It’s become common for idol acts to release special music videos after promotions end for their title track. This allows the albums a longer cycle and spotlights various sounds that may appeal to a wider audience. Fifty Fifty’s perky Pookie saw them aiming straight for the pop jugular, but follow-up Midnight Special offers a moodier … Continue reading
After the release of many sub-unit projects, tripleS are back with their newest full group album. Coincidentally, the name of their title track is the same question I’ve been wanting to ask the K-pop industry for most of this year. Are you alive? This song does exactly what we’ve been conditioned to expect from tripleS. … Continue reading
MEOVV pre-released their Hands Up a few weeks ago and, though the song didn’t bowl me over, I’ll admit that its chorus has stuck in my head. Now, it’s time to see what they’ve got for a title track. Drop Top was written by a variety of YG Entertainment staples, responsible for crafting the greatest … Continue reading
The sprawling Fifty Fifty saga continues with two distinct acts. The re-formatted Fifty Fifty continue to promote with label Attrakt, most recently releasing title track Pookie. Meanwhile, the three former members who left the agency amidst legal issues have re-formed and re-debuted as ablume. To be completely honest, I’ve never cared about the music enough … Continue reading
The upcoming soundtrack to F1® The Movie (which is completely outside my wheelhouse – pun intended) promises to be a star-studded affair. And in 2025, that means a bit of K-pop representation — even if it’s tangential. Rosé has certainly leapfrogged over the classification of “K-pop,” and songs like Messy push her further into the … Continue reading
P1Harmony have developed a big global following, particularly in the States. However, I’ve had a hard time connecting to their music in any reliable way. It’s funny — from music to personality to variety content — some idols are just an instant match with my personal taste while I struggle to get into others no … Continue reading
It’s hard to come into Kiss Of Life’s new digital single Live, Love, Laugh without the impact of their severely misguided livestream rattling around in your head. That event, filmed and released a few weeks ago, left a bad taste in my mouth and makes even the title “Live, Love, Laugh” feel patronizing and tone … Continue reading
Collaborations between K-pop acts and western artists are nothing new, but occasionally a track will be released and I’ll have no idea who the western artist is. American duo Joan are new to me, and I’d consider myself very in-the-know when it comes to global pop music. This makes me wonder how exactly EPEX’s agency … Continue reading
It’s a slow day (week? year??) in K-pop, so I’m going to sidestep over to the Chinese market for a moment with the debut solo single from NCT Dream’s Chenle. The song is part of a “special EP,” and given the way Chinese music is usually promoted I assume this album will be released in … Continue reading
BLACKPINK’s Lisa has been working the global press as late with a star turn on the recent season of White Lotus, performances at Coachella and The Oscars and a number of big-name collaborations. It feels like she’s really broken through, which means offers must be flying in. Now is the time to pick and choose. … Continue reading
Whenever an act releases a digital single with little lead-up time and no official comeback attached, I always assume one of two things. Either the song is too good and has too much chart potential to wait for an accompanying album, or it’s just a stop gap to get something new into the market between … Continue reading
TRENDZ have become one of my biggest frustrations in K-pop. They had such a good thing going with last year’s mega-banger Go Up, but a piecemeal approach to collaborators has resulted in music that feels haphazard and incongruous. New single Chameleon (ì¹´ë©œë ˆì˜¨) might as well have come from a totally different group than Go Up … Continue reading
After a lengthy hiatus, RIIZE are gearing up for their first full album in a few weeks’ time. Teasers have promised a strong visual component and that kicks off with today’s pre-release single Bag Bad Back. Though RIIZE’s music has been high-quality across the board so far, their sound hasn’t embraced just one style. This … Continue reading
It’s a mini Wanna One reunion as AB6IX’s Park Woojin pairs with former bandmate Ha Sungwoon for his new title track Cool & Hot. This song aside, I’ve always felt a full Wanna One reunion would be a big moment on the Korean charts. Too often, the members of Produce 101/Girls/Boys Planet groups suffer a … Continue reading
This has little to do with Fifty Fifty’s actual comeback, but the word “pookie” annoys me to no end. Over the years, it’s gone from cute little novelty nickname to a term used to show a dismissive attitude toward someone else. That connotation is absent in Fifty Fifty’s own Pookie, but the word is still … Continue reading
After a long-fought battle, Highlight have finally reclaimed their original name (Beast/B2ST) from their former agency. Even so, it seems like they’re hanging onto the Highlight moniker for promotions. They’ve promoted that way for over seven years now, which is longer than many entire idol careers. With this in mind, I guess it doesn’t make … Continue reading
Whenever I see a newly-debuted group with a long acronym for a name, I’m instantly curious what the letters stand for. The answer is usually entertaining, but “HITGS” is almost perfunctory in its meaning. “Hip, Innocent, Teenager, Girls, Story.” Yeah, that’s like a mad lib for the typical K-pop vision board. At any rate, HITGS … Continue reading
I’ve been searching for my entry point with NEXZ’s music. They’ve released material in both Korean and Japanese, befitting their status as a “global” group, but too much of it has fallen into the kind of chant-heavy swaggery peddled by so many current boy groups. Pre-release Simmer did not point a promising way forward and … Continue reading
Last year, The Black Label’s rookie girl group MEOVV released a pair of singles. Neither Meow nor Toxic did anything for me, with the first being oddly inscrutable and the second quite boring. But as they say, “the third time’s the charm,” and MEOVV are back for another try with pre-release Hands Up. Once again … Continue reading
1. Lucky To Be Loved // 2. Countdown! // 3. Random Play // 4. Freestyle // 5. Now Playing // 6. Go Back FREESTYLE This is where the album gets into a bit of trouble for me. It’s clear that most TWS albums will now have an obligatory hip-hop track, and I liked last year’s … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 