At their best, E’Last have offered an ultra-dramatic take on K-pop, fueled by orchestral strings and inventive song structures that feel almost like musical theater. Over the years, they’ve drifted from that early sound, most recently in the form of Kiss Me Baby‘s funk energy. New single Gasoline returns to darker textures but fails to … Continue reading
After completing their lengthy fantasy-themed series, Kingdom have undergone a branding change with new team name “The KingDom.” Apparently, their lore dictates they now exist in the present era where capital-letters-in-the-middle-of-words is completely normal. As cool as their fantasy influences were, I tended to prefer their more contemporary b-sides so this rebrand isn’t unwelcome. With … Continue reading
A few weeks ago, Mamamoo’s Solar released a teaser of what appeared to be her take on a drag anthem. That song turns out to be the opener of her new album Colours and hasn’t yet been promoted with a full video. Instead, we have title track But I — a total genre shift into … Continue reading
What did poor 82MAJOR do to deserve a comeback on the same day as both Seventeen and IVE? It’s hard to see how new single Choke (촉) doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, though maybe they’re hoping a rising tide will lift all boats. The song’s rubbery bass definitely deserves attention, even if the song … Continue reading
Best-Of compilation albums are uncommon in K-pop, but if any group deserves to have their singles bundled into an anthology it’s Seventeen. They’ve been releasing bangers since 2015, though I’ve found their more recent work harder to get into. This album features four new songs — each of which will be getting a music video … Continue reading
One thing about The Bias List is that — even if agencies are coming apart at the seams and the industry is on fire — I try my best to filter out the noise and laser focus on the music. I guess I’m that meme of the dog sitting at a table in a burning … Continue reading
That’s one heck of a song title, isn’t it? In my opinion, it needs at least four more exclamation marks. Love, Love, Love Love Love! is the third promoted track from n.SSign’s newest album, originally released all the way back in February. On first listen, it was my favorite of the three but that didn’t … Continue reading
ARTMS are blitzing the market with pre-release songs before dropping their debut album. At its best, this strategy offers multiple jumping on points for new fans. If one track doesn’t hit with you, another is bound to compensate. I’m still hoping this project will deliver a song or two for me, because so far I’m … Continue reading
I feel compelled to open this song review with an apology to Lee Jinhyuk. I write about his comebacks because I write about any notable K-pop comeback, but he and I seem to exist on separate musical wavelengths. I’m not sure there’s ever been a Lee Jinhyuk solo track I’ve fully enjoyed. I loved him … Continue reading
When writing about Yuqi’s pre-release Could It Be several weeks ago, I was hoping we’d hear more edgy rock influences from her title track. After all, 2021’s Bonnie & Clyde remains a high water mark for both her and (G)I-DLE. With the release of Freak, I (sort of) got what I hoped for, though it’s … Continue reading
Kim Woojin — formerly of Stray Kids — has crafted an enduring solo career, teaming with big name producers like Ryan Jhun to deliver solid grooves that echo the successes of other K-pop soloists. I Like The Way is the latest in this line and it’s as enjoyable as it is generic. There’s nothing here … Continue reading
Now that the expansion of the NCT project has ended and its first member has enlisted in the military, I predict we’ll see more solo work from the guys. This has been a long time coming. There’s a wealth of talent under the sprawling NCT umbrella. Doyoung’s voice has always been one of my favorite … Continue reading
I haven’t been keeping up with idol band ONEWE and didn’t realize two of its members had been discharged from the military earlier this year. Yonghoon and Kanghyun are back for the group’s new track and they’ve certainly been missed. Beautiful Ashes (추억의 소각장) sees the guys continuing where they left off, though it’s a … Continue reading
In what’s becoming a clear pattern, ILLIT are the latest HYBE-associated K-pop act to see record-breaking success on the charts with their debut Magnetic. Many fans have become upset about their persistent comparisons to NewJeans, but although the details may be unique for each act, I think the observation is apt. We need a name … Continue reading
With the new LOONA-adjacent act ARTMS steadily releasing music, the renamed Loossemble are here to offer their own addition to the ever-expanding LOONAverse. Last year’s re-debut Sensitive showed promise, and new single Girl’s Night builds on that with a blast of feel-good fun. The song is still firmly within their wheelhouse, powered by muted synth … Continue reading
DKZ are the latest K-pop group to release an album called “Reboot.” For whatever reason, these “reboots” have a really great track record, resulting in super strong work from Wonder Girls, Golden Child and Treasure. But this time around, I’m not really sure what DKZ are rebooting. Title track Like A Movie sounds like it … Continue reading
The lead-up to ARTMS’s debut album promises a number of tracks and videos, quickly establishing the lore it took over a year for creative director Jaden Jeong to craft with LOONA. This kicked off with intro track Birth, which felt more like a series of ideas than a full-fledged song. New track Flower Rhythm is … Continue reading
K-pop loves nothing more than to run a trend into the ground. You’ll get a fresh, exciting debut track (ITZY, NewJeans) only to see years of middling copies that suck all the charm from the sounds you first fell in love with. We’re currently in an age of what many have called “easy listening” girl … Continue reading
Three years ago, (G)I-DLE’s Yuqi released the brilliant Bonnie & Clyde — a pummeling piece of pop/rock with the driving energy of a dance track. That song utilized her husky tone in ways we rarely hear from (G)I-DLE’s work, making me long for more solo work. That era is finally upon us with a mini … Continue reading
Catch The Young’s debut song ended up growing on me over time, but my biggest impression was that the track was very strong but the performance left something to be desired. Funny enough, follow-up Voyager has the exact opposite problem. The guys sound much more comfortable here and the vocal performance is way more polished, … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 