I can’t overemphasize the shiver that went down my spine when I pressed play on PICKUS’s debut track Little Prince and was met with the tune from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Nursery rhyme interpolations are my kryptonite, and this set expectations quite low. Fortunately, the actual song is a fun blast of upbeat pop — … Continue reading
It took some time, but EPEX have finally found a sound that suits them. I’ve become more enamored with their newest title track Youth2Youth by the day, and follow-up Breathe In Love doubles down on its emotive, rock-infused style. Both songs have a satisfying arc, taking their time to deliver a full musical story and … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. BOYNEXTDOOR don’t necessarily have a big … Continue reading
New girl group Unicode is unique in that all its members are Japanese. I’m not sure how that’s going to serve them in an industry that feels quite insular, but their agency has been smart to give them a quintessentially Korean sound for debut single Let Me Love (돌아봐줄래). Most pertinent to my interests, the … Continue reading
I don’t know if there’s actual correlation between the two, but ever since Johnny’s Entertainment rebranded into Starto Entertainment, I’ve had a hard time falling in love with their music. Maybe it’s an A&R thing, or maybe it’s simply a symptom of a changing industry environment. Whatever it is, recent songs by some of my … Continue reading
I may be showing my age here, but when I hear the phrase “Earth, Wind & Fire” I only think of one thing. BOYNEXTDOOR don’t strike me as the funk disco type, but they did begin to win me over with last year’s addictive But Sometimes. They’ve got a swaggering energy that feels more natural … Continue reading
The music video for Kis-My-Ft2’s newest single has been out for a few days, but I’ve been holding off on writing about it because I honestly couldn’t decide how I felt about the song. For those who have never heard of this group, they boast my favorite J-pop discography, largely due to songs like this … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. It’s so nice to have ONF … Continue reading
Despite making their debut in 2020, I’ve never written about a Rolling Quartz song on the blog before. Korean rock bands like this fall into a unique category. They often perform on weekly music shows alongside idols, but their music and promotion has an approach that feels more indie. Whatever you want to call it, … Continue reading
EPEX’s material has been pretty hit or miss for me, but digging deeper into their song credits the group has worked frequently with (most of) the team that’s crafted The Wind’s discography. I’ve got my eyes on these producers, and for new single Youth2Youth (청춘에게) they seem to have brought a bit of that soaring, … Continue reading
If we imagine the K-pop industry as a shopping street, ONF’s music is that quirky little boutique sandwiched between big box stores. Their continued pairing with producer Hwang Hyun has resulted in a discography that — while varied in sound — boasts a consistent character and perspective. This has made them the only K-pop act … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I was probably a little hard … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Tomorrow is TXT’s most consistent album … Continue reading
ILY:1’s past few comebacks have traded in the kind of post-GFriend/Lovelyz “innocent” sound not found often in today’s girl groups. The song have been facsimiles, but nostalgic ones. Now, the group has taken an edgier swerve with the funky dance pop of new single IMMM. And for the first minute or so I was convinced … Continue reading
Kiss Of Life made a notable debut last summer with multiple solo releases leading up to a full group track. It was a mixed bag musically, but offered glimpses of how exciting they might sound in the future. So far, their material hasn’t quite lived up to that promise, but new single Midas Touch rekindles … Continue reading
One huge difference between the K-pop and J-pop markets is the presence of rock music in idol culture. Obviously, there are rock groups in Korea that perform on weekly idol music shows, but the genre is far less present in the mainstream. Because of this, project group QWER’s sound feels much more Japanese. They even … Continue reading
As is common these days, VVUP made a “pre-debut” last month with the inert Doo Doom Chit. Presumably, they’ve saved their strongest material for their actual debut and title track Locked On is definitely an improvement upon its predecessor. That probably won’t be enough to distinguish themselves from the girl group crowd, but there’s potential … Continue reading
TXT’s comebacks have been divided between series of albums and special “minisodes” that offer brief breaks from the lore. This branding doesn’t really affect the music. There have been highlights from both formats. The group found especially solid footing in 2021 when their title tracks embraced angsty pop/rock. The teasers for new single Deja Vu … Continue reading
Upon hearing Chungha’s new single album, many commented that opener I’m Ready felt more like a title track than the playful sing-talk of Eenie Meanie. I agree, and judging by the virality of I’m Ready‘s newly-released promo video, it may end up having the last laugh after all. I’m Ready finds Chungha firmly back on … Continue reading
With over 4,000 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 … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 