Over the past few years, JUSTB have been playing around with hyperpop, reinventing themselves as an alternative to K-pop’s mainstream idol groups. Now, they’ve returned with a concept album of sorts, and that concept is K-pop itself. This reminds me of the early-2000s group that was actually called “K-pop” (not a great SEO choice!). For … Continue reading
As hyperpop has gained a foothold in the K-pop industry, we’ve seen it appear most often on the fringes of the mainstream. Yves was once part of this mainstream back in her LOONA days, but she’s developed a more independent streak since going solo. She has a new EP scheduled for next month, but has … Continue reading
Back in May, we watched as the previously nine-member ZEROBASEONE splintered into two different groups and re-debuted. Both acts released very strong material that co-existed well and made me believe that there was room enough for each to be successful. The newly-reconfigured ZB1 has yet to make their next comeback as a five-piece, but today … Continue reading
Two months after its initial release as an album b-side, ALPHA DRIVE ONE have ressurected Talk To Me as its own digital single. I’m not sure what the hope is with this promotion, as the song didn’t even stand out as part of the album, but I suppose they need to keep their name in … Continue reading
If I’m being honest, this new song by Super Junior’s Eunhyuk nearly passed me by. After a certain number of years, I tend to lose track of solo work from members of more established groups. Often, these songs are too safe and dull to warrant much attention. But in a pleasant turn of events, Blue … Continue reading
When it comes to songs that can’t quite be considered “K-pop,” I never know which ones to cover on the blog. Oftentimes, it depends on how busy a release day or week is. But when dealing with an agency as big as SM Entertainment, it feels like new music from any artist is worth at … Continue reading
During ILLIT’s debut year, I would never have thought they’d transform their sound into novelty techno, but their 2026 has taken a sharp turn toward the ridiculous and irreverent with music that’s fun but often sounds more like a meme than a song. This continues with new single You’re Under Arrest (체포하겠어), which bolsters its … Continue reading
Since debut, RIIZE have never stuck to one genre. This pick-and-mix approach can be a lot of fun when the music is consistently high-quality, but gets an artist in trouble if that consistency begins to dip. Without a signature sound tying everything together, it can feel like an agency doesn’t know what to do with … 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. Initially, my reception to Xdinary Heroes’ … Continue reading
BLACKPINK’s Lisa has made a career on solo songs that brag about how awesome/pretty/rich she is… so much so that I don’t expect any other subject matter at this point. So rather than hope for something less shallow, it becomes fun to see just how many different ways she can retread the same message. In … Continue reading
ATEEZ have commanded a large fanbase for years now, but this year they find themselves with an equally large public hit on their hands. I still don’t get how Bad turned into the sensation it did (the song just does nothing for me), but the group is now in a unique position to build upon … Continue reading
YG Entertainment has a long history of keeping its acts in “the dungeon” (ie: not letting them release much material for months/years at a time). This is still the case for many acts, but occasionally the agency also blitzes the market with new song after new song. BABYMONSTER have been in one of these phases … 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 was a bit iffy about … 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. The K-pop release slate has been … Continue reading
A sleepy duet between Crush and IU? Was this song designed in a lab for chart dominance? It would have been an instant number one in the 2010s and both artists maintain enough public affection to likely make it almost as big in 2026. After all, we’re fast approaching winter where the desire for slower, … Continue reading
YUHZ didn’t reinvent the wheel with their May debut, but they filled a bright boy group niche quite well. Oftentimes, groups like this exhaust their quota of upbeat pop music within the first few comebacks before moving into something more “mature” (read: “boring”). But at least for now, YUHZ feel especially suited to more upbeat … Continue reading
LNGSHOT garnered a ton of attention with a string of releases during the first quarter of this year, but have been relatively quiet since. Apart from a collaboration record with Jay Park, it’s taken them quite a few months to schedule an official comeback. That new album is slated to release next month and is … Continue reading
This year, it feels like I’m writing about more bands than ever before. There’s been a deluge of new acts in this genre, with most offering youthful, OST-adjacent material. Catch The Young was somewhat ahead of the trend, debuting back in 2023. They first caught my eye due to their prominent use of 80s synth … Continue reading
Ahead of new title track Illusion (착각) today, Onew has been releasing digital tracks over the past few weeks. These have come in the form of duets with Yuju and Zico. Both songs did very little for me and without proper music videos to back them up I didn’t feel they warranted a full review. … Continue reading
WOODZ has been an interesting case study in an artist refusing to make concessions. K-pop is all about chasing the next trend, which often involves cycling back to whatever hit big recently. WOODZ’s big success happened to occur when he was out of the picture serving in the military. It would have been easy for … Continue reading
