Over the past few years, GFriend have started to branch out when it comes to their sound. Gone are the days of Iggy/Youngbae-produced title tracks, replaced with a rotating list of composers intent on pulling new elements into the core GFriend style. This mix-and-match strategy has largely been successful, though it threatens to steer the … Continue reading
One of K-pop’s most coveted holy grails is the long-rumored f(x) comeback. Or, maybe it’s more of an urban legend — often discussed, but never actually coming to fruition. Like many agencies, SM Entertainment seems to have a hard time managing more than one girl group at once, so rather than continue f(x)’s powerful legacy, … Continue reading
Only a group of BTS’s stature could elevate the OST for a mobile game into an event release. The guys have been releasing collaboration tracks for the past few weeks for their new BTS World soundtrack, but none have clicked with me in the way their music usually does. Heartbeat, though, features no guest artist … Continue reading
It’s been a decade since Sechs Kies’ Eun Jiwon last released solo material, though he’s been active with his group and in variety shows during the lengthy hiatus. As the first new music to come out of YG Entertainment since founder Yang Hyun-suk stepped down, comeback single I’m On Fire (불나방) is already infamous in … Continue reading
With so many K-pop survival shows on the market, not every series can be a hit. Unfortunately, “idol rebooting show” The Unit never resulted in much of a boon for its winning participants. Both resulting groups (UNB and U.NIT) delivered some solid material, but I wonder if all the work was worth it. Would it … Continue reading
(G)I-DLE have quickly jumped to the forefront of this generation’s girl group landscape, but that kind of meteoric rise is not without its growing pains. February’s Senorita wasn’t as universally admired as their 2018 work, raising the stakes for its follow-up. New single Uh-Oh rights the ship to some extent, even if its retro hip-hop … Continue reading
JYP artists must have the most demanding schedules of any K-pop agency. Between Korea and Japan, it feels like they’re just constantly releasing material (GOT7 and Twice, especially). This endless supply of music makes it hard to keep the quality up, and it’s usually the J-pop songs that fall by the wayside. Most of GOT7’s … Continue reading
With over 2,600 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
In a year already flush with debuts, it’s going to be hard for smaller agency acts to stand out. In Purplebeck’s case, at least their name is easy to google! I’m not sure what a ‘purplebeck’ is, but I’ve long since given up trying to understand K-pop monikers. They all become part of the common … Continue reading
Chungha has enjoyed sustained success since her post-IOI solo debut in 2017. With each and every single, I’m surprised by just how long her music stays on the charts. But, there’s definitely been a hole in the K-pop market for a female soloist — an heir to BoA’s throne, if you will. With the early … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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. Red Velvet’s Zimzalabim has proven to be one of the year’s … Continue reading
With K-pop becoming more global by the year, it makes sense that we’re seeing more acts specifically target Western audiences. BTS have gone about this the right way, refusing to sacrifice their sound (or language) simply to fit in. Too many K-pop artist have tried to crack the American market with sub-par, English-language material. Few … Continue reading
Groups of N.Tic’s stature are often overlooked. Without access to the K-pop industry’s best songs, best producers or best anything, it can be hard to deliver a knockout track. Yet, N.Tic offered a solid one-two punch over the course of their debut year, thanks largely to up-and-coming production team Code 9. The exhilarating Do You … Continue reading
Stray Kids are a difficult group to decipher, and I’m starting to think they like it that way. March’s Miroh was a watershed moment for them, and remains one of 2019’s finest singles. By bolstering their hard-hitting hip-hop sound with equally impactful EDM influence, the song seemed to spark a newfound ambition in the group’s … Continue reading
Red Velvet’s 2018 hit Really Bad Boy proved to be one of their most polarizing yet. Given this, it would’ve made sense to return to a more straightforward release this summer. And when it was announced that new single Zimzalabim (짐살라빔) would be co-composed by Red Flavor producers Caesar & Loui, it seemed that we … Continue reading
Super Junior’s Yesung first debuted as a soloist in 2016, and pretty much all of his Korean work has gone down the same emotional ballad route. He’s an excellent vocalist, for sure, but my favorite Yesung track is actually 2017’s Splash, an uptempo J-pop single that positioned him as an easy-listening, funk-pop performer. Thankfully, Pink … Continue reading
VIXX’s Leo made his solo debut last summer with the Taemin-esque Touch & Sketch. Now, he finds himself in the same place as many of his third-generation K-pop peers: counting down the months until mandatory military conscription. VIXX has already seen its leader, N, enlist earlier this year. Leo is only four months younger, so … Continue reading
SF9 have always struck me as the quintessential, generic boy group. Talented, yes, but without a defining style or concept that would make them memorable. Their singles tend to feel like the kind of grab bag fare doled out on survival shows like Produce 101. You get the sense that any K-pop group could tackle … Continue reading
With over 2,600 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
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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. As expected, Yunho’s solo album is a very strong body of … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 