Since releasing the very good Love Attack in 2024, RESCENE have become a paragon of the trendy “subdued” girl group sound. I’m not sure why their producers decided not to return to Attack‘s upbeat appeal, and for me their musical trajectory has really stalled. New single Runaway doesn’t do much to change that track, though … Continue reading
The campaign for BTS’s ARIRANG album continues unabated with the release of another music video. This time, Hooligan gets its time in the spotlight. This track was promoted with dance challenges even before the debut of its video, making it feel like a co-lead track with Swim. For those looking to recapture the boisterous energy … Continue reading
Super Junior remains one of the most active groups of their stature, routinely releasing new music as a collective and as soloists. Today, Donghae is back with a new album of his own, collaborating with Jay Park and 1iL for its title track Good Day. As its title suggests, this is an upbeat, sunny stomper … Continue reading
After leaving YG Entertainment, AKMU are back with a new agency and a new album. Global fans may wonder what all the fuss is about, but this brother-sister duo is absolutely huge in Korea. They’re also an act I’ve followed since their conception, watching them grow to fame on the second season of K-pop Star … Continue reading
WJSN’s Dayoung had a stealthy, surprise hit last year with Body. That success didn’t coax Starship Entertainment into doing anything but the bare minimum for the group’s anniversary this February, but it does result in a new solo track today. What’s A Girl To Do takes a similarly global approach as Body, no doubt hoping … Continue reading
Though they haven’t achieved the same global notoriety as some of their peers, Monsta X have been steadily plugging away at the American market, releasing their fair share of English-language material. Today, they’re out with a new album of this material. Of course, appealing to a market outside of your own often includes conforming to … Continue reading
T.O.P made his solo debut all the way back in 2010 as part of a dual project with fellow Bigbang member G-Dragon. Since then, he’s hardly released any solo music and eventually wound up leaving the group altogether to focus on acting. Given this, it’s a bit surprising that — sixteen years later — he’s … Continue reading
The ladies from KARD have each made their solo debut this year. Gun to my head, I couldn’t tell you anything about Jiwoo’s solo track despite writing about it back in February. This is partially due to the fact that she never promoted it on music shows, but the song clearly didn’t do much to … Continue reading
Red Velvet’s group work may be quite infrequent at this stage in their career, but a full album from member Irene should tide some fans over. She made her solo debut in 2024 and has also been active in a sub-unit with fellow member Seulgi, but a full project like this affords extra opportunity to … Continue reading
Ah, Dignity. I’ve reviewed a song of theirs once a year since 2024. The overall arc of their ratings has not been favorable, though they still boast one of the most unexpectedly great buried treasures to their name. New single Slipshot does little to reignite any spark I might have felt about their debut era. … Continue reading
Seven years after VERIVERY’s debut, a member has finally released a solo album. I’m not surprised it’s Kangmin, given his successful run on last year’s Boys II Planet. If anything, I’m surprised it took Jellyfish Entertainment this long to cobble together some songs for him. And cobble together they did, because Free Falling is undoubtedly … Continue reading
Kim Jaejoong’s iNKODE Entertainment plans to debut two new boy groups this year, which is a very ambitious idea for an agency still finding its footing. First up is KEYVITUP (read that out loud and roll your eyes), who make their official debut next month. Today, they’ve dropped pre-release Best One, whose title is surely … Continue reading
The ever-prolific Xdinary Heroes have another mini album lurking around the corner and are teasing it today with pre-release X room. I really enjoyed October’s ICU and hope that the group’s music will continue in that vein. X room is a very different beast, but its more reserved sound makes for a decent teaser. With … Continue reading
A full group comeback for Mamamoo is on the horizon to celebrate their twelth anniversary, but before that the individual members remain active with solo work. Moonbyul has been quite prolific over the past few years, covering many genres with her music. Her latest Hertz throws these genres into a blender. One thing I’ve appreciated … Continue reading
After debuting with a slightly bratty sound, Baby DONT Cry have made a seemingly permanent transition into glossy pop music. Though their recent pre-release Shapeshifter didn’t do much for me, there’s no denying that its an earworm. The chorus is still stuck in my head. Next up is title track Bittersweet, which adheres to a … Continue reading
For many K-pop fans, the past few years have been leading up to this moment. After a long hiatus, BTS have made their much-anticipated return with album Arirang and title track Swim. I can certainly relate to the excitement of a beloved artist returning after a long time away, and if I catapult my mind … Continue reading
P1Harmony are getting in on the ‘follow-up music video’ game, releasing a video for album track L.O.Y.L. less than a week after title track Unique. I was not a fan of that song and its braggadocious spirit, but other listeners seemed to think that the album as a whole was stronger. At the very least, … Continue reading
New boy group AmbiO have released a few digital singles already, but today marks their official debut. The title of their first album promises ambition and they’ve opted for the kind of bright boy group sound that usually goes down well for me. However, title track Showtime is sadly lacking in one important way. The … Continue reading
Latency made their debut earlier this year, fashioned together from several ex-idols and reinvented as a band. Much of the discourse around their debut centered around whether the girls actually knew how to play their instruments, making the song feel more manufactured than organic. But, this is K-pop. “Manufactured” is hardly a concern for most … Continue reading
The co-ed ChoCo1 x ChoCo2 debuted earlier this year with a bit of online controversy that felt manufactured to spawn discussion. The actual music was quite dire, reheating sounds popularized by ALLDAY PROJECT last year. Now, they’re back promoting b-side Frenzy. This one’s more palatable than its predecessor but still struggles to justify the group’s … Continue reading
