AB6IX are back today with their third full-length album. This comes during the year of their contract renewal. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do. After a strong commercial start, the group has occupied a mid-to-low tier space that sees them consistently releasing music but rarely making any waves. New single … Continue reading
Seventeen’s Hoshi may be away from the industry serving his mandatory military enlistment, but that doesn’t stop music from being released. New single Baby, Honey (아기자기) surprise drops on a Saturday, which is quite unusual for K-pop. Maybe more plugged-in Hoshi fans than I can explain if there’s specific significance to the date March 14th. … Continue reading
Thus far in their career, Odd Youth have favored chirpy sing-talk and zealous chants. Needless to say, this isn’t a combination that tends to appeal to me, but they’re now over a year into promotions and it’s time to move things in a slightly more streamlined direction. Babyface does just that, maintaining their youthful energy … Continue reading
Rookies AtHeart returned with a dull pre-release last month, making me hope they’d saved their best material for their album’s title track. Butterfly Doors offers a slightly different taste, but sadly I remain underwhelmed by the music. This song marries several youthful elements (nursery rhyme melodies in the verses — icy, music box-esque synth) with … Continue reading
Rookies Baby DONT Cry have a new mini album on the horizon, but like so many of their peers they’re kicking off promotions with a pre-release. I enjoyed their last title track I DONT CARE quite a bit and Shapeshifter continues its pop-forward sound, sadly leaving the anthemic synths behind. The energy is less bombastic … Continue reading
One thing that’s surprised me most about 2026 in K-pop is the sheer number of active bands in the idol industry. It feels like everyone’s strapping on a guitar these days — or maybe they’ve all just been making comebacks/debuts during the first few months of the year. Dragon Pony were ahead of the trend, … Continue reading
LOONA spin-off Loossemble are currently without an agency, unable to release new music since 2024. As a salve for anxious fans, their youngest member YeoJin has returned today with a solo track. Sugar Talk will likely please those in the mood for a vibey LOONAVERSE track, even if it sounds like “easy listening” to me. … Continue reading
It’s been more and more common for groups to film music videos for follow up tracks. It’s a great way for rookies to keep their name in public discourse and have one more chance for a legitimate hit right out of the gate. Just a couple of weeks since their debut, DAILY:DIRECTION are already back … Continue reading
Onew’s prolific streak as a solo artist continues with another mini album. His solo work has largely shifted between ballads and quirky (but subdued) dance tracks. New single Tough Love splits the difference, moving between moments of vocal heft and jagged electronic breakdowns. At the very least, this music is more interesting than what most … Continue reading
MADEIN’s recent comeback repainted them as rockers. The song didn’t enjoy much longevity on my own playlist, but I appreciated their embrace of a different sound in K-pop’s current girl group landscape. Now, they’ve released a music video for follow-up track PUNG, which is far more reserved in both sound and execution. I’m actually kind … Continue reading
WOODZ’s enormous success with Drowning came at an interesting time, when he was on hiatus due to military conscription and couldn’t immediately capitalize upon the track’s unlikely chart rise. Since returning, he’s released several new songs but nothing has yet recaptured Drowning‘s fortunes. Now, he’s back with his first full album — a sprawling seventeen-track … Continue reading
I’m not looking out for new Infinite music with the ferocity I once was, so I didn’t even realize it’s been such a long time since leader Kim Sung Kyu released a new album. It’s been almost three years, and last month’s pre-release Over It re-introduced his rock side under new label Billions. That sound … Continue reading
A BLACKPINK comeback still feels like a big event in K-pop. Not only do they release music infrequently, but that music tends to have a uniquely global appeal that makes it a hit all around the world. Despite some initial hesitations, I warmed to last year’s Jump quite a bit and it became one of … Continue reading
Around this time last year, One Pact delivered a sneaky little hit in the form of 100. That light funk sound fit them well, but they never followed up with something similar. One year later, new title track Sane couldn’t be any more different. Sane plays with heavy textures, clobbering the listener with walls of … Continue reading
It seems that OnlyOneOf are no more, but in their place we have new group QQQ, comprised of members KB and Nine and former member Love. Usually, a splintering like this would be cause for worry, but OnlyOneOf were well-known for their self-composed music and the masterminds behind it are in this group. K-pop could … Continue reading
AtHeart debuted last summer with Plot Twist, whose title of course reminds me of another iconic K-pop song of recent years. Unfortunately, their sound was less iconic, echoing many current girl group trends. It’s been a too-long hiatus between releases for such a new act, so I was eager to see if this break resulted … Continue reading
In between conquering Korean charts with their title track and album Blue Valentine, NMIXX have maintained an unlikely collaboration with Brazilian drag artist Pabllo Vittar. This pairing sounds more fun than the actual music it has spawned, but it’s always nice when K-pop agencies remember that “global outreach” doesn’t automatically mean going to America. And … Continue reading
With K-pop so inactive this year, we haven’t seen many big debuts. I’m not sure DAILY:DIRECTION counts as “big,” either. After all, they’re only the first act to emerge from their agency ODDWAVE. However, many of the members are already known to fans. We’ve got guys from NINE.i, Mirae, Boys II Planet and B:MY BOYZ. … Continue reading
Even as its members begin to enlist, NCT’s enormous universe guarantees there will be plenty of music regardless of how many performers may be on hiatus. As the brand’s youngest group, NCT Dream is still very much active, but even they have joined in on the sub-unit approach with NCT JNJM — a duo consisting … Continue reading
As SM Entertainment’s bid for fifth-gen girl group domination, Hearts2Hearts had a slow start but have charted progressively better with each comeback. New single RUDE! arrives with plenty of hype, not only because of the group’s potential but also because it finally breaks a late-winter hiatus for the industry. So far, my favorite Hearts2Hearts track … Continue reading
