One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Please Save My Earth (from The Awakening – 2017) Previous Thoughts: “The earnest hook is classic GFriend, but it feels more dreamlike here. There’s a lot going on in the track itself, but it’s so tightly packed that every element seems to … Continue reading
Thank you all for participating in the first ever BIAS LIST READER’S SURVEY! I received nearly 700 responses over the past few days and it’s been really fun digging into the results. I wanted to share the overall trends and offer some commentary of my own. It looks like we’ve got a seasoned group here, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Paradise (from Fever Season – 2019) To be honest, this is a song I rarely remember exists. The whole Fever Season mini album isn’t one of GFriend’s works I return to often, and this is one of its most forgettable tracks. I … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Our Secret (from Time For Us – 2019) Previous Thoughts: “I love its breathless verses, which have a sense of propulsion that really gets the energy going. The song’s tropical synth loop is derivative as hell, but still manages to be catchy … Continue reading
I haven’t listened to Rosé’s debut album yet, but judging from the promotion so far I feel that the raucous Bruno Mars duet APT. will be a sonic outlier. It’s always annoying when an album’s biggest hit sounds nothing like any other song surrounding it. This is less of a concern in the age of … Continue reading
JYP founder Park Jinyoung was one of K-pop’s first global visionaries, seeking Western partnerships far before it was the trendy thing to do. Without Wonder Girls’ 2009 foray into the States, a track like Strategy might not exist at all. Twice have already made themselves known worldwide, but this new single offers their first big-name … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Only 1 (from Time For Us – 2019) Only 1 hesitates a bit at first but grows and grows as we reach the chorus. Then, verse two revs up again with the promise of another pop peak lurking just around the corner. … Continue reading
Remember when Tempest couldn’t stop shining? Hell, I’d gladly rewind to their Dangerous days of 2023. This year has been such a buzzkill for the group. Losing member Hwarang was a huge blow and musically their burgeoning Japanese discography feels like a misguided attempt to brand them into some bad boy stereotypes. From Vroom Vroom … Continue reading
Fresh off their victory on the newest season of Road To Kingdom, CRAVITY are striking while the iron is hot with a new single album. It’s uncommon to promote in the month of December, but I’m happy to hear new music during a traditionally slow period. Now Or Never makes for a suitable follow-up to … Continue reading
After a relatively quiet year, Treasure have promised a new album in 2025. Before that, they’re closing out 2024 with pre-release Last Night. The song sees them shifting away with heavy hip-hop sounds of the past and toward a surging pop style that showcases vocal and dance. When Treasure debuted back in 2020, this is … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! One-Half (from Parallel/Rainbow – 2017) The more I think about it, the more I realize what a solid album Parallel is. One-Half comes toward the end of the track list but loses no energy or bounce. The chorus is almost carol-like in … Continue reading
I combed through the Bias List archives and was surprised to find that it’s been over three years since I’ve written about new music from Seventeen’s The8. He’s released a couple of songs since then, but new single Orbit (轨道) bolsters his first EP. With Seventeen enjoying a mega-successful year, this release feels like icing … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! One (from Flower Bud – 2015) One sounds like an easy, breezy summer afternoon. This style of song tends to waft in one ear and out the other – very pleasant while it’s playing but not the kind of thing I’d seek … Continue reading
I feel like I may have inadvertently cursed NINE.i by placing them atop last year’s “Top 50 Songs” countdown. Since then, they’ve had agency issues and — apart from some great solo releases from member Vahn — have been musically inactive. That changes today with the release of new Japanese single Mirage (蜃気楼). Sadly, the … Continue reading
I’m shocked a K-Pop group hasn’t already repurposed the word “sleigh” into the homophone “slay” for a holiday track. With so many groups peddling bratty attitude, this seems like an obvious (though cringey) decision. This lyrical twist is present (see what I did there?) on the chorus of this new Chungha single, but thankfully she’s … Continue reading
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
