Though it took awhile to really hit me, ZEROBASEONE’s In Bloom proved to be one of the year’s most refreshing boy group tracks. Better yet, its accompanying album laid out a consistent style and vibe for the group, merging upbeat pop with hazy, subdued production. Remnants of that sound remain on new single Crush, but … Continue reading
Earlier this year, NINE.i released one of my biggest summer standouts. A large chunk of New Mind‘s success was thanks to the Sweetune-produced magic of its title track Turn It Off, but the entire album was pop excellence. As always, this made me very eager for a follow-up. Luckily, the guys are happy to deliver … Continue reading
Epik High have a long history of notable collaborations, and many of their enduring classics feature vocals from some of K-pop’s most loved artists. But even with this in mind, I would’ve never expected them to pair with Seventeen’s Hoshi. When I see his name, I immediately picture exciting choreography. However, he proves an adept … Continue reading
There’s a long history of K-pop groups debuting in Japan, but the opposite rarely happens. I expect this to change as a new generation of Japanese groups formed and managed by Korean companies make their mark on the industry. NiziU are a JYP act and have been doing quite well for themselves in Japan and … Continue reading
Seeing Taemin at this year’s KCON reconfirmed his utter dominance as a performer. I’ve been lucky enough to watch him with SHINee a couple of times, but few artists can command a stage so completely on their own. He deserves all the hype he gets. With that said, I feel his music is beginning to … Continue reading
Riize’s Get A Guitar has proven to be a huge sleeper hit for me, alongside their very solid pre-debut track Memories. This one-two punch shot anticipation sky high for their follow-up, so when I saw the silly punnery of “Talk Saxy” coupled with the tease of an irritating Jason Derulo style sax loop, I couldn’t … Continue reading
Early visual teasers of LE SSERAFIM’s special Overwatch 2 single Perfect Night had me excited. Their 80’s aesthetic seemed to portend a concept change — maybe a successor to fellow retro girl group tracks La Di Da or I Can’t Stop Me? I mean, isn’t it time the HYBE girls turned up the synths and … Continue reading
It feels like ages since we last heard from GHOST9. After a very promising 2020 debut, the group has swerved from sound to sound — some more successful than others. But after an appearance on this spring’s Peak Time, the guys are back with a new album. Title track Ruckus is yet another transformation for … Continue reading
The idea of a K-pop debut gets more muddled by the year, with pre-releases and pre-debut tracks quite common these days. G.O.A.T doesn’t even bill itself as a proper music video, though it’s the first full taste of upcoming group ONE PACT. These guys have a lot of goodwill behind them, with every member participating … Continue reading
Proving they can (barely) walk and chew gum at the same time, Woollim Entertainment has released a special digital single from Kwon Eunbi during the lead-up to Golden Child’s latest comeback. Longtime fans of the agency will know how rare this double whammy is for the agency! Kwon Eunbi is enjoying renewed attention this year, … Continue reading
About a month after pre-release BYOB (Bring Your Own Best Friend), Billlie are back with title track DANG! (Hocus Pocus). That’s a lot of parenthesis! This one-two shot further establishes them as a quirky group who exist just outside the mainstream. DANG! enlists songwriters Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell among its team of four, and … Continue reading
Over the years, it’s become clear that the members of EXO have different musical taste than I do. For a group who has released so many K-pop classics, I haven’t connected to hardly any of their solo work. So often, the music takes a subdued, coffeehouse vibe — whether that be in the form of … Continue reading
I know it’s a placeholder, but “NCT New Team” is still weirdly literal for a group name. These six members form the long-teased Japanese unit of NCT — apparently the project’s final fixed unit. They’re scheduled to debut next year, but Hands Up offers a pre-release tease of what to expect. Fans of the NCT … Continue reading
You may have noticed my hesitancy to feature virtual or animated acts on the blog. In my mind, a company’s focus on this technology only steers them further from putting effort into the songs themselves. Maybe I’m self-flagellating by continuing to approach K-pop for the music. After all, the industry has transformed into a true … Continue reading
I can’t even process Kingdom’s Coup D’Etat without remembering the classic G-Dragon album of the same name. I also get a little self conscious because I can never remember where to place the apostrophe in “D’Etat”. Yes, this is the level of stumbling block I push through to deliver song reviews on the daily. Poor … Continue reading
YOUNITE have struggled to match the pure funk of their pre-debut single, pinballing between genres to no avail. They’ve settled on this light, airy pop sound that’s quite innocuous, and new track Love It (정했어) perfectly illustrates the limitations of this style. In short, writing about Love It is like reviewing air. Every time I … Continue reading
IVE’s singles run has been pretty bulletproof so far, but the lead-up to their first EP has underwhelmed at every step. Starship Entertainment opted to promote three new tracks with music videos, which would be awesome if each one was on the level of an After Like or I Am. Instead, pre-releases Either Way and … Continue reading
The other day, I took a retrospective look at Mamamoo’s debut track Mr. Ambiguous. It was a fun trip down memory lane, but it also reminded me that it’s been years since I’ve really connected to one of their songs. That includes solo work. The ladies are so talented and charismatic, but their recent music … Continue reading
Though we only had a pre-release to go by, I couldn’t find much in last week’s Sure Thing to convince me of 82MAJOR’s potential. It was a nice song, for sure. But these days, K-pop is overstuffed with “nice songs.” Now that they’ve made their official debut, it’s time to see what this group can … Continue reading
After two pre-releases with contrasting energies, boy group POW have finally made their official debut. Judging from their album’s highlight medley, last month’s Favorite (a grower!) sounded like the best they had to offer, leaving title track Dazzling as a curiously subdued pop track. Of course, “subdued” is in vogue this year so I guess … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 