Girl group Majors is a semi-rebranding of the short-lived ANS. Their company is confidently calling this debut “the beginning of legend,” which is all well and good until you misspell “biginning” on the album artwork. Oops! (edit: the agency fixed it after this review was published) But, those kind of quirks are a fun hallmark … Continue reading
Girl group G-reyish has been around for nearly four years now, and it’s always a pleasant surprise when they pop up with a new comeback. We don’t get to hear from them often. In fact, we didn’t hear from them at all in 2020. At its best, their music conjures memories of the fun, retro … Continue reading
This whole “Universe app” business makes it tricky to decide whether or not to review a song! Park Jihoon and Lee Hi’s Call U Up is the latest track to be released through the platform, which means its music video is inaccessible for embedding here. In fact, I haven’t even seen it yet. We’ll have … Continue reading
Barring a few exceptions, MCND’s music tends to take awhile to grow on me. What initially feels loud and obnoxious becomes a total earworm over time. This happened with both Ice Age and Crush. I find that it also helps to watch the guys perform the songs. They have such gleeful stage presence that it’s … Continue reading
Once buoyed by the bright energy of rookiedom, VERIVERY have since taken a darker musical path, abandoning their funky new jack swing roots for edgier concepts. I blame it on that creepy game of hide-and-seek they played during the Tag Tag Tag summer of 2019. Something weird happened in that dusty old house. Tsk tsk … Continue reading
After the unexpected viral success of Gang, Rain has reaffirmed his musical legacy by collaborating with the right people. First up was the summer smash Beach Again, performed alongside Lee Hyori and Yoo Jaesuk. Then, he paired with longtime mentor Park Jinyoung for the addictive new jack swing of Switch To Me. And on the … Continue reading
Enough of you asked for it, and who am I to deny? It’s time to dive deep into SHINee’s long-awaited comeback album Don’t Call Me, track-by-track. 1. Don’t Call Me // 2. Heart Attack // 3. Marry You // 4. CØDE // 5. I Really Want You // 6. Kiss Kiss // 7. Body Rhythm … Continue reading
ATEEZ’s years-long Treasure project remains one of K-pop’s most daring works – exciting, inventive and packed with killer songs. But so far, I’m not feeling the “Fever.” This follow-up project now has two mini albums under its belt. I thought its opening salvo, released last summer, was fine even if it felt more like a … Continue reading
N.Flying recently renewed their contracts with FNC Entertainment, ensuring years of new music from the band. With this firm foundation under their feet, this is the perfect time to stretch themselves with things like solo projects. Leader Seunghyub has participated in collaborations before, but On The Track (released under his moniker J.Don) is his first … Continue reading
Last month, GOT7 announced their departure from JYP Entertainment. And as the members started signing with other agencies, a reunion or continuation of group activities seemed more and more unlikely. Yet, out of the blue a new GOT7 youtube channel appeared this week, with leader JB (now coined “Jay B”) promising that the group isn’t … Continue reading
My love for Lucy’s music wasn’t immediate, but it bloomed big time over the course of 2020. The group is at their best when they embrace the full drama of their configuration, pulling in sweeps of theatrical violin courtesy of leader Yechan and pushing main vocal Sangyeop to utilize the full expressiveness of his rich … Continue reading
Starship Entertainment’s collaboration with Pepsi continues to bear unexpected collaborations. This time, it’s ex-Sistar member Soyou and Produce 48 girl group IZ*ONE (with rapper pH-1 thrown in for good measure). With ZERO:ATTITUDE, they’re given the kind of frothy dance pop befitting a soft drink advertisement. The track is pleasant fun, buoyed by production by popular … Continue reading
I’ve always felt that there was a thin line between trot and country music. The genres don’t really sound the same, and hail from completely different cultures. But, their emotive, confessional nature feels similar. So, what would a country song sound like if performed by a trot singer? JYP’s Corny Love Song (촌스러운 사랑노래) attempts … Continue reading
Reboots always scare me a bit, especially when attached to a group or artist that I like. I’m all for musical growth, but a “reboot” connotes something more dramatic – a shedding of an old sound in favor of something completely new. The Rampage’s upcoming album bears this troublesome name, and from the tracks we’ve … Continue reading
After his success on Produce X 101, UP10TION’s Kim Wooseok embarked on a solo career. So far, this has resulted in one mini album last May. Given its robust sales, I’m actually surprised that Top Media waited so long to give him a comeback. But better late than never, I suppose. He finally makes his … Continue reading
Whether intentional or not, SM Entertainment has established a template for debuting their newer girl groups. Open with a big, colorful dance track and follow up with a cover of a late-90’s/early 00’s Yoo Young-Jin produced song. This combination worked wonders for Red Velvet, but both Happiness and Be Natural were dynamite songs. I liked … Continue reading
Infinite’s Kim Myungsoo – better known by his stage name L – is in a nebulous position. He hasn’t officially left Infinite, yet he’s no longer part of their agency Woollim Entertainment. I’m not sure how that works regarding any future reunion, but that point is moot for a while. His special single Memory (기억과 … Continue reading
Like agency seniors Mamamoo, girl group Purple Kiss are building toward their upcoming debut with a series of pre-releases. This is a great way to showcase the group’s skills without confining them to one box, and the two songs we’ve now heard certainly display versatility. Last year’s My Heart Skips A Beat painted them as … Continue reading
IZ*ONE’s D-D-Dance has been floating around for a few days, with the official video premiering today on the Universe app (hence the “extended preview” version embedded below). The track is essentially a CF. And as the history of K-pop CFs has taught us, that means that the quality of the song could really land at … Continue reading
Oftentimes, it feels as if I appreciate the idea of a HyunA song more than the actual song itself. She’s such a fierce, charismatic performer, and has played an integral part in the last decade (and more!) of K-pop. She’s also released her fair share of classics, both as a soloist and part of girl … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 