I know next to nothing about newly debuted girl group Mixx, but Oh Ma Mind ended up sounding much different than I’d expected it to. This alone is a welcome surprise, given the cut-and-paste concepts most rookie groups tend to tackle. Like Brave Girls’ Deepened from earlier in the year, Oh Ma Mind straddles the line between … Continue reading
GFriend sit comfortably at the top of my rookie girl group bias list, and that’s due mostly to the incredible pop songs they’ve been given by composing duo Seo Young-Bae and Iggy. So what happens when the girls cover an older kpop track instead of working with their normal songwriters? Well, like most CFs (ie: advertisement songs), … Continue reading
Is there a point where “cutesy” becomes “too cutesy”? That’s the question that April’s Tinkerbell has me asking. This particular sound has been in vogue for girl groups of late, and generally I’m on board because it usually puts a focus on sticky bubblegum melodies and bright, energetic production. Tinkerbell certainly has both of those, … Continue reading
If there’s any male group that deserves a full-fledged comeback, it’s got to be ZE:A. They’ve never been able to totally break into the a-list as a unit, despite a highly underrated discography and some very notable members. And now that their cohesion as a group seems to be somewhat fractured, it looks like we’ll have to make … Continue reading
Apink have become well-known for releasing non-comeback “songs for the fans” on their debut anniversary. Today marks their fifth year together, so twenty-four hours after main vocal Eunji released her first solo work, the girls are gifting us with The Wave. As usual, it’s a rousing ballad tailor-made for concert encore stages. Thankfully, the instrumental has more bite to it … Continue reading
UP10TION are one of a handful of rookie boy groups from mid-size agencies that are poised to usher in the next generation of kpop. Up to this point, they’ve released two solid mini-albums, though the title tracks from each haven’t been as strong as some some of the songs that they didn’t promote. Attention seeks to … Continue reading
Korean rapper Sleepy is one half of the hip-hop duo Untouchable, and for Body Lotion, he’s teamed with labelmate Bang Yong Guk of boy group B.A.P. It’s a pairing that makes sense, given their complementary styles. Despite his moniker, Sleepy raps (and sings) at a higher, more sprightly pace, while Yong Guk is all deep-voiced … Continue reading
Produce 101 has been such a fun ride and, more importantly, has already provided us with some great music. Both Pick Me and In The Same Place were deserved hits, but now that the final group has been decided, Crush acts as their official (pre)debut. As such, the song adheres to the EDM concept that … Continue reading
I’ve been following Laboum since their debut, and recently named them one of the most underrated rookies in kpop. With December’s spectacularly fun Aalow Aalow, they finally found the hit that should have catapulted them into stardom. Coming off that momentum, my expectations were high for their follow-up. For me, Imagine More is a bit … Continue reading
Block B have been away for a ridiculously long time, though it may not seem like it with solo releases by leader Zico flooding the chart. As part of their first group comeback in nearly two years, they’ve given us A Few Years Later as a pre-release. The grown-up, neo-soul track is much more subdued than what … Continue reading
There seems to be a lot of groundswell support for DEAN lately, and up to this point I haven’t really understood it. And while I don’t think I’ll ever be a gigantic fan due to the type of music I tend to gravitate towards, D (Half Moon) is definitely my favorite song I’ve heard from … Continue reading
Poor A.cian. Despite existing in one form or another since 2012, they’ve just never been able to break out amongst all their boy group peers. They’ve had fine songs in the past, but each seemed content to follow trends set by bigger acts rather than provide anything unique or characteristically “A.cian.” This trend continues with Touch, but … Continue reading
After huge hits like Cheer Up and Love Wifi, Hong Jin Young has become Korea’s choice purveyor of modern trot music. Trot, or Teuroteu, is a traditional genre of Korean music and, along with western influences, forms the roots that many kpop songs have grown from. As someone who listens to a lot of Scandinavian and European … Continue reading
As a fan of unbridled pop melodies, I don’t usually listen to all that much straight-up hip hop. For a song of this genre to really stick with me, it needs to have two qualities. First, the track has to possess a strong, memorable hook. But even more important than that, the song needs an addictive beat. … Continue reading
As popular as Jessi has become for her rapping and, well, general persona, it’s sometimes easy to forget that her real forte is as a vocalist. She’s reminded us of this through solo releases here and there, but those songs have generally been pretty forgettable when compared to her work as part of hip-hop group Lucky J … Continue reading
No matter what concept they’ve come back with, I’ve always found JJCC’s songs to be pretty middling. Maybe it’s their connection with Jackie Chan (hardly a music taste maker), but I’ve never been able to take them very seriously as a kpop group. That said, the Duble Sidekick-composed ToDay is a big step in the right direction. … Continue reading
Fiestar are on the cusp of renewed interest, thanks to notable variety show stints from members Yezi and Cao Lu. It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that Mirror continues the sultry, midtempo sound of last year’s not-so-successful You’re Pitiful rather than opting for a reinvention (or return to the fun sound of One … Continue reading
Of all of YG Entertainment’s active artists, Lee Hi has been denied a comeback the longest. Though she’s collaborated with others more recently, it’s been since 2013 that we’ve heard solo material. A wait like this does nothing but build expectations sky high. With Seoulite, she’s returned with two title tracks. Do either of them … Continue reading
What’s with these AOA subunits and solos having such cringeworthy titles? I mean, I know it’s an English translation, but first we have “I’m Jelly, Baby” and now “Call You Bae.” Talk about appropriating the worst of western slang! Still, Jimin’s last solo track was called Puss (!), so I guess I should have tempered … Continue reading
Paldang is a Dam built on Korea’s Han River, but in this funky new single from Eddy Kim and Beenzino, it’s simply a roadblock for girls to “rush over like water” on their way to a good time. The single cover even depicts a waterfall of long, dyed blue hair. As metaphors go, it’s basically … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 