After completing their lengthy fantasy-themed series, Kingdom have undergone a branding change with new team name “The KingDom.” Apparently, their lore dictates they now exist in the present era where capital-letters-in-the-middle-of-words is completely normal. As cool as their fantasy influences were, I tended to prefer their more contemporary b-sides so this rebrand isn’t unwelcome. With … Continue reading
A few weeks ago, Mamamoo’s Solar released a teaser of what appeared to be her take on a drag anthem. That song turns out to be the opener of her new album Colours and hasn’t yet been promoted with a full video. Instead, we have title track But I — a total genre shift into … Continue reading
On their first few releases after debut, idol band XDinary Heroes felt a little too gimmicky for me. Songs like Happy Death Day and Hair Cut seemed overly enthused by their own cleverness, so it was refreshing to see the group unleash a straight-ahead rocker with last year’s Break The Brake. For the release of … Continue reading
What did poor 82MAJOR do to deserve a comeback on the same day as both Seventeen and IVE? It’s hard to see how new single Choke (촉) doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, though maybe they’re hoping a rising tide will lift all boats. The song’s rubbery bass definitely deserves attention, even if the song … Continue reading
Best-Of compilation albums are uncommon in K-pop, but if any group deserves to have their singles bundled into an anthology it’s Seventeen. They’ve been releasing bangers since 2015, though I’ve found their more recent work harder to get into. This album features four new songs — each of which will be getting a music video … Continue reading
IVE have quickly established themselves as one of this generation’s representative girl groups, unleashing hits that stay on the charts for months (I Am is still in the top 50 more than a year after its release). With their previous EP, they began branching in new musical directions. This had the potential to be exciting, … Continue reading
Well, what a nice surprise! Not only have RIIZE released three new b-sides from their first mini album, but they’ve recorded behind-the-scenes music videos for two of them. In both sound and execution, One Kiss and 9 Days are definitely not title tracks, but I still think they each deserve a mini-review. Compared to One … Continue reading
Well, what a nice surprise! Not only have RIIZE released three new b-sides from their first mini album, but they’ve recorded behind-the-scenes music videos for two of them. In both sound and execution, One Kiss and 9 Days are definitely not title tracks, but I still think they each deserve a mini-review. First up is … Continue reading
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
One thing about The Bias List is that — even if agencies are coming apart at the seams and the industry is on fire — I try my best to filter out the noise and laser focus on the music. I guess I’m that meme of the dog sitting at a table in a burning … Continue reading
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from either Zico or BLACKPINK, making this new duet instantly buzzy. Amidst all the uproar happening in the industry at the moment, HYBE might be hoping this superstar collaboration could be a bit of a distraction. But at the end of the day it’s the music itself that should … Continue reading
That’s one heck of a song title, isn’t it? In my opinion, it needs at least four more exclamation marks. Love, Love, Love Love Love! is the third promoted track from n.SSign’s newest album, originally released all the way back in February. On first listen, it was my favorite of the three but that didn’t … Continue reading
ARTMS are blitzing the market with pre-release songs before dropping their debut album. At its best, this strategy offers multiple jumping on points for new fans. If one track doesn’t hit with you, another is bound to compensate. I’m still hoping this project will deliver a song or two for me, because so far I’m … Continue reading
K-pop is getting its summer started early, with a few seasonal releases during a period usually reserved for April showers. First we had RIIZE’s excellent Impossible, and now we’ve got a summery pre-release from ZEROBASEONE. Sweat arrives about three weeks before the group’s newest album and delivers the kind of energetic dance pop perfect for … Continue reading
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
I feel compelled to open this song review with an apology to Lee Jinhyuk. I write about his comebacks because I write about any notable K-pop comeback, but he and I seem to exist on separate musical wavelengths. I’m not sure there’s ever been a Lee Jinhyuk solo track I’ve fully enjoyed. I loved him … Continue reading
I can’t overemphasize the shiver that went down my spine when I pressed play on PICKUS’s debut track Little Prince and was met with the tune from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Nursery rhyme interpolations are my kryptonite, and this set expectations quite low. Fortunately, the actual song is a fun blast of upbeat pop — … Continue reading
When writing about Yuqi’s pre-release Could It Be several weeks ago, I was hoping we’d hear more edgy rock influences from her title track. After all, 2021’s Bonnie & Clyde remains a high water mark for both her and (G)I-DLE. With the release of Freak, I (sort of) got what I hoped for, though it’s … Continue reading
Kim Woojin — formerly of Stray Kids — has crafted an enduring solo career, teaming with big name producers like Ryan Jhun to deliver solid grooves that echo the successes of other K-pop soloists. I Like The Way is the latest in this line and it’s as enjoyable as it is generic. There’s nothing here … Continue reading
TIOT made their pre-debut late last summer with a cover of Click-B’s Unbeatable. That was a great teaser, and now the group has returned with a new member and an official debut song. Rock Thang promises more distorted guitar and bad boy energy, but falls into too many current tropes to work. It took all … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 