When last we heard from Chuu, she tried her hand at a pleasant synthpop sound. This seems to be very in trend for K-pop soloists, positioning them within the global market while still maintaining the more subdued vibe that’s taken hold of the industry’s girl group fare over the past few years. Like past efforts, … Continue reading
Super Junior sub-unit L.S.S — comprised of members Leeteuk, Shindong and Siwon — have the dubious honor of the lowest-rated SJ release on this blog. In fact, last year’s Joke is one of the lowest-rated songs in general. Their music tends to blend retro with novelty for tracks that feel more like memes than enjoyable … Continue reading
EXO’s Kai pre-released Adult Swim earlier this month, wasting extraordinary potential on a dull, spoken-word chorus. His actual comeback is still around the corner, but before that he’s surprised us with another new track. Walls Don’t Talk picks up the pace a bit and feels slightly more developed than its predecessor, but still delivers a … Continue reading
As Top Media’s first girl group, Odd Youth have their own path to pave. That path has been rocky so far — at least musically. Their output has trended toward the garish, aiming for quirky but more often landing closer to cloying. It’s nice to see a young group experiment with sounds. However, I’d prefer … Continue reading
With DRIPPIN’s future uncertain, Rocket Punch disbanded and the vast majority of Golden Child gone, I think Kwon Eunbi may be Woollim Entertainment’s only active artist. What a sad state of affairs for an agency I dearly loved. Fortunately, her popularity remains high and strong management would likely fuel that ascent. I don’t trust that … Continue reading
XG fans are spoiled for choice, as it seems the group are constantly releasing new material. They’re currently on their world tour — a fact I only know because every website I visit seems to be advertising this to me. In the midst of this, they’ve also released new single In The Rain. This track … Continue reading
Aimers are one of those under-the-radar groups who I’ve written about several times on the blog yet can’t for the life of me remember. I know they’ve released music that I’ve (at least somewhat) enjoyed, but no song has taken hold in a way that would make me easily recall it a year or two … Continue reading
Rather than opt a full comeback just yet, Kang Daniel has followed up his latest tour with digital single Mess. Billed as a “special gift” for fans, the song sees him take on the subdued, angsty rock that has gradually become a large part of his discography. Fans of this style would likely call Mess … Continue reading
Last year, WHIB surprised in a delightful way with the bright funk energy of Rush Of Joy, instantly putting them on my radar. For new single Bang Out, it seems they got that “joy” stuff out of their system and are now back to typical boy group posturing. Groups like this are what I consider … Continue reading
Oh My Girl are celebrating their tenth anniversary with special single Oh My. Ten years is a huge accomplishment for any K-pop group, and Oh My Girl’s career has seen distinct phases — from quirky newcomers to “it” girls to veteran pop act. Oh My attempts to distill many of their influences into a refreshing … Continue reading
AMPERS&ONE debuted in late-2023 with the energetic On And On and have largely maintained that upbeat sound since. Though this was a very solid debut, they’ve struggled to find material that matches or elevates its quality. Their music has been consistently solid but lacks the individual personality of a TWS or BOYNEXTDOOR. Kick Start is … Continue reading
You all know I love a bad K-pop acronym. The confusing name of newly-debuted girl group ifeye stands for “Imagine & Find Energetic Young Eyes.” Um… creepy? For me, they’re most notable for their partnership with producer Leez, who was partially responsible for guiding ATEEZ and Dreamcatcher’s early career and has made great music for … Continue reading
For the long-awaited release of Mark’s first solo album, he’s promoting with a title track named after his birth year. Birthdays aside, 1999 was an awesome year for music. Everyone was in party mode due to the impending turn of the millennium. Pop music was diverse and dominant, with MTV and TRL serving as hubs … Continue reading
ARTMS’s new single Burn was originally scheduled for release last week, but promoting a song with that title during South Korea’s wildfire emergency would be quite insensitive so they wisely pushed the release back until today. It’s ARTMS’s first promoted work since last year’s debut album and offers a sleeker, more mainstream sound. At its … Continue reading
I don’t often review music that doesn’t have an accompanying video, but every once and awhile big acts release a stand-alone single without the full promotion given to title tracks. ENHYPEN are preparing for their upcoming stint at Coachella and have released the English-language Loose prior to that milestone stage. To be honest, I don’t … Continue reading
With Kai serving his mandatory military enlistment, it’s been just over two years since I’ve gotten to write about one of his solo singles. But now that he’s back, he’s wasted no time getting into the studio. A new mini album is on the way with pre-release Adult Swim tiding us over in the meantime. … Continue reading
Though they’re primarily based in Japan, JYP girl group NiziU has global ambitions. Love Line (운명선) is their second Korean single, further establishing the girls as part of the K-pop landscape. And while it may exist between markets, the song itself borrows from girl group sounds of the past for a flavor that feels unique … Continue reading
Late last month, new Korean-American trio RE:WIND surprised me with their fantastic pre-release RE:SET. It’s so fun when an act bounds out of the gate with strong material. This track set the stage for their debut single Forever, but unfortunately I don’t find myself as bowled over this time. This is a tough one because … Continue reading
I’ll always check out K-pop’s “nugu” groups because often their music will take more risks than their bigger-named peers. However, these efforts are also constrained by budget, making the execution a bit chaotic at times. I didn’t care for boy group Eastshine’s earlier work enough to write about it, but the teasers for new single … Continue reading
K-band Lucy is down to a trio at the moment as member Gwangil serves his mandatory enlistment. Seeing them as three doesn’t seem right, but they’re plunging ahead with an upcoming new album and pre-release single Wakey Wakey (잠깨). The band have promised new things this era, but judging from this track their signature sound … Continue reading
