Though I would prefer to fall in love with every song I ever hear, sometimes it’s fun to have songs you hate as well. It’s like an arch-nemesis designed to irk you at every turn. In a strange way, I have a special fondness for music that ranks below a “5” rating on this blog. … Continue reading
In many ways, P1Harmony represent a new generation of K-pop idol groups. While they certainly have a fanbase in Korea, so much of their focus seems to be targeted toward western markets. It feels like they’re always touring in the States and now they’ve released an English-language album. They even premiered its single Ex on … Continue reading
Given Big Hit’s track record, my expectations for new boy group CORTIS were high. Sadly, I haven’t been able to connect with any of their pre-release material. If I ignore the English lyrics of What You Want I can almost appreciate its 90s stoner rock pastiche, but songs like GO! leave me completely cold. Now, … Continue reading
A week ago, Starship Entertainment’s new girl group KiiiKiii pre-released their first track I Do Me, prompting a lukewarm response from me and many others who wished the group wouldn’t play things so safe. Be careful what you wish for, I guess, because they’re back with another pre-release — ironically titled Debut Song. I’m not … Continue reading
Much of Xikers’ debut mini album felt like underwhelming ATEEZ cosplay, but follow-up single Rockstar stood out as an undeniable high point. Fresh and colorful teasers for their upcoming album have me cautiously optimistic, even if pre-release Koong is probably the worst K-pop song I’ve heard all year. Honestly, this borders on unlistenable for me. … Continue reading
Oh, this is bad. Just… very bad. Not even so bad that it’s good. Still Nirvana imagines a world where computers have finally replaced human musicians, churning out cheap, mind-numbing trap beats with no sense of adventure and no heart. The word “skrrt” is this world’s common language, and can have several distinct meanings dependent … Continue reading
Before EXO’s Chanyeol and Sehun debuted as an official sub-unit, they paired together to deliver last year’s SM Station track We Young. That song offered a nice balance between hip-hop and harmonized melody, with a warm tone that took advantage of the interplay between the guys’ voices. This weekend’s pre-release Just Us 2 followed suit, … Continue reading
What is it about Chinese releases from k-pop stars being consistently terrible? The Chinese music industry is so restrictive to Western listeners that it’s hard to accurately gauge the country’s pop climate, but all c-pop can’t be this bad, right? As with Jackson’s last solo endeavor (the embarrassing Papillon), I feel like I have to … Continue reading
Two weeks after releasing the supple funk of I Need U, Lay has returned with the worst k-pop-adjacent track this year (and that’s saying something, since his most recent competition is Jackson’s Papillon). Sheep (羊) is what happens when a song is so desperate to become meme-worthy that it loses any other sense of purpose … Continue reading
Last time I wrote about Nada’s solo music, I suggested that she try something more unique in order to stand out among the burgeoning group of female rappers in k-pop. But rather than push the envelope and explore unknown genres, Trippin’ (공식 뮤직비디오) tackles the heavy “badass” rap style favored by artists like Jessi and … Continue reading
Even when I’m not necessarily a fan of a song, it’s hard for me to rate it less than “good,” especially since I know how much work goes into these k-pop comebacks. But with 24K’s Bingo, I have trouble finding many redeeming qualities. The group has been pursuing this “harder” sound for awhile now, and unfortunately … Continue reading
When I first got into kpop, I was convinced that Miss $ were some sort of sub-unit of miss A. This was based on nothing more than ignorance and name confusion, though for as little recognition as the group has now, Miss $ actually debuted two years earlier than the much-more-popular miss A. Even today, … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 