Boy group TIOT have waffled between the wonderful and the frustrating, finding most success on this blog when they let their vocals do the talking on softly anthemic pop-rock. New single My Pride lacks the obnoxious production of their most polarizing work but struggles to find a compelling replacement. My Pride feels like a late-album … Continue reading
Last year, Kingdom added a “The,” capitalized their “D” and released one mini album before taking a lengthy hiatus. It all seems like much ado about nothing, and the title of special single Last Flower (화월가) makes me a bit concerned for their future. Still, it’s nice to see them revert back to the historical … Continue reading
GENBLUE blur the lines between K-pop and C-pop, composed of both Korean and Taiwanese members and promoting music in both languages. So far, their Chinese singles outweigh their Korean work, but they seem to be making a renewed push into the market with new track Badass. This title already gives me pause, as I often … Continue reading
Since their debut, rookies HITGS have released some truly diabolical material — songs I’ve disliked but have gone on to begrudgingly sing along with because they’re so stupidly catchy. This doesn’t make the music good, but it leaves an impression. New single A-Ha! dispenses with many of the gimmicks of the group’s past to embrace … Continue reading
In a K-pop climate where everyone seems to be harnessing rock touchstones, EXO’s Suho has thrived on the genre for years. It’s been a sweet spot for his solo music and new title track Who Are You continues to paint him in this light. It’s a sprawling mid-tempo seemingly designed for road trip sing-alongs. This … 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
Big Hit is going to make me write about every one of these damn CORTIS songs, aren’t they? The group’s debut rollout has now hit its fourth music video, leaving only one album track to go. That’s a lot of promotion, but I’m curious if it’s actually bearing fruit. Their music hasn’t worked for me … Continue reading
When Taemin released his single Veil last week, I was surprised it wasn’t paired with a music or performance video. After all, he’s one of K-pop’s premiere visual artists, with choreography and sheer star presence often elevating the songs themselves. It turns out we just needed to wait a few days before that video materialized. … 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
Primrose released a joy bomb of a pop song with the buoyant Cinema early this summer. That track had surprising staying power for me, powered by a splashy chorus and unabashedly upbeat energy. I’d have loved to see the girls continue down this musical lane, but instead they’ve returned with the more subdued Love Your … Continue reading
Japanese tripleS sub-unit “∞!” debuted last year with the moody, hypnotic Untitled. It was one of the better tripleS title tracks, though I can’t say it stayed on my playlist for long. Now, they’re back with a jauntier pop song in new single Password. There’s a joke going around about tripleS’s strong reliance on “la … Continue reading
Since their 2023 debut, LUN8 have tried on a variety of styles and even reconfigured their line-up. This has made it difficult to gain a firm grasp on the group, as Fantagio Entertainment simply seems to be throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. The latest in this approach is a new single … 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
Just two months after releasing his first full-length album, Doh Kyungsoo has returned with a special digital single. Honestly, they should just tack it onto that album and call this a “repackage” the way K-pop used to do. Either way, Kyungsoo’s discography can always do with more energetic material and Dumb sees him exploring crunchy … Continue reading
A week ago, i-dle’s Yuqi pre-released the satisfying ballad Gone ahead of her new single album. Though I enjoyed the song, I’m typically not a big ballad lover and rarely listen to them outside of the context of an album. Because of this, I was much more interested how her title track M.O. would sound. … 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
Spooky season is fast approaching, which means a song titled “Thriller” has me thinking of one thing only. Instead of an MJ zombie dance-a-thon, this Thriller brings us the return of girl group BADVILLAIN. It’s been almost a year since we’ve heard from them on this blog, which might as well be a century when … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 