Melody Day have dabbled in a variety of genres since their debut in 2014, most recently with the jazzy r&b of last year’s Color. That track had a surprisingly sneaky earworm of a hook that served it well in the long run, so I was curious what they would come up with next. When first … Continue reading
Over the past few years, BTS have been churning out showstopping singles with an almost inhuman regularity, rightfully earning their place as k-pop’s biggest international breakthrough. New single Spring Day (봄날) comes only three months after their superb Blood, Sweat and Tears, and represents a shift in sound well-suited to these cold winter months. Releasing a big, sweeping … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. When SF9 secured the path to their eventual debut on … Continue reading
Though they’ve never found the mainstream success their music warrants, Cross Gene has been a reliably strong k-pop group since their debut in 2012. For their latest Korean release, they’ve mashed two pre-release tracks into one hybrid title track. The approach is more interesting than enjoyable. I felt the same way when Shinee experimented with this idea … Continue reading
Though it grew on me a bit as time went on, I’m still not a big fan of SF9’s debut single. Regardless of that, the group has already cultivated a nice fan base out of the gate and are clearly on the track to become a big player in this new generation of k-pop. New … Continue reading
Though members Zico and Park Kyung have made waves as solo artists, Block B‘s group comebacks are becoming more and more infrequent. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost three years since they gave us a song as bright and upbeat as 2014’s HER. But with the rollicking Yesterday, they’ve finally revisited this style. The … Continue reading
Though new debuts by k-pop groups are always exciting, I’d argue that their follow-up release is even more important. When making a first impression, investments are high. But the real test is whether a group can keep up the quality, especially when it comes to rookies from small agencies. MASC impressed with debut track Strange last … Continue reading
Shinee‘s j-pop material has always been stronger than many of their peers, but their new album Five is especially solid. Bolstered by a heavy dose of bombastic funk, most of its tracks see the group moving towards a big, uptempo party vibe that contrasts with their more experimental, nuanced work last year in Korea. Get … Continue reading
Rookie group IMFACT were frustratingly managed in their debut year, suffering a fate that has affected many new acts before them. Rather than establish a distinct sound, they pin-balled between the upbeat novelty of debut Lollipop and the tuneless, swagger-on-steroids of Feel So Good. Neither were particularly great songs, and both seemed built to appeal to vastly … Continue reading
As her group Miss A continues to exist in an uncertain position somewhere between hiatus and disbandment, Suzy has finally made her full-fledged solo debut with the JYP-produced Yes No Maybe. But even though the song is part of her debut mini album, she’s been one of k-pop’s most famous idols for some time, spurred on … Continue reading
It seems like these past couple of months have been riddled with farewell songs. Bigbang‘s Last Dance kicked things off as a goodbye to an era, and just this week we had I.O.I’s final track. But none seems quite as definitive as 2NE1‘s Goodbye (안녕). When they were active, 2NE1 were my favorite k-pop girl group, … Continue reading
Continuing the trend of veteran acts making comebacks, Rain has released his first new material since 2014’s Rain Effect. Though he hasn’t been all that active these past couple of years, Rain’s legacy of music is ensconced in every fiber of today’s modern k-pop. As with other artists of his stature, he runs the risk … Continue reading
The world of k-pop girl groups is general pretty uniform. I often hear people complain that all boy group songs sound the same, but I’d argue that that’s even more common when it comes to the girls. In 2016, a specific blend of cutesy and quirky became especially prevalent, resulting in some tremendous songs but also … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. The year is still very, very young, but in the … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Despite not being entirely in line with what I would … Continue reading
Despite their relative newness to the genre, DAY6 are the idol rock band to beat at the moment. Their two mini albums have been consistently great, and the only thing that’s really held them back has been a lack of steady releases. So when it was announced that the group would be putting out a … Continue reading
I remember how severely disappointed I was the first time I heard NCT 127’s Fire Truck. I came away feeling that it was nothing more than a bunch of noise, squandering the drop-dead gorgeous vocals of a song like Without You in an effort to catch trends and present a swag-filled, hip-hop image. Several months … Continue reading
Like many freshly debuted rookies, Top Secret is composed of a mix of total newbies and former members of disbanded groups. But that’s not what makes them interesting to me. My excitement to hear debut single She spawns entirely from the fact that the song is composed by Sweetune. That’s honestly all I needed to hear. This … Continue reading
Last time we heard from rookie girl group April, they were dancing around with an egg (seriously…) and singing about fairies. It feels like these things can only happen in k-pop. Since then, the group has lost a member and gained two more. They really have seemed to be in flux since their debut in … Continue reading
Cosmic Girls’ Secret (their first single with I.O.I’s Yeonjung), was the type of pop song that sounded pleasant — if a bit benign — on first listen, but grew into something quite spectacular the longer it stayed around. Songs like these are especially hard to review after only a day or so of release, and Secret‘s … Continue reading
