After leaving Astro, Rocky embarked on a solo career with last year’s ROCKYST and title track Lucky Rocky. I enjoyed the direction he pursued, but thought the execution could use some work. When it comes to today’s Jealousy, I’m drawn even more to Rocky’s musical direction. This style of funky synthwave-influenced pop music is very … Continue reading
B.D.U is a project group spawned from MNET’s reality show Build Up: Vocal Boy Group Survivor and consists of M.O.N.T’s Bitsaeon, CIX’s Seung Hun, One Pact’s Jay Chang and trainee Kim Minseo. While I love the idea of a show focused on K-pop’s often-underutilized vocalists, I’d rather the entire industry make a shift toward robust … Continue reading
Ex-LOONA member Chuu established a solo career late last year with a pair of singles that cast her as a synth-pop chanteuse. I can’t say I recall anything about either song, even though I remember enjoying them upon release. New track Strawberry Rush opts for something brighter and quirkier — a smart move for someone … Continue reading
SM Entertainment is having a busy Monday, with no less than three comebacks across both the Korean and Japanese market. Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk join Red Velvet and NCT Wish in celebrating new music with the release of Japanese single You&Me. And like many acts this month, they’ve opted for a bright, funky summertime … Continue reading
Sometimes I forget just how bulletproof the first five years of Red Velvet’s discography was. I’ve been less enthused with their post-2019 output, but even when the music wasn’t my cup of tea the group’s vocals still impressed. They’re one of the premiere girl groups of the last decade, and their tenth anniversary should see … Continue reading
Though NewJeans’ 2024 releases have enjoyed successful runs on the charts, there’s a growing feeling of stagnation with their music. You can only do ‘breezy cool’ so many times before the songs start to blend into one another. It’s time to inject a new genre influence, and the New Jack Swing of Supernatural may be … Continue reading
aespa’s Supernova is smashing the charts in unexpected ways, far surpassing the effect of their album’s actual title track. I’m happy to see this, as I’d love SM Entertainment (and girl groups in general) to fully embrace this upbeat electro sound. Apparently, the Korean listening public is of the same mind! However, I found Supernova‘s … Continue reading
Kwon Eunbi remains a bright spot in Woollim Entertainment’s dwindling roster, capturing attention with her upbeat sound and overall star power. It isn’t easy to launch a soloist in the idol industry, but she’s managed to develop a consistent discography highlighted by club bangers like last year’s The Flash. New single Sabotage delivers her biggest … Continue reading
The title “Badder Love” is grating on every grammar nerve I have. “Worse Love” would have sounded equally awkward, but there’s something about that “badder” that just slaps me across the face. However, this is the group who’s already promoted with “Trouble” and “Ugly,” so I guess we’ve been warned. Whatever the case, Badder (ugh) … Continue reading
K-Pop debuts can be tricky things. At times, they’re the best song a group delivers. Sometimes, they’re the only song a group delivers! But, debuts can also be huge wtf moments in an artist’s career. In this feature, I’ll be looking back at debut songs through the prism of time, re-evaluating how well they hold … Continue reading
Twice’s Nayeon made her solo debut in June of 2022 with the splashy, addictive Pop. Now, almost two years later to the day, she’s picked up where she left off with the even splashier ABCD. There may still be room to grow, but in this era of flattened, fluttery earworms it’s refreshing to hear something … Continue reading
For a time between 2017 and 2021, Sunmi delivered at least one mega-banger a year, cementing herself as one of K-pop’s most consistent soloists. The past two years have been less compelling, with 2022’s Heart Burn and 2023’s Stranger feeling like lesser versions of superior Sunmi tracks. New single Balloon In Love marks a sonic … Continue reading
Earlier this year, Trendz’s Go Up single-handedly vaulted them to a new level in my mind. It’s one of my favorite songs of 2024 and offered a new glimpse of the musical heights this rookie group could scale. However, most of Go Up‘s success can be attributed to producer/composer Brave Brothers. Grade “A” Brave Sound … Continue reading
Surprise drops don’t really exist in K-pop, but Super Junior’s Show Time is as close as we get. Teased only days ago, the digital single arrives without much build-up. It’s their first group comeback since 2022, though the individual members and sub-units have been active more recently. Show Time feels tailor-made for live performances. Its … Continue reading
So, K-pop industry… how do you expect me to take a song called “Poongdung” seriously? There’s onomatopoeia and then there’s just silly sound effects. I guess “풍덩” is more of an established sound in Korea and doesn’t translate well internationally. Fortunately, the song’s summery sound works across all markets. We’ve heard many iterations of this … Continue reading
XY were one of 2023’s most exciting new prospects. Formed through Yoshiki Superstar Project X, they’re a hybrid rock band/dance-vocal troupe that can perform as one big group but also split into specialized units. Living legend Yoshiki provides an idiosyncratic touch as mentor and producer, but releasing new music in a timely matter isn’t one … 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. CRAVITY released a new Japanese single … Continue reading
NCT Dream’s new Japanese single Moonlight has been kicking around for a few weeks now. In fact, I first wrote about it as part of my weekly J-pop series. At that point, we were unsure whether it would receive a music video or not, but I’m glad the track has gotten the promotion it deserves. … Continue reading
Just a few weeks after the release of their first full album, Xdinary Heroes are already back with a special digital single. Their recent output left a good impression on me, so the unexpected drop of Boy Comics (소년만화) is certainly welcome. Some of my favorite moments on the group’s album were when the music … Continue reading
New girl group BADVILLAIN has pluses and minuses going for them. On the plus side, the group includes the little sister of Choi Bomin from Golden Child (a Bias List favorite, as if you didn’t know!). But they’re also called “BADVILLAIN” and that’s a really dumb name. I guess it’s meant to sound imposing, but … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 