Tempest have a new comeback on the horizon, and I’m confident it’ll be good. This confidence comes from math. For whatever reason, the group seems to alternate between songs I love and songs I loath. I’ve cracked the pattern, and after last September’s awful Vroom Vroom we’re in for a Can’t Stop Shining style hit! … Continue reading
Though it received a muted response around these parts, LE SSERAFIM’s Overwatch single Perfect Night went on to become a big hit for the group. Someone at Source Music was clearly paying attention, as new title track Easy does its best to replicate that sound. This time, the girls have jettisoned the bombastic turns of … Continue reading
New sub-unit Super Junior-L.S.S. has somehow become the most prolific project from the group, releasing multiple Japanese tracks and now the one-two punch of Suit Up and C’mon. Though it had high points, Suit Up squandered much of its potential by failing to find an engaging chorus to compliment its fun funk instrumental. Follow-up C’mon … Continue reading
Though I didn’t love their debut track, 8TURN’s first comeback Excel proved to be a big grower and eventually took a spot on my “Top 50” year-end countdown. As with most rookies, I feel they have a ton of potential and they’d benefit from further exploring the raucous rock energy they delivered last summer. Sadly, … Continue reading
The other day, I looked back at my top ten K-pop songs of 2019 and realized how much of a slide most of these artists have taken since then. This is subjective, of course. As my interest has waned, they’ve all went on to have tremendous commercial success. I get that I’m probably in the … Continue reading
It’s been over seven years since YG Entertainment debuted a girl group. This is the agency that gave us 2NE1 and BLACKPINK, so when it comes to new projects expectations will always be high. BABYMONSTER has been teased for quite a long time, further heightening curiosity as we approached their long-awaited debut date. So, why … Continue reading
Kep1er’s burgeoning Japanese discography has already resulted in one of their best songs, so there’s reason to be optimistic about any new releases. Grand Prix has a fun racing concept and bouncy sound, but right from the start I knew it would be an uphill battle for me. As with many of their peers, Kep1er … Continue reading
A new Sunmi single is something to be excited about, even if last year’s Heartburn didn’t do much for me. After a brief foray with different producers, she’s reunited with longtime collaborator Frants for Stranger. The song mashes together many of her musical hallmarks to create an odd, ungainly product. There’s half of a good … Continue reading
ITZY have been releasing Japanese material for some time now, leading up to the release of their first J-pop album next month. Prior to this, they’ve dropped the music video for the album’s promotional single. Ringo (or “Apple,” if you want an English translation) feels like their K-pop sound transcoded onto Japan, which should please … Continue reading
I got nervous the moment I saw the name of Tempest’s new title track. After all, when there’s a “vroom” in K-pop, a “skrrt” can’t be far behind! And with Yuehua Entertainment’s mixed track record of choosing songs, I never feel like I can count on their artists to release good music. Tempest has flipped … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed Hwasa as a performer much more than I’ve enjoyed her actual music. She has all the makings of an incredible solo star, and her success bears that out. But often, the songs don’t live up to her potential. I Love My Body is her first release under PSY’s P Nation … Continue reading
It’s been a struggle for Woollim Entertainment this year, with just a smattering of single albums released since last November. Their most established group, Golden Child, have been mired in their longest hiatus yet and the young Rocket Punch haven’t fared much better. It’s been over a year since we last heard from them, making … Continue reading
After teasing us with last week’s Golden Age, NCT are back with their project album of the same name. This album brings together the entire troupe — from Dream to 127 to WayV — for a celebration of all things NCT. I imagine this means we’re in for a lot of chanting. If Baggy Jeans … Continue reading
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Up until now, Kiss Of Life’s solo song rollout has been remarkably consistent, delivering slick tracks with fun references to different eras of pop music. But this being K-pop in 2023, we weren’t going to escape without some lame nursery rhyme interpolation. Haneul’s Play Love Games heavily weaves … Continue reading
Debuting boy group Xodiac have a cool name, and that’s important! But, do they have cool music to go along with it? So far, the answer is no. Throw A Dice is standard boy group fare, performed well enough but lacking any identifiable perspective of its own. The track moves through predictable segments, from its … Continue reading
First off, the phrase “blank effect” pretty much describes my reaction to the majority of K-pop this year! Secondly, I really like Park Jihoon as an idol but often struggle to embrace the music he makes. When he hits it out of the park, the result is super impressive — like this or this. But … Continue reading
Sometimes a song’s first few seconds tell you all you need to know. X:IN’s Keeping The Fire opens with a limp brass loop — a style popularized by songs like BLACKPINK’s Kill This Love. Of K-pop’s many tropes, this is one of my least favorites and almost guarantees a track will be anchored by some … Continue reading
When writing about my favorite rookies of 2022, I mentioned how excited I was to see where NewJeans’ music would go after their breakout year. Sadly, the path it’s taking is not for me. NewJeans don’t need my help, as their incredible chart success has proven. But as their brand of muted pop starts to … Continue reading
Jisoo is the final member of BLACKPINK to make her solo debut, four-and-a-half years since Jennie kicked things off with Solo. Long waiting periods are nothing new for fans of this group (or YG in general), but long hiatuses would be worth it if they resulted in classic material. Sadly, the opposite has occurred. I … Continue reading
Ah, the days of Born To Be Wild feel soooo far away. Like label-mates INI, JO1 occasionally hit things out of the park but more often succumb to the limitations of their material. They remain immensely popular, so this is obviously a matter of taste. But, new single Tiger feels like reheated K-pop with no … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 