike most survival show … Continue reading
Last spring, Mamamoo’s Solar dipped her feet into a more upbeat dance sound with the club-ready Colors. In general, the Mamamoo members have done a nice job experimenting with their solo material. And when you’ve got vocals as strong as they do, you can get away with interpreting just about any genre. This sense of … 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. March 2025 Overall Thoughts While this year in K-pop has not wowed me yet (not even … Continue reading
Most of the acts who participated on last year’s Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace made quick comebacks soon after the series concluded. However, Tempest took their time, finally emerging with new music nearly five months later. Unfreeze arrives about a year since 2024’s Lighthouse and is their first Korean comeback after becoming a sextet. … Continue reading
Though they’re primarily based in Japan, JYP girl group NiziU has global ambitions. Love Line (운명선) is their second Korean single, further establishing the girls as part of the K-pop landscape. And while it may exist between markets, the song itself borrows from girl group sounds of the past for a flavor that feels unique … Continue reading
New girl group izna made their debut last November with a song that never seemed to capture the public’s attention in the way I’d expect from their pre-debut hype. Given this, I’m surprised they took so long to promote more music, but now they’re back with digital single Sign. This song reunites them with famed … Continue reading
When LE SSERAFIM’s album was released earlier this month, the b-side that seemed to capture most attention was Ash. I think that song’s just fine, but feels more indebted to its mood and soundscape than the type of melodic pop I tend to prefer. Instead, my ears were drawn to the off-kilter throwback Come Over. … Continue reading
Late last month, new Korean-American trio RE:WIND surprised me with their fantastic pre-release RE:SET. It’s so fun when an act bounds out of the gate with strong material. This track set the stage for their debut single Forever, but unfortunately I don’t find myself as bowled over this time. This is a tough one because … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve been impressed with Just B’s willingness to experiment with their sound. To me, it seems that they’ve refashioned their underdog status into an advantage and excuse to try new things. Last year’s pop/punk anthem Daddy’s Girl was a career high, and now they’ve switched things up again with the electro hyperpop … Continue reading
I’ll always check out K-pop’s “nugu” groups because often their music will take more risks than their bigger-named peers. However, these efforts are also constrained by budget, making the execution a bit chaotic at times. I didn’t care for boy group Eastshine’s earlier work enough to write about it, but the teasers for new single … Continue reading
K-band Lucy is down to a trio at the moment as member Gwangil serves his mandatory enlistment. Seeing them as three doesn’t seem right, but they’re plunging ahead with an upcoming new album and pre-release single Wakey Wakey (잠깨). The band have promised new things this era, but judging from this track their signature sound … Continue reading
Following fellow member Yeonjun’s solo single GGUM last year, TXT’s Beomgyu has emerged with his own track. Panic has been labeled as a “mixtape,” though by its very nature a mixtape needs more than one song to be an actual “mix.” More accurately, this is a digital single that Big Hit likely didn’t want to … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 