One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Flower Garden (from Time For The Moon Night – 2018) What I said then: “MIO also produced last year’s excellent Please Save My Earth, and borrows the same wind-tunnel layering effect for Garden‘s pre-chorus. It’s hard to explain this specific audio trick … 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. Mistranslations and nonsense titles are something … Continue reading
So far, I haven’t had much to say about WHIB apart from commenting on their strange group name, but who am I to deny a song titled “Rush Of Joy“? We can all use more joy in our lives, and WHIB are here to dole it out with funk pop precision. For those keeping track, … Continue reading
It goes without saying that I adore Taemin and his music, but my biggest frustration with his solo output is how often it tends to favor murky atmosphere and sluggish arrangements. He clearly enjoys this subdued tempo, and it allows for great spotlight on his choreography in a fluid, artistic way. But being a huge … Continue reading
It’s a weird time to be a Kis-My-Ft2 fan. The group’s latest album (their first in four years) was easily their worst — a project I listened to once and never returned to. Yet after leaving the group, Hiromitsu Kitayama has unveiled a musical breadth and creativity only hinted at during his time with Kisumai. … Continue reading
NCT Wish debuted earlier this year as NCT’s final fixed unit. Straddling the line between Japanese and Korean promotions, they appear to be following NCT Dream’s bright sound template rather than the angular experimentation of units like 127. February’s funky Wish was a decent start, but new single Songbird feels like their true arrival. I’ve … Continue reading
It usually takes me a song or two to fully warm up to a rookie group, and TWS’s Plot Twist was a slow-burn standout that compelled more and more as time went on. The exceptional hey! hey! officially sealed the deal, and now we’re on to the group’s second mini album Summer Beat. I love … Continue reading
RIIZE are part of a vanguard of fresh fifth-gen acts that are making this year’s K-pop quite exciting. Pre-release Impossible remains a certified mega-banger, while Love 119 just may be 2024’s biggest grower. So far, they’ve managed to keep the quality remarkably high despite traversing various genres. New title track Boom Boom Bass marks the … Continue reading
Leading up to the release of their second mini album later this month, TWS are the latest group to drop a promoted pre-release single. Generally, these have been stronger than the actual title track, with TWS’s own Plot Twist being the obvious exception. That song has gone on to become a mammoth hit on both … Continue reading
It’s been a “will they or won’t they” situation with Kep1er over the past few weeks. After all, acts spawned from MNET competition shows usually come with an expiration date. However, the group has bucked tradition and extended their contract — minus members Mashiro and Yeseo. Shooting Star heralds the release of their first full … Continue reading
As K-pop’s global popularity has increased, so has the use of samples from pop music history. A decade ago, the idea of sampling a Western pop song felt pretty rare, but there have been a number of recent hits built upon hooks from decades past. aespa’s pre-release Supernova samples Afrika Bambaataa’s 1982 classic Planet Rock, … Continue reading
When compared to the length of Queen Bee’s history as a band, I’m quite a latecomer to their fandom. Super Memorial (超メモリアル) celebrates fifteen years of music, but it feels as if they’re just getting started. The band released my favorite song of last year and vocalist Avu-chan produces my favorite group of the moment … Continue reading
I have this odd trend of under-rated RIIZE’s title tracks when they’re released, only to end up loving them in a few week’s time. This was especially true with January’s Love 119 — a 2024 highlight whose chanted chorus put me off big-time when it first came out. New single Impossible will not have the … Continue reading
Though it has yet to be officially confirmed by their agency, there have been reports that this will be TAN’s final comeback. Hopefully that doesn’t end up being the case, but Hyper Tonic is bittersweet for more than one reason. It’s likely the last new song we’ll hear from the late, great producer Shinsadong Tiger. … Continue reading
I wrote a track-by-track review of Ryugujo’s new EP a few days after it was released, and I’ve only gone on to appreciate it more since then. It feels like Ryugujo’s music takes a quantum leap forward every time they release something new. This will be a hard feat to keep up, but it’s been … Continue reading
A J-pop act’s single 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. I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I don’t usually post “buried treasures” for J-pop, most often because they’re not … 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. You spend over a decade waiting … Continue reading
Someone needs to study how CRAVITY went from the likes of My Turn and Flame to one of the most consistent runs of any current boy group. It’s a big turnaround and a testament to what can happen when an agency invests in great songs. New single Love Or Die continues and expands upon this … Continue reading
Moonbyul’s pre-release Think About was a very nice surprise, reinventing her as a funky pop diva with the frothy melodies to make it stick. With Touchin&Movin — the title track of her first full album — she’s further deepened this sound and crafted a real gem. I’ve never been a huge fan of Mamamoo’s solo … 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 