ARTMS have spent the past two months unveiling track after track from their debut album. To fully enjoy these pre-releases, it’s often felt like a doctorate in post-LOONA lore has been necessary. Most relied more on worldbuilding than nuts-and-bolts, satisfying song construction. But with Virtual Angel, ARTMS may finally have opened their world to the … Continue reading
Treasure attempted a reboot last summer but title track Bona Bona still hinged on many YG Entertainment tropes. The album itself was much more varied and pointed toward a sleek, nostalgic sound that worked well for the group. New single King Kong promises another reinvention and its sound nudges a bit closer to realizing that … Continue reading
I don’t really take music videos or imagery into account when writing reviews on The Bias List, but when all is said and done I’ll likely remember this era of RM’s career more for the videos than the music. The one for new single LOST! is particularly evocative — quirky, surreal and suitably claustrophobic. Whether … Continue reading
When JD1 made his debut as a K-pop idol in January, I never realized how young he was. It wasn’t until I watched him on the TVXQ episode of Immortal Songs that I learned this guy is only seventeen years old (sixteen at the time!). Perhaps this would have been more obvious if he had … Continue reading
The best thing a rookie K-pop group can do is develop their own sound that establishes them as a vital part of the industry. Just B have slowly been doing that, moving to rock influences to give their music an identifiable style. New English-language single Daddy’s Girl capitalizes on that approach. The first time I … Continue reading
While other groups are turning to Y2K influences for sound and aesthetic, ONEUS have gone right back to the source with a cover of Fin.K.L’s 2000 track Now. Straight-up covers are unusual in K-pop — especially as title tracks — and rather than bend the song to their own will ONEUS have delivered a pretty … Continue reading
One of the most enjoyable effects of K-pop’s current Y2K trend has been the return to hip-hop beats of that era. Angsty trap hi-hats seem to be on their way out in favor of bouncier, more playful grooves. This is the hip-hop sound I grew up on, so it’s bound to offer its fair share … Continue reading
Fun K-pop stuff tends to happen on my birthday. I share the day with my all-time favorite K-pop song The Chaser, as it was released exactly twelve years ago. Then last year, rookie group The Wind made their debut on May 15th. I still question why I didn’t feature any of the b-sides from that … Continue reading
If there’s one overriding trend in K-pop marketing this year, it’s double title tracks and pre-releases. It seems like every major idol group has several promoted tracks from their newest album. IVE released HEYA several weeks ago to great success, but we all knew Accendio was lurking just around the corner to satisfy fans who … Continue reading
I really wanted to love DXMON’s debut because their spiky red hair styling was too crazy to pass up, but both Burn Up and Spark felt like underdeveloped copies of better boy group tracks. This time, the spiky hair is gone but the eccentricities have transferred to the music. Girls, Love Boys, Love Girls (소년…소녀를 … 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. tripleS’s first full album has a … Continue reading
It feels like tripleS have been dropping releases every other month, but this is actually their first comeback as a full group. Apart from last years’ Assemble, everything else has been performed in sub-units. Girls Never Die brings together all twenty four (!) members. With that level of participation, you might expect the track to … Continue reading
We’ve got another new boy group today with the debut of ASC2NT. They hale from Newways Company, an agency I hadn’t heard of until today, and include three members who participated in last year’s Peak Time. Love Me Do is not a cover of the famed Beatles classic. Instead, it’s the latest K-pop track to … Continue reading
There’s not a great deal of consistency across Solar’s new album. Placing a song like Colors right next to title track But I is crazy whiplash. You could say she’s painting with a variety of tones and stretching her wings, but it doesn’t make for a cohesive listen. I’ll let others decide for themselves how … 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’m a little baffled why I … 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. K-pop’s early summer continues with the … 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. Until now, I don’t think I’d … 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. IVE will be releasing a music … Continue reading
K-pop has a long, storied history of songs about shoes. From Highlight’s Gikwang boasting his Dancing Shoes in 2009 to ITZY putting on their Sneakers in 2022, these tracks tend to be pretty silly. And really, how could they be anything else? Now, TOZ is back with their ode to “Nu Shoes” (and no, that’s … Continue reading
Ever since the immense success of TWS’s Plot Twist, I’ve been wondering if bright boy group fare would come back into vogue. That seems to be happening slowly but surely, and Fantasy Boys’ Pitter-Patter-Love (분명 그녀가 나를 보고 웃잖아) is a great example of the form. I haven’t paid too much attention to this group … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 