Despite really enjoying BOYNEXTDOOR, their past few comebacks haven’t done much for me. Then, I thought it might all be over with the blustering hip-hop pre-release ddok ddok ddok. However, that song ended up growing on me in a way a track like Hollywood Action never did, and I’m not quite sure why. Regardless, this … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away ANTI BELIEVER ATMOS‘s first four tracks form an all killer, no filler suite of stylish dance music. Like the album’s teasers promised, it’s a whistlestop tour of genres SHINee have mastered. However, each song … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away POSSIBILITY A song like Possibility, with its uplifting lyrics, could easily come across as cheesy. Yet something about SHINee’s layered vocal adds gravitas that makes the song feel much more transcendent. It’s not my … Continue reading
1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away HOURS This mini album was billed as a showcase of SHINee’s signature charm, which is really a gift for fans. If an act has mastered a sound or genre, there’s no reason not to … Continue reading
Despite being a huge presence in K-pop, I get the sense that most newer fans are not be familiar with Kim Junsu. If there’s one soloist’s discography I’d point them toward, it’s his. Songs like Flower, Tarantallegra and Rock The World should be a part of everyone’s music library. Junsu doesn’t come back often with … Continue reading
Japanese mega-girl group/collective Sakurazaka46 recently released a few stunning singles, which got me thinking about what a 20+ member group can sound like. In my mind, the music should be as immense as the configuration, and I haven’t often felt that way about tripleS’s output. Their songs feel too small for their concept, and I … Continue reading
It’s been almost a year since BoA released a Japanese single, though to be fair this is an English-language song that just happened to be released in Japan. She’s the original crossover artist, with huge hits and sprawling discographies on either side of the Sea of Japan, and we can safely add Ain’t No Hard … Continue reading
I have such mixed feelings abound aespa in 2026. They are undoubtedly one of the most influentual girl groups of this era, but their influence has been both positive and negative. Songs like Supernova and Whiplash helped usher in a higher BPM and more electronic-centered soundscape for K-pop, yet they also promoted a talk-heavy style … Continue reading
New girl group Heart Of Woman have debuted in an unusual way: with a full, thirteen-track album. This used to be a much more common approach in K-pop, but these days single albums (or even digital singles) are much more the norm — especially for new girl groups. This breadth of material offers opportunity to … Continue reading
H//PE Princess took the unusual approach of releasing their title track weeks before the mini album dropped. Stolen was a repetitive but weirdly enjoyable take on retro hip-hop, but follow-up One Day reveals a new side to the group. For an act billed as a ‘hip-hop girl group,’ they’ve got some solid vocalists on their … Continue reading
Taeyang’s new album is a mixed bag of styles, with few of them fully-realized in the way his best work has been. The strongest material hearkens back to eras past while infusing its sound with more modern touches. Such is the case with Would You, which feels like a long lost 2000s Taeyang track while … Continue reading
IDID made a quick comeback after their September debut, but left fans waiting after that. Six months later, they’re finally back with new single Fly!, melding their old-school hip-hop sound with upbeat melodies. This fits squarely within a realm of current new-gen boy group sounds where acts flip the aggressive, hard-edged hip-hop of the fourth … Continue reading
To my memory, we’ve never seen a popular K-pop group split in half and re-debut as two separate groups within a week’s time. Such is the case for the newly-reconfigured ZEROBASEONE and AND2BLE, which takes four former members and adds another. Head-to-head comparisons between the two groups will be inevitable and I wouldn’t be surprised … Continue reading
As the first act to spawn from MNET’s new era of survival series, I.O.I made their debut the same year The Bias List was founded. For as much discourse as they drove, the group really didn’t last for long. Back then, this whole process was new — including contract negotiations. I.O.I released music for just … Continue reading
NCT’s Taeyong jumped right from military enlistment to the studio, or at least that’s how it feels based on the quick release of his new album today. Maybe he’d already been working on the project pre-enlistment. He’s already teased us with pre-releases Rock Solid and Storm, each showing different facets to his sound. Now, it’s … Continue reading
Even when Bigbang were at their commercial peak, solo efforts by the members were just as important and oftentimes even more popular. In particular, G-Dragon and Taeyang ruled the zeitgeist with their respective hits, and even a decade (or more) later that nostalgia comes rushing back as soon as I hear their voices. Taeyang has … Continue reading
JYP Entertainment has been on a roll this year and as the agency released great song after great song I made a silent prayer that one of those great songs would make it to ITZY. I’ve always liked this group, but my interest in their music has waxed and waned as they struggled to find … Continue reading
A new era begins today as ZEROBASEONE make their first comeback as a newly-reconfigured five-member group. We’ve seen this approach before with Kep1er, but this situation has an extra layer of interest because the remainder of the (former) group will be re-debuting as AND2BLE in a week’s time, setting up showdown of sorts. With this … Continue reading
SeeYa were a vocal-focused trio active from 2006 to 2011. They were a big part of the K-pop landscape at the time, but not an act I’ve ever featured here since their promotional time ended before the blog began. However, the ladies have reunited for their twentieth anniversary, unveiling a new full album and title … Continue reading
A&R teams are the unsung powerhouses of K-pop and in my mind Woollim Entertainment had the best, most consistent ear for picking great songs. That’s one of the reasons it’s been so depressing to watch the agency fold into obscurity. I’m still not certain they’re equipped to make a full comeback, but today we’ve got … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 