It’s been over a year since we last heard from Sunmi, and even longer since she’s released anything more than a digital single. An album is reportedly in the works, but before that we have another standalone song with Blue!, which continues the softer sound of last year’s Balloon In Love. K-pop’s in this weird … Continue reading
New K-pop trio RE:WIND impressed me big time with their pre-debut RE:SET earlier this year. I also enjoyed the early-2000’s pastiche of Forever even if a muddled arrangement dulled much of its effect. The guys recently released their first EP and have now unveiled the music video for new track Little Too Late. Like Forever, … Continue reading
AB6IX are like K-pop’s “little engine that could.” They’re far past their commercial peak, yet keep churning out new music with regularity. And, that music often carries an upbeat energy that makes it feel as if the group is just getting started. New single Stupid takes an emotive approach, recalling K-pop’s early efforts in pulling … Continue reading
K-pop collaborations with global artists have become much more common over the years and exist across a wide spectrum. For every Rosalía and Megan Thee Stallion there’s a Maroon 5 and Alex Warren. NMIXX have already experimented with their music in many ways, so you’d expect them to choose an interesting collaborator as well. For … Continue reading
In many ways, 8TURN’s December single Like A Friend was the smash that got away — a spring/summer track released in the dead of winter as everyone was cobbling together their year-end best-of lists. Making matters worse, the group never promoted it until weeks later. I haven’t listened to that song nearly as much as … Continue reading
Kep1er’s most recent Korean title track Tipi-Tap felt like a non-entity — a song so slight that it tippy tapped its way from memory almost instantly. But after that, they released the surprisingly boisterous Yum in Japan. After performing that song at this year’s KCON LA, they teased new single Bubble Gum. This song exists … Continue reading
BOYNEXTDOOR made their official Japanese debut last summer, but it was with a re-recorded version of a single they’d already released in Korea. Count To Love is their first original J-pop single, and thus feels more like a proper step forward for them. It’s also the first BOYNEXTDOOR single to directly echo the sound of … 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. Not too long ago (2021, to … Continue reading
Everyone and their mother has had a pre-release this year, and NCT Wish are the latest to jump on the trend. Ahead of their new mini album, they’ve unveiled summer single Surf. Though we’re currently in the middle of a heat wave in my neck of the woods, it feels a bit late in the … Continue reading
In a year already stuffed with competitive boy group debuts, it’s time for another new act. idntt (pronounced “Identity”) is the brainchild of Jaden Jeong, the man behind LOONA, tripleS and ARTMS. The group follows the same interactive system as tripleS, with twenty-four members split into sub-units based on fan input. The agency is also … Continue reading
About a month ago, Jeon Somi released the underdeveloped Extra, which turned out to be a pre-release for her new mini album. This is only her second mini album in seven years, and third album overall. The pace may be glacial, but it’s nice to finally hear something more substantial from her. Closer acts as … Continue reading
In my house, there exists a hallowed “Damdadi” that heralded the arrival of a personal favorite idol group, so there’s no way I’m not instantly imagining baseball uniforms and hip-shaking choreo when I see that title. However, producer R.Tee and i-dle’s Soyeon have also ventured into “Damdadi” territory with this new collaboration. While there’s no … Continue reading
It’s been a pretty lousy year for J-pop, but my favorite acts have actually remained pretty reliable. We’ve seen highlights from Ryugujo, Genic and Kis-My-Ft2, and co-ed group One Love One Heart has recently been churning out solid material as well. Best of all, they finally seem eager to draw upon their biggest strength: the … Continue reading
Starship Entertainment’s new girl group KiiiKiii debuted earlier this year, grabbing attention with a diverse set of promoted tracks. Their memey Debut Song didn’t work for me and I found follow-ups BTG and Groundwork a little too fitful to last on my playlist, but the generic pop of I Do Me enjoyed surprising longevity. Now, … 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. Judging from internet rumblings, the overriding … Continue reading
The Boyz hold the distinct honor of releasing one of the best songs of the year and one of the worst. For fans of film award celebrations, that’s like being nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year. I don’t know if the group themselves realize this, but they’ve dropped a follow-up … Continue reading
I really enjoy Close Your Eyes’ recent title track Snowy Summer, but when I think about it the song is probably my least favorite on their new mini album. I already wrote about b-side You, knowing full well that album opener Paint Candy would eventually be promoted as a double title track. Now, it’s been … Continue reading
“XngHan & Xoul” may not be a familiar name yet, but “RIIZE’s Seunghan” certainly is. Seunghan debuted with SM Entertainment’s RIIZE in 2023 but was forced out of the group soonafter for insanely ridiculous reasons. For a moment, it seemed as if he would re-join their ranks, but fan toxicity caused him to debut as … Continue reading
Infinite members have remained busy since their return in 2023, and that includes solo projects. As a massive fan of the group (I’d still consider them my ultimate bias), I haven’t cared for much of the music to come from this era but I wish the guys well and hope for their continued success. Main … Continue reading
TXT’s new (full) album weighs in at eight tracks and a paltry twenty-one minutes. This brevity isn’t unique to TXT and I don’t mean to call them out specifically, but it’s representative of choices the K-pop industry is currently making. So much effort seems to go into everything surrounding the music, even as the actual … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 