As I stated in my previous review for XLOV’s Rizz, I really want to love this group. It’s frustrating when an act debuts with a legitimately unique concept yet can’t find the music needed to compliment that. I’m waiting for XLOV’s management to realize that their songs can be as compelling as their visuals, but … Continue reading
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: ZOONIZINI is an awful sub-unit name. I’m sure it has some special meaning as all K-pop monikers do, but saying it out loud instantly makes me feel stupider. ZOONIZINI is Astro’s third sub-unit, made up of members MJ and JinJin. Previous units delivered mixed results, but … Continue reading
It’s always exciting when a new group debuts under a major agency, and CORTIS have a big legacy to live up to. GO! is technically a pre-release, so we can’t call it their official debut yet, but it offers a glimpse of Big Hit’s first new boy group since TXT’s debut in 2019. Information about … Continue reading
By 2025 standards, The Boyz’ excellent VVV did everything it could to buck the year’s most regrettable trends, turning its energy way up, adding a great series of catchy melodies and stretching the track to nearly four (!) minutes to accommodate multiple musical goodies (a bridge! a dance break!). No wonder it’s one of the … Continue reading
To be honest, the title “Charizzma” sends a shiver down my spine. Naming your song “Charisma” would be cheesy enough since this is a quality you should be showing rather than telling, but adding the “Z’s” (a la the cringey slang “rizz”) practically makes the song collapse in on itself before even starting. HITGS already … Continue reading
As time has gone on, any enthusiasm I mustered around ENHYPEN’s recent title track Bad Desire (With or Without You) has fizzled. The music just feels so undeveloped, trussed up with overly dramatic visuals that only serve to highlight how threadbare the actual sound is. This extends to their newest album, which is getting a … Continue reading
NCT Wish had a moment last year — starting with their excellent Songbird and continuing into their upbeat banger Dunk Shot — where I could clearly hear the potential of a fun, youthful new generation of SM boy groups. But surrounding those songs has been material I’ve had a hard time connecting with. The music … Continue reading
Quality control at YG Entertainment has been all over the place for the past decade or so, and the agency’s newest artist BABYMONSTER is emblematic of that hit or miss approach. The group’s first full album is just around the corner. Clips of the songs have gradually been teased and the previews range from godawful … Continue reading
The lead-up to BABYMONSTER’s Sheesh has been an experience, to say the least. Every one of its teasers highlighted the same part of the song, with the girls sheeshing at us one by one over the course of what seemed like an eternity. The original purpose of teasers is to raise excitement for a song, … Continue reading
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
Is iii’s Forbidden Midnight the most K-pop song to ever K-pop? I ask this knowing that K-pop — at its best — goes far beyond the easy critiques lodged at the industry from people who’ve never actually listened to the music or engaged in the fandom. But boy, does a pre-release like this give fuel … Continue reading
One of these days, Lapillus are going to release a great song that’s worthy of them. Today is not that day. It’s almost as if this group’s music has been engineered in a lab as a Bias List repellant. I haven’t enjoyed anything they’ve put out, and Who’s Next proudly continues that trend. The song … Continue reading
One benefit of shortening many song reviews is that I’m more likely to cover tracks I’d normally pass by. I didn’t follow MLD’s Dream Maker Project that formed boy group HORI7ON, but I’m always up for a new voice in K-pop. Unfortunately, there’s nothing new to see (or hear) here. Dash’s verses are by-the-numbers boy … Continue reading
I’ve been a little hard on NMIXX’s music thus far, but it pushes a lot of my buttons in a bad way. I appreciate the ambition it takes to meld multiple sounds (and songs!) into one. I just don’t think the execution has been there. The music hasn’t showcased the group’s talent in a way … Continue reading
I thought we might finally be getting somewhere with INI. Despite a clunky single, the b-sides to this summer’s Password showed a ton of potential. Then, the group teamed with rock band Wanimana for the excellent Hero. I have a huge soft spot for INI. They’re immensely talented. They work with talented producers. They’ve got … Continue reading
ATBO were the unlucky target of a rather snarky review on this blog back in July. Their debut wasn’t atrocious or unpolished. It was just a copy-and-paste of boy group tropes. Listening to many highlight medleys this week, I’ve become more convinced that original ideas are scarce in modern K-pop. A majority of songs sound … Continue reading
When it comes to name changes, “T1419 to TFN” feels like a lateral move. T1419 sounded like a tracking number, but TFN is about as bland an acronym as you can get (it stands for “Try For New,” if you were wondering). I haven’t run the math, but I’d guess about seven out of ten … Continue reading
(G)I-DLE’s Tomboy has become an enduring 2022 hit, and I just don’t get the hype. But, the same could be said about the group as a whole. I try to be as objective as I can on a blog called “The Bias List,” but there are some acts that test that objectivity. (G)I-DLE aren’t for … Continue reading
Rookie group NMIXX are attempting to craft a new K-pop sub-genre with songs that mix various sounds and structures together. Imagine if K-pop’s highlight medleys turned into songs themselves and you have an inkling of their style. I admire anyone trying to push things forward, but NMIXX need to find some new collaborators immediately. This … Continue reading
Most years, K-pop debuts are a huge source of inspiration, offering new energy and new ideas. 2022 has seen some notable debuts, but most have been cut from the same musical cloth. With the arrival of MLD Entertainment’s Lapillus, I’m more convinced than ever that the industry is simply devoid of musical innovation. Hit Ya … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 