All of a sudden, it feels like a certain type of EDM has taken over K-pop — or at the very least taken over HYBE Corporation. This isn’t an unwelcome development in my eyes (anything to kick up the industry’s tempo a bit!), but we haven’t yet arrived at the anthemic, melodic, euphoric early-2010s EDM … Continue reading
The Bias List is currently churning out new “A Career in Song Ratings” posts, where I rank established artists’ singles runs against each other. When I eventually get to B1A4, they’ll be one of the few groups I split into two entities. For me, there’s such a difference between the five-member version of B1A4 and … Continue reading
Super Junior’s Donghae has released his first full album today, preceded by the lukewarm Good Day (which I thought sounded like a commercial jingle). However, the album’s highlight medley sounded more promising and the clip of title track HAErise (해 떴네) definitely caught my ears for its dancefloor-ready sound. When the unit Super Junior-D&E first … Continue reading
Late last year, Boys Planet spin-off group EVNNE became permanent, though this came at the expense of two members. Now a five-piece, they’ve reoriented their sound to fit the trends of the day. If new single Backtalk (뱉어) is any indication, their A&R team has noted the success of Cortis’s rage hip-hop and decided to … Continue reading
NCT Wish debuted just over two years ago but have already beaten many of their 2023-24 peers to the punch when it comes to releasing a full album. SM Entertainment is usually pretty generous with their full albums, and I wonder if that’s because the agency’s genesis came at a time when full albums were … Continue reading
Anderson .Paak has become a go-to global collaborator for K-pop acts. In recent years, he’s paired with G-Dragon and BTS’s RM. Now, he’s joined forces with NCT’s Taeyong, who makes his return from military hiatus with new solo single Rock Solid. Given that 2026 is NCT’s tenth anniversary, I expect we’ll see many more special … Continue reading
Yves’s solo career has been marked by collorations with buzzy global artists. When last we saw her on this blog, she paired with PinkPantheress — an artist with outsized influence on the current state of K-pop’s girl groups. For new single Nail, she’s teamed up with American singer Lolo Zouaï. The song doesn’t stray too … Continue reading
It’s not often that a K-pop track demands attention from its title alone, but I certainly did a double take when I spotted the name of Wheein’s new single The Symphony Of Fxxkboys. Not only is it a bold statement for a relatively conservative industry, but its unexpected combination of words instantly makes you wonder … Continue reading
Throughout their career, HITGS’s music has often hinged upon deliberately cheesy and chintzy sounds. Their early work felt as if it was composed for a kid’s show, but last year’s Happy teased a more mature (and satisfying) transformation. New single Cherry Blossom continues that transformation, but in a disappointingly drowsy way. These soft songs about … Continue reading
Be Boys made their debut last year with the well-intentioned, but somewhat clumsy, I’m So Sorry But I Love You. Though I didn’t love that song, I appreciated their bright, upbeat energy and certainly have room in my library for more music of this style. New single Slam Dunk continues the youthful verve but pulls … Continue reading
It’s been too long since we last heard from ifeye, especially given their status as rookies needing to get their name out there. Their summer single R U OK? was a slow-burn hit for me, growing more addictive as the season went on and building expectations for what they might return with on future comebacks. … Continue reading
I don’t really mess with animated groups, regardless of how they were created or the story behind them. However, PLAVE have grown too big to ignore, easily competing with K-pop’s upper classmen. It helps that they have some fantastic talent working behind the scenes, even if this has rarely resulted in music I’ve gone back … Continue reading
K-pop’s “seven year curse” meant nothing to TXT, as they very quickly renewed their contracts without any publicized drama. I’ve always felt that getting past this seven year mark makes you a K-pop veteran, which is crazy because it feels like the brilliant Crown was only a few years ago. I think about that song … Continue reading
Though they didn’t release as much music as usual, &TEAM had a banner year in 2025. They officially became million sellers and made their Korean debut. This has seemed to mark a shift back into moodier music after their stellar, upbeat 2024 output. The group can sell these sounds convincingly, but I hope their increased … Continue reading
After many, many years, T.O.P finally released his full debut solo album last week. Listening through, it’s the kind of work I admire even if I don’t personally enjoy. He’s always had an idiosyncratic approach to hip-hop that I believe works better in small doses as part of a larger group. However, fans of his … Continue reading
Bands have become all the rage in K-pop this year and today we have the debut of yet another one. hrtz.wav come from Mnet’s survival series Steal Heart Club, guaranteeing a certain level of promotion from one of the industry’s leading forces. I didn’t watch the series, but certainly noted the band’s masked drummer hagiwa. … Continue reading
New group KEYVITUP must be so impressed by their silly name that they made it the title of their debut track as well. There’s power in repetition, and getting your name out to listeners is important. Their pre-debut Best One hinted at strong vocals, but (the song) KEYVITUP mostly jettisons that charm for familiar 90s … Continue reading
Since releasing the very good Love Attack in 2024, RESCENE have become a paragon of the trendy “subdued” girl group sound. I’m not sure why their producers decided not to return to Attack‘s upbeat appeal, and for me their musical trajectory has really stalled. New single Runaway doesn’t do much to change that track, though … Continue reading
The campaign for BTS’s ARIRANG album continues unabated with the release of another music video. This time, Hooligan gets its time in the spotlight. This track was promoted with dance challenges even before the debut of its video, making it feel like a co-lead track with Swim. For those looking to recapture the boisterous energy … Continue reading
Super Junior remains one of the most active groups of their stature, routinely releasing new music as a collective and as soloists. Today, Donghae is back with a new album of his own, collaborating with Jay Park and 1iL for its title track Good Day. As its title suggests, this is an upbeat, sunny stomper … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 