Along with The Bias List, SF9 are celebrating their tenth anniversary. This is a big deal, as not all acts reach this milestone. And honoring its significance, the guys have released a full album of new material. In 2026, this is also a big deal! Throughout their career, SF9 have never settled on a distinct … Continue reading
Each song promoted from Dino’s alter-ego Picheolin album received a moderate to low rating on this blog, but it turns out he just released all the worst songs because I actually enjoy the rest of the project. Everyone needs to hear the awesome 80s/90s stadium rock pastiche For Jeong And Love, for starters! Then, nestled … Continue reading
HYBE has churned out new idol groups with increasing regularly over the past few years, but the newly-debuted TUIDE are the first act from subsidiary ABD, designed to solely manage girl groups. This is a welcome development, as the corporation has had a difficult time giving their girl groups anything but gimmicky slop lately. Maybe … Continue reading
When describing the concept for NCT 127’s big comeback Blingy at KCON the other week, member Jaehyun offered this fascinating word salad: “It’s uh… it’s a blingy album… ’cause we’re on a journey to find something blingy, but we figure out it’s all in our minds… with our fans too.” Okay, then! This confirms to … Continue reading
i-dle are at a tricky fork in their career where their music no longer becomes an instant chart sensation yet they retain a large enough fan base to keep their career chugging along. At this point, artists can either cater directly to that fanbase or continue trying to score a more mainstream hit even if … Continue reading
ENHYPEN are at an inflection point in their career, having lost member Heeseung earlier in the year as he opted for a solo career. The Sin: Bliss is their first album after this restructuring and is led by title track Bloody Paradise. To be honest, I haven’t been excited about ENHYPEN’s music in years, but … Continue reading
Though Oh My Girl remain stubbornly inactive as a group, its members occasionally release material. Mimi is the group’s rapper and has dabbled in OST tracks before, but Bish Bash Bosh is her official solo debut. The song’s retro electro-hip-hop sound offers an interesting playground for her. When K-pop goes hip-hop (which is like… always), … Continue reading
Kiss Of Life returned earlier this month with the latest in a long line of bare-bones summer tracks, capturing the sweltering nature of the season but refusing to do much as an actual song. However, this group often releases special videos for their b-sides and are already back with a video for the more abrasive, … Continue reading
ONEWE are so prolific that, for me, their title tracks tend to blend into one another and can be difficult to write about in any meaningful way. But listening to the highlight medley for their new, mammoth 17-track album, it seems like they’re pushing into a more uptempo, rocking sound. This is what I’ve often … Continue reading
OURBIRTHDAY make their official debut today under JYP subsidiary INNIT Entertainment. This follows a truly diabolical pre-release that dampened my hopes for their eventual sound. Thankfully, Squeezy is a small step up. The song largely jettisons the annoying sing-chant approach of Hungry for a funkier, old-school approach. This doesn’t mean that Squeezy is any huge … Continue reading
If you don’t count G-Dragon’s 2024 collaboration with bandmates Taeyang and Daesung, I haven’t written about a new Bigbang track since 2022. This makes BiiiG a pretty big deal, but also a bittersweet one. The band has now been cleaved down to three members, making this feel more like a sub-unit than a long-sought reunion. … Continue reading
While it goes without saying that we all miss the full 9-member ZEROBASEONE, I actually think they work insanely well as a five piece. Much of this is down to intention. It feels like — to a certain extent — they’ve gone from a (very good) MNET survival group to a longterm K-pop act with … Continue reading
BOYNEXTDOOR have several distinct modes to their songwriting, and they’ve found the most success with a hyperactive indie-pop sound best characterized by last year’s blockbuster If I Say, I Love You. A few months ago, they were ddok ddok ddoking in their homeland and now they’re Boom Boom Booming in Japan. However, this single might … Continue reading
Sometimes I debate whether I should be covering Katseye at all on this blog. Despite emerging from HYBE, they’re not really “K-pop” in any sense and I haven’t enjoyed their music enough to ever feature it on a “global round-up” post. Yet, you can’t deny the influence they’ve had on a certain type of K-pop, … Continue reading
In the midst of a series of high-profile American promotions, TXT’s Yeonjun has released a follow-up music video for the track Fxxking Star from his newest album. It always cracks me up when artists use an “x” to self-censor a cuss word because it pretty much confirms they’re using the language as aesthetic branding with … Continue reading
FNC band AxMxP debuted last year with a rock-meets-hip-hop sound. While this isn’t a new approach in K-pop, it gave the guys a bit of distinction within an agency stuffed with similar bands. Since then, their sound has softened a great deal and that continues on new single 10 Reasons To Date Me (나를 만나야 … Continue reading
Rookie SM girl group Hearts2Hearts are throwing their hat in the J-pop ring with their first original Japanese single. Iconic Heart arrives on the heels of a very successful 2026 in Korea. The group’s bright pop sound seems tailor-made for Japanese tastes, but Iconic Heart lacks the effusive hooks of their best work. Right off … Continue reading
The members of Astro have churned out solo material pretty regularly despite the group being inactive. Rocky’s work has been a mixed bag so far and I often find myself appreciating b-sides more than the title tracks. Judging by the highlight medley of his newest album, I predict this disparity will continue. Fake It opts … Continue reading
Every so often, SM Entertainment releases “track” videos for songs that aren’t the main focus of a promotional campaign but serve to build hype. Often, these videos spotlight only a portion of a song, but sometimes they encompass the entire thing. NCT 127 are gearing up for their tenth anniversary comeback. They’re down to five … Continue reading
When last we heard from WayV, they marked the winter season with a 90s hip-hop track. Hip-hop has become a bigger part of their ouevre in general, taking a more streamlined approach than the hulking vocal drama and theatrical arrangements of years past. New single Vision Wings (鸢) continues this overall trend but adds traditional … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 