Few groups take advantage of their sub-units as well as Seventeen. Since their inception, many of Seventeen’s album tracks have centered on their unique configuration into vocal, hip-hop and performance units. Over the next few weeks, we’ll get to hear from each individually, but to kick off the group’s promotions for their upcoming second full … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Pristin’s debut album didn’t really do much for me, but … Continue reading
Pristin’s debut track Wee Woo seemed to grow on many listeners, but my experience was a bit different. The song remains dangerously catchy, but its more grating elements haven’t aged well. In some ways, I’m actually surprised that the group’s music is performing as strongly as it is. The cutesy, childish influences that permeate their … Continue reading
After School‘s Raina was on the cusp of quite a solo career a few years ago with the release of mega-successful duet A Midsummer Night’s Sweetness. But like After School itself, that momentum was blunted by a lack of actual releases to follow it up. Flash forward three years and Pledis Entertainment has given her … Continue reading
Before the Bias List‘s Top 50 songs countdown in December, it’s time to take a mid-year survey of the k-pop landscape in 2017. Compared to 2016, this year has been somewhat underwhelming. But that doesn’t mean 2017 hasn’t had its share of highlights. Unsurprisingly, my list includes a number of acts that overlap with last … 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. May 2017 Overall Thoughts May was a month of contrasts. The first two weeks were among the … Continue reading
I was prepared to hate this. I could go on and on about how American/Western trends need to stay far away from k-pop, and how the tropical house sound in particular has felt stale for over a year, but I feel like I bring that up every few days anyway. Even when other k-pop artists … Continue reading
