As popular as it has been, Twice’s Japanese material has left a lot to be desired thus far. Pursuing a hyper cutesy motif, it’s only seemed to accentuate the group’s most cloying instincts. But the teasers for BDZ — the lead single from their first full J-pop album — seemed to promise something more mature. … Continue reading
As Snuper’s Korean success begins to stall, it seems as though they’re being shipped out to every territory imaginable to help garner an international following. This has proven especially fruitful in Japan, where they’ve enjoyed surprising popularity by embracing J-pop’s more idiosyncratic sounds. Summer Magic (夏のMagic) is their third original single for the Japanese market, … Continue reading
Even though a large portion of SM Entertainment’s Station releases tend to be unadventurous ballads, I’ve missed the weekly infusion of new music since season two of the project wrapped in April. For the kickoff of Station’s third season (called Station X O), SM has brought out the big guns. Page 0 pairs Taeyeon with … Continue reading
After what’s seemed like endless delays, DIA is finally back with their first album in ten months. And for title track WooWoo, they’ve paired once again with established producer Shinsadong Tiger, who’s already brought Momoland massive 2018 success by returning to a bright, synth-infused dancefloor template. In contrast, WooWoo slows things down with heavy influence … Continue reading
With over 2,300 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the … Continue reading
After a few years of immense growth, K-pop hasn’t seen all that many notable debuts so far in 2018. The industry has become more infatuated with limited run project groups and sub-units, many of which are connected to an audition or survival show. New boy group D-Crunch (short for Diamond Crunch, which sounds less perverse … Continue reading
By their very nature, ballads are difficult to write at length about. The vast majority follow a similar template, with a greater focus on performance and sentiment than novel production touches. But, when a ballad hits, it hits big. This was the case for BTOB’s late-career breakout It’s Okay, which reinvented them as a compelling … Continue reading
It’s hard to believe that VIXX have been a part of the K-pop landscape for six years already. That’s senior artist territory, and they continue to lead the pack with their dynamic concepts and ever-shifting genre experimentation. With this elder statesman status comes inevitable solo work. The group’s rapper, Ravi, has already released a few … Continue reading
Laboum’s consistently strong singles run has never really settled on one defining sound, making it difficult for the group to differentiate themselves from their competition. We last heard from them one year ago, when they released a quintessentially generic (yet fun) girl group summer single. In contrast, Between Us (체온) finds them reinventing their sound … Continue reading
FTIsland have been a staple of the K-pop landscape for over ten years now. Having debuted so young, none of the members have yet embarked on their two-year military conscription, making their music a reliably steady presence. This consistency of comebacks threatens to blunt excitement for new material. After all, “absence makes the heart grow … Continue reading
In an unexpected twist, rookie group IN2IT seem to be finding their niche with a campy, concept-driven brand of dance pop. April’s Snapshot introduced this style with its catwalk appeal and voguing choreography. Now, the group has doubled down on the flamboyant fun with head-turning title track Sorry For My English. As the title of … Continue reading
As much as I complain about tropical house’s takeover of K-pop, there are a few acts who get a pass. KARD is one of them. Variations of the tropical sound have been their thing since pre-debut, so their continued reliance on the style doesn’t feel as patronizing as other groups. With that said, they’ve already … Continue reading
Amidst all of the tropical, synth-soaked dance pop, K-pop’s summer usually offers at least a couple moments of counter-programming. A ballad here, or some moody hip-hop there. Soloist Jeong Sewoon flipped expectations by releasing a very summery sounding single back in January, and has now returned with a jazzy mid-tempo that more strongly recalls wintertime. … Continue reading
The rise of Kim Chungha has been astonishing to watch. While she finished in the top four of Produce 101‘s first season, she always seemed to be overshadowed by some of the bigger personalities of her I.O.I group members. Yet, while many Produce-related girl groups struggle to find their place in K-pop’s crowded marketplace, Chungha … Continue reading
Back in 2016, it felt like Ladies’ Code were on the cusp of a resurgence, rising from tragedy with a newly matured sound. But then 2017 passed with no new music from the girls. And in the ever-fickle world of K-pop, a year might as well be a lifetime. It’s refreshing, then, to hear the … Continue reading
In one of the year’s most unexpected collaborations, pop group The Boyz has returned with a song written and produced by Block B’s Park Kyung. Kyung has already composed a lot of material for his own group and for himself, but this is the first time he’s created a song for an outside act. I … Continue reading
Before there was Gugudan, there were Sejeong, Mina and Nayoung, who made a splash during the first evaluation of Produce 101 season one. Their performance unleashed vocal firepower, but their work in Gugudan has mostly failed to show this off. However, that’s what sub-units are for. On one hand, the fact that Gugudan has spawned … Continue reading
Though not many people gave it the time of day, Target released a solid single album last January with the help of producers Sweetune. My hope was that the group would gradually build on this sound in the way that Snuper did last year, but Target has switched up collaborators for new single Is It … Continue reading
The competition for Korea’s girl group song of summer is incredibly tight this year, with almost every big name throwing their hat in the ring. Twice has an edge based on their name recognition and chart success alone, even if they’re not strictly known for summery material. I still maintain that last year’s album track … Continue reading
Over the course of her career, Jessi has had a chameleon-like persona as an artist. She’ll release a stark, emotional ballad only to follow it up with a hard hitting hip-hop track. Her larger than life personality has often overshadowed her versatility, but she’s also suffered from material that hasn’t always felt very original. For … Continue reading
