Over the years, K-pop agencies have found ways to keep content coming even as male idols serve their mandatory military enlistment. NCT’s Taeyong won’t be discharged until later this year, but he pre-recorded a video for “new” track 501 and surprise-released it for fans eagerly awaiting his return. I can’t say I’ve been a big … Continue reading
EPEX are ready to drop their third (!) full album next week, but before that they’ve returned with pre-release Picasso (피카소). EPEX aside, July has been a pretty strong month for K-pop so far. Sure, there haven’t been a ton of awesome 9+ rated tracks, but there haven’t been many outright clunkers either. I mention … Continue reading
Of all of K-pop’s forays into non-Korean markets, Katseye have had the biggest push and have the most potential to become stars outside the industry. Though they’ve only released one EP since their debut last summer, they’ve done a fair amount of promotions and seem to have found a natural place within the overall pop … Continue reading
BLACKPINK’s Jennie has a sparse solo discography to her name, both in quantity and quality. 2018’s Solo and last year’s You & Me felt quite underdeveloped as songs. However, she played an integral part in Zico’s irresistible Spot! earlier this year, paving the way for more solo work. Mantra emerges as her third single, continuing … Continue reading
It’s been teased since aespa’s debut in 2020, and now SM Entertainment has finally debuted their virtual creation nævis. For those not in the know, nævis is (according to Fandom.com) “an AI system that helps the aes of aespa appear in the real world, allowing them to be seen by the real aespa members.” Okay, … Continue reading
I had the pleasure of attending Jeon Somi’s meet and greet at KCON LA this past weekend and was quite taken with her abundant charisma. This seed of interest was sown with last year’s stellar dance single Fast Forward — a song that still gets me pumped to this day. But with that said, love … Continue reading
Every once and awhile, we get a song so ridiculous and so misguided that I wonder if we’ve gone past ‘traditional K-pop release’ and moved right into parody. If you told me Macaroni Cheese was part of some SNL skit lampooning the K-pop industry, the track would make much more sense. But no, this is … Continue reading
Sometimes it feels as if the K-pop industry is toying with their fans – seeing just how awkward a song they can force upon us. This year, no agency has been guiltier than JYP. From NMIXX’s mixx-pop excursions to ITZY’s footwear fantasies to Stray Kids’ ping ping pings, it’s as if everyone at the agency … Continue reading
It’s been over three years since iKON’s Bobby released his first solo album. I remember being hesitant about it before listening, but dual title tracks I Love You and Runaway totally convinced me otherwise – particularly the former. They brought a versatility that we hadn’t really heard from iKON’s music to that point, and fused … Continue reading
Is it wrong to want an UP10TION comeback? I understand that Jinhyuk and Wooseok gained popularity through Produce X 101, but I don’t buy either of them as a solo star. Plus, I feel bad for the rest of the group, having to watch as two members suddenly get more promotion than UP10TION has had … Continue reading
Lay has a storied past on this site, scoring a few of my more colorful reviews. To be honest, I have a soft spot for his music – even if I dislike most of it. More often than not, his songs feel committed to taking the worst possible turns whenever the opportunity presents itself. I … Continue reading
This May, A.C.E released one of 2019’s most thrilling title tracks: the rock-tinged, attitude-driven Under Cover. The guys seemed to have found their niche, taking the intensity of their debut-era material and fusing it to a complex, inventive instrumental. Their new release Savage (삐딱선) proves why I’m so adamant about idol groups finding the right … Continue reading
So far, PSY’s P-Nation label has emerged with a whimper instead of a bang. After his own album was postponed from its original July release, the agency made an inauspicious debut with Crush’s Nappa. That song was fine, but par for the course when it comes to Crush releases. Despite doing well on digital charts, … Continue reading
With a title like “Dumb Litty,” the only feeling I could muster around the lead-up to KARD’s new single was morbid curiosity. How bad would it actually be? Yeah, I pre-judged this thing pretty hard. But, the group is coming off the swaggy noise attack of Bomb Bomb, one of the year’s most obnoxious title … Continue reading
To say that Lay’s solo music is not for me would be an understatement. Apart from a solid track here or there, I find that most of his work represents the worst of what modern-era pop has to offer. It’s hookless, joyless and utterly devoid of originality. Fun fact: he’s the owner of the lowest-rated … 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
How can a song featuring so many esteemed and exciting artists end up being so dull? In theory, Born To Be Wild should be a momentous hodgepodge of cross-agency collaboration, but it’s ultimately just as messy as its parentheses-filled title. I applaud SM for reaching out to artists and producers from competing agencies. I have … Continue reading
Listening to How’s This? (어때?), it’s hard to believe that HyunA’s Red was one of my favorite k-pop songs of 2014. Since then, the quality of her music has seemed to devolve with each passing release, culminating in what I hope is her low point. “How’s This?” — she asks us? Well, it’s pretty darn … Continue reading
I want to preface this review by saying that 1PUNCH’s debut was one of my favorite kpop tracks of last year. Because of that, I’ve been following Punch since the duo’s disbandment. I think he has incredible potential and I’m really pulling for him. I say all this to clarify that I bear no ill-will … Continue reading
I have a slight confession to make. Of all the major kpop girl groups, I’ve just never been able to get into 4minute’s music, and I find that baffling. I did love their entire Crazy mini album last year and Hyuna’s Red was one of my favorite tracks of 2014. They have so many of … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 