A couple of weeks ago, Lucy released an OST that captured my attention. I love when the group colors slightly outside genre lines, bringing in electronic elements to compliment their existing tone. For a few years now, the band’s work has threatened to congeal into one single sound, struggling to find the killer melodies that … Continue reading
It’s a day of boy group dancefloor thumpers, with both 82MAJOR and Close Your Eyes releasing talk-heavy dance tracks. 82MAJOR are more closely associated with hip-hop, so while this transformation makes sense it’s still a notable change in production style. Trophy (트로피) is still very much a hip-hop track but with added club bounce. This … Continue reading
Choerry’s Pressure completes the run of Odd Eye Circle solo tracks that began with Kim Lip’s Can You Entertain. These songs have existed in similar sonic territory — vaguely nostalgic but mostly smooth and stylish. However, the music has become less interesting with each track and Pressure is the least notable of the bunch. While … Continue reading
Over the past seven months, I’ve grown to love Close Your Eyes for their distinct sound and fantastic creative direction. This year’s male rookie groups have done a great job carving out their own niche in the market and although Close Your Eyes have played within different genres their vocal color and quirkiness has made … Continue reading
Boy group WEi have earned some added clout this year thanks to their youngest member Junseo making it through the final of Boys II Planet and into the debuting group Alpha Drive One. Of course, this doesn’t automatically help the rest of WEi since that means he and his popularity are working elsewhere for the … Continue reading
i-dle’s Miyeon is gearing up for her second mini album next month, and like so many before her she’s dropped a pre-release first. Reno pairs her with indie singer-songwriter Colde for a slow-burn slice of musical drama that feels like a performance piece straight from a movie. Opening with a dramatic spoken-word introduction, Reno unfurls … Continue reading
Though JYP Entertainment’s output had a rough start this year, the agency has been unfurling hit after hit over the past few months. They’re set to finish 2025 strong and that extends to global (but mostly K-pop so far) group NEXZ. I haven’t been a fan of most of their music and new single Beat-Boxer … Continue reading
Tempest have pinballed between sounds and concepts, often making hard swerves from light to dark and back again. Their best music succeeds on memorable melodies and unflagging energy. New single In The Dark jettisons the latter to place all its attention on the former. Sometimes I want to be a fly on the wall in … Continue reading
Since their debut in late 2022, &TEAM have developed a strong Japanese discography. All of those singles have also been recorded and performed in Korean, making it feel like they’ve already made a K-pop debut. But with the release of their first original Korean album, the guys have officially branched out to a new market. … Continue reading
The era of Golden Child’s music dominating this blog came to an abrupt end when the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2024 as most members left Woollim Entertainment. Since then, the agency has been largely inactive. Joochan’s new solo track Rise & Shine is the rare sign of life from Woollim — a … Continue reading
NCT’s Yuta has taken his solo work as an opportunity to embrace a whole new persona. His Japanese discography rocks hard in a way that NCT was never designed for. This sits nicely within an industry that still wholeheartedly embraces rock music. New single Ember continues the sound, though it’s more likely to polarize than … 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 may never have heard this … Continue reading
Over the past year or so, Just B have developed buzz that their infrequent release schedule isn’t taking full advantage of. When we last heard from them this spring, they dabbled in an electronic hyperpop sound that fit them surprisingly well and began to carve out a nice musical niche. A new mini album is … Continue reading
Though Xdinary Heroes’s sound isn’t always for me, I admire their willingness to run full charge into new musical challenges. Their discography is vast and varied and almost always carries a confident energy that helps sidestep even the cringiest of sonic adventures. New single ICU is not cringy, but it’s certainly confident. The guys rock … Continue reading
Despite it only being a single album, LE SSERAFIM and HYBE mean business with Spaghetti. Not only does the song arrive bolstered by a fleet of remixes and alternate versions, but it also boasts a J-Hope co-write and feature. In other words, this ship has been built too big to fail. I guess we must … Continue reading
MiSO is not the kind of big name I would usually write about, but sometimes a song warrants coverage even if most people have never heard of the artist. She was a member of the hilariously-named group Girls Girls, who I actually wrote about all the way back during the first year of this blog. … Continue reading
TXT have gone all out for their new Japanese album, following single Can’t Stop with a second music video for album track Where Do You Go. I really like Can’t Stop and absolutely love my own cobbled together mix that adds a dance break and extra chorus, but of the album’s other new songs Where … Continue reading
Given the time of year, you’d expect more spooky offerings from K-pop comebacks. Luckily, pre-debut group AM8IC is here to fill that void, though they’ve gone for a more upbeat, funny version of Halloween tropes. Like Dongkiz (DKZ) back in 2019, they’ve taken inspiration from the iconic Ghostbusters franchise. For me, this almost always ends … Continue reading
After a series of survival series, BAE173 are trying to make a comeback in the most classic sense, reestablishing the buzz they had upon debut with a new album and series of promotional tracks. Title track Turned Up has been available for a week now, along with (most of?) the album for some reason. I’m … Continue reading
K-pop’s super producers are largely retired, inactive or relegated to working with artists outside the mainstream. This is such a shame, as the industry needs its individual songwriting voices. Few K-pop comebacks these days have a signature sound because most are cobbled together by song camps using the same samples and loops. I miss the … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 