Thus far, BABYMONSTER have followed the tried and true YG Entertainment formula, releasing a bunch of seemingly disparate digital singles eventually cobbled together into a mini or full album. This new comeback feels much more typical of K-pop: a title track and a few new b-sides. They’re not even tacking their summer single Hot Sauce … Continue reading
With over 5,000 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
After breaking into the big leagues last year, QWER have been a reliable fixture on the Korean charts. Korea loves a rock band with a quirky, indie sound and QWER fill a void. As far as chart success is concerned, they feel like the female DAY6 at the moment. In addition to their off-kilter material, … Continue reading
After a slew of singles, newcomers HITGS are finally releasing their first mini album. The Chuseok holiday is a very odd time to do so, but they’re out with new title track Happy today. So far, their music has been pitched to a young audience, at times sounding like something you’d hear on a children’s … 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. One thing’s for sure: the entire … Continue reading
As we enter the pre-Chuseok holiday period, new K-pop releases are bound to slow down. However, that doesn’t affect Japanese releases from K-pop idols since they don’t have to worry about Korean music shows being cancelled. i-dle are taking advantage of this with new J-pop single Where Do We Go (どうしよっかな), which paints a summery … Continue reading
K-pop’s pre-releases are getting out of control. I can barely keep up! Fans are absolutely spoiled with material, and now we have these surprise-release ‘music videos disguised as album promo’ moments. The YouTube video attached to NMIXX’s Spinnin’ On It is technically labeled “Blue Valentine Core: SPINNIN’ ON IT,” but incorporates an entire song from … Continue reading
Like so many other groups of their era, the members of BAE173 have tried to gain traction by participating on survival series. Most notably, that resulted in member Minwook re-debuting as the leader of Close Your Eyes, taking him away from the group. Now, the rest of BAE173 are back with a pre-release for their … 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. There have been plenty of debuting … Continue reading
Over the years, from20 has leaned into a sort of “colorful himbo” character and it’s good, campy fun. His spring single Eye Candy replicated early-2000s hip-hop more convincingly that the vast majority of current Y2K-inspired tracks and that’s because it didn’t forget to be silly. A cartoonish streak ran through much of millennial pop music … Continue reading
WOODZ surprise-released an aggressive rock stomper back in July — shortly after returning from his military enlistment. He’s clearly ready to strike while the iron of his career is hot, and I love that approach. Today, he’s returned with a more fully fleshed out visual and a song whose emotive sound is likely to appeal … Continue reading
After a few underwhelming months, it seems as if K-pop’s comeback floodgates will burst open in October. Before that, we’re treated to a few pre-releases from artists slated to return next month. SM Entertainment’s Hearts2Hearts don’t yet have a mini or full album to their name and have presented conflicting sounds so far. The Chase … Continue reading
In 2020, AAA’s SKY-HI formed his company BMSG and since then he’s debuted a constant surge of new acts. The vast majority of this music has not been for me, as it often favors the type of clanging, shout-heavy hip-hop that I dislike in K-pop as well. Still, I appreciate his ambition and most of … Continue reading
Earlier this month, JYP Entertainment rookies KickFlip pre-released the anthemic pop/rock track Band-Aid, showcasing a sonic upgrade that fits them so well. That soundscape continues with new title track My First Love Song (처음 불러보는 노래), which underpins its rock energy with a consistently bounding beat. There’s a brightness to this song that helps it … Continue reading
TWS have been teasing their October comeback for some time now and today we finally have our first taste of their upcoming mini album. As any regular reader of the blog already knows, I’ve become a mega fan of their music over the past two years and love the way they’ve been able to establish … Continue reading
Japanese girl group XG are gearing up for their first full-length album next January, and given J-pop’s extended promotional period its main single has dropped a few months early. Thus far, XG’s output can usually be slotted into three distinct categories: hip-hop, dance and r&b. GALA finds a way to combine these genres into something … Continue reading
Treasure’s latest mini album is one of those projects where every song is solid but none stand out as classics. There are worse things to release, and consistency is always an asset even if the music tops out at a “B” or “B+”. Multiple songs could have acted as the album’s title track, and Treasure … Continue reading
Subsidiaries are something we think of with corporations like HYBE and YG, but JYP Entertainment has slowly been branching out in this way as well. Boy group ALL(H)OURS are technically under their extended roster and soon there will also be girl group DDDD 25, formed through the series The Entertainer. Before that, the group’s Youngbin … Continue reading
ATEEZ are out with their second full-length Japanese album today, compiling earlier J-pop singles alongside new material. After several years struggling to connect with their new material, the group’s two summer singles subverted expectations and caught my ear. New track Ash does the same, opting for a sleek dance sound I don’t always associate with … Continue reading
I don’t have the hard numbers to back it up, but compared to groups their age it feels like the 2PM members have the most prolific string of solo releases. The guys continuously release material in both Korea and Japan, and even if many of these songs fail to register with me in a big … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 