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
Tag Archives: nct dream
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 4 – 10
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
Song Review: Chenle (NCT Dream) – Lucid
It’s a slow day (week? year??) in K-pop, so I’m going to sidestep over to the Chinese market for a moment with the debut solo single from NCT Dream’s Chenle. The song is part of a “special EP,” and given the way Chinese music is usually promoted I assume this album will be released in … Continue reading
2024 MBC Gayo Daejejeon Night Two: Recap & My Top Performances
Because of MBC’s unprecedented decision to air their Gayo Daejejeon over two nights this year, my recap and ranking will also be divided into two parts. Make sure to check out part one for my general thoughts on the festival as well as a personal ranking of the best performances of night one. Now, it’s … Continue reading
2024 KBS Global Song Festival: Recap & My Top Performances
(Note: If you’re unable to view this post on a phone, please try on another device. I believe the number of video embeds is causing trouble on certain browsers.) Yep, I’m back to writing about K-pop’s year-end festivals. They were some of the earliest events I covered on this blog but over the past few … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of November 2024
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. November 2024 Overall Thoughts Well… how are we all doing? Given the news of the past … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – When I’m With You
Last week, NCT Dream unveiled pre-release Flying Kiss, which was… half a good song. Its verses and chorus existed on a different plane from one another, but its best moments offered a peek at what we might hear on the group’s full album. Title track When I’m With You never hits the heights of Flying … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – Flying Kiss
Pre-releases have become incredibly common this year in K-pop — particularly from the big agencies. NCT Dream’s album isn’t out quite yet, but they’ve surprised us with new track Flying Kiss during the lead-up to promotions. The song showcases the lighter side of the group, offering a soft burst of pop buoyed by a standout … Continue reading
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2024: SM ENTERTAINMENT
It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – Rains In Heaven
I’m a little surprised NCT Dream haven’t released an international single until now (not counting their duet with HRVY). They’re consistently one of the best-selling NCT units and slot nicely into a radio-friendly pop template. Rains In Heaven fulfills this brief, casting an evocative synth soundscape. Regardless of the song itself, it’s so satisfying to … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Songs of 2017: Revisited
A few years ago, I took a look back at my top K-pop songs of 2016 and did some reshuffling. To be honest, that list still needs a couple slight changes to be totally accurate in my current thinking, but rather than be overly fussy I’d like to move onto the following year. 2017’s K-pop … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (June 9, 2024)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – Moonlight
NCT Dream’s new Japanese single Moonlight has been kicking around for a few weeks now. In fact, I first wrote about it as part of my weekly J-pop series. At that point, we were unsure whether it would receive a music video or not, but I’m glad the track has gotten the promotion it deserves. … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (May 12, 2024)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Dream – Smoothie
We’ve long since crossed the threshold of having definable NCT units with their own sound and purpose. Instead, the past five or six years have seen the rise of a standard SM Entertainment style, and when the agency does release a song that embraces a different sound it feels almost revelatory. Unfortunately, the only revelatory … Continue reading
The Top 10 K-Pop Artists of 2023
Now that I’ve taken a look at the new acts that colored 2023, it’s time to focus on their established counterparts. For me, most K-pop years are defined more by their rookies than older artists, and 2023 was no different. As usual, the criteria is built around these three facets: Quality of work Quantity of … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2023 (Day Four: 20-11)
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2023 (Day Two: 40-31)
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
My Top 5 Performances of the 2023 Melon Music Awards
While I don’t really watch any Korean award shows anymore, this year’s Melon Music Awards had a more exciting line-up than MAMA so I had to at least check out the performances. As expected, there were a few real standouts. Apart from this list, I also liked the new stage mix for ZEROBASEONE but didn’t … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of July 2023
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. July 2023 Overall Thoughts This July was characterized by several things, but on this blog it … Continue reading