2022 is the year of long-dormant girl groups making their return. We had Girls’ Generation in August and we’re looking forward to a loooong awaited comeback from Kara in November. This month, it’s EXID’s turn. They’re celebrating their tenth anniversary with a special single album, and they’ve brought longtime producer Shinsadong Tiger along for the … Continue reading
I picked Mirae as my top rookie of 2021, but so far runners-up IVE have eclipsed them in 2022. This is due to a variety of factors. DSP Media has waited too long between comebacks, and has had difficulty building upon the futuristic theme of Mirae’s debut. But with new album Ourturn the first of … Continue reading
When K-pop’s title tracks are at their most polarizing, a common plea from fans is: “check out the b-sides! I swear they’re better than the title!” I’m guilty of this rallying cry, and I’m a firm believer that you need to listen to entire albums to get a realistic picture of an artist’s work. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
Limelight’s Starlight is one of those weird “pre-debuts” the K-pop industry occasionally churns out. It’s part of an actual mini album, which makes it feel more like a proper debut to me. But, what do I know? With members hailing from Girls Planet 999 and My Teenage Girl, the group has some built-in fans already. … Continue reading
CRAVITY have had a very mixed discography, and that’s putting it mildly. There are some title tracks I find borderline unlistenable, but they’ve also got big highlights like Adrenaline. Luckily, this year has seen them veer toward lighter sounds, embracing the more upbeat side of boygroupdom. Party Rock is their most explosive joy bomb yet, … Continue reading
Some fans may know Adora as an in-house writer for Big Hit/HYBE, but she made her solo debut late last year. I haven’t always featured her music on The Bias List, mostly because she skirts that thin line between idol act and artist and this blog is mainly dedicated to the former. But, she’s developed … Continue reading
We still have some time to go for another EXO comeback, but in the meantime its members are keeping busy with solo work. Next up is Xiumin, who makes his official solo debut with a mini album (though he did release a fun duet with NCT’s Mark a few years ago and an SM Station … Continue reading
Full disclosure: leading up to this release I promised myself I would forgo the usual parody review that has become a Bias List tradition when new music is released via the Universe app. After all, this whole venture has lasted much longer than I expected and my creative well has begun to run dry. But … Continue reading
For a group with so many members, Seventeen have done a nice job getting their individual voices into the spotlight. Many of the guys have already made solo debuts, though few of these have been paired with the relentless promo typically tied to K-pop comebacks. The seemingly free-spirited nature of these releases makes them feel … Continue reading
With K-pop, it’s gotten to the point where I can almost predict how I’ll feel about a song from its title alone. The exclamation “Gratata” sends shivers down my spine, conjuring images of lame finger-gun dance moves and clanging beat drops that hit with all the nuance of a toilet tumbling down a staircase. This … Continue reading
An alarming number of artists seem to be jumping ship from PSY’s P Nation label this year, causing the ambitious start-up to face some growing pains just as they’re trying to get their first idol group off the ground. Luckily, they still have the ever-reliable Crush on their roster. Fresh from military service, he’s making … Continue reading
Which benevolent K-pop god did I appease to get new music from Sweetune and Thomas Troelsen on the same day?? These are two of my all-time favorite producers, and neither churns out all that much material these days. In Troelsen’s case, his work has been paired with an unlikely star: GOT7’s Jay B. When I … Continue reading
RoaD-B have had an outsize presence on The Bias List relative to their lack of recognition elsewhere. I’m pretty confident that 99.9% of K-pop fans who don’t read this blog have yet to even hear their name. After all, they’ve only had one televised performance. Still, their debut single Nonstop was a huge highlight of … Continue reading
I wonder if an intern at JYP Entertainment has been reading my reviews and predicting their content before releasing new music. Naming a new banger-clanger ITZY track “Blah Blah Blah” is just giving me too much to work with! Look, this is an ITZY song through and through. It’s fair to say I’ve made my … 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 wasn’t originally going to feature … Continue reading
King & Prince have been super active this year: a double a-side, an album, a single and another double a-side on the way in November. But as flush with material as we’ve been, I still think they had a stronger 2021 overall – at least musically. The recently released TraceTrace seeks to expand the sound … Continue reading
Though they won’t get nearly as much coverage today as NMIXX, girl group Maka Maka have also made a return with their new track I Am (아이엠). The two songs couldn’t be more different. While NMIXX’s Dice attempts to create new industry trends with its structural diversity, I Am leans comfortably in a more timeless … Continue reading
Rookie group NMIXX are attempting to craft a new K-pop sub-genre with songs that mix various sounds and structures together. Imagine if K-pop’s highlight medleys turned into songs themselves and you have an inkling of their style. I admire anyone trying to push things forward, but NMIXX need to find some new collaborators immediately. This … Continue reading
The Rose have been mostly absent from the K-pop industry for a few years now, completing their military service and moving to a new label after filing a lawsuit against their former agency. They managed to release a couple one-off singles during that time and frontman Woosung continued to grow his solo discography. But in … Continue reading
Most of the recent news surrounding LOONA has been about its poor members falling ill or becoming injured on their world tour. At this point, the tour feels more like a survival game than a series of concerts! I hope the girls get the rest they deserve and have been able to enjoy their travels … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 