Well, the day has finally come. We have our first completely AI-generated music video for a K-pop act. I suppose we should be thankful that the agency isn’t trying to hide this fact — even billing it as an exciting promo tactic. However, the cynic in me believes this technique will become commonplace in the … Continue reading
Korean charts — as with any global music chart, really — tend to be slow to change, with some monster hits sticking around for years. As someone who is always ready to move onto the next best thing, it always surprises me when listeners are intent to play the same song over and over and … Continue reading
K-pop’s 2026 may not have delivered much of note so far, but it has given us a steady drip of new music from the expansive boy group project idntt. This is their third song I’m writing about this year (fourth if you count a “buried treasure” post). I guess having so many members and configurations … Continue reading
Over nine years since her debut with KARD, the group’s youngest Jiwoo makes her solo debut today. This comes after KARD’s popularity has softened in Korea. They’ve transitioned to a more international career and the sound of Home Sweet Home seems to play into that approach. The song opens with a sparse beat, shining full … Continue reading
Last time I wrote about a Japanese STAYC single they were saying “Meow.” Now, they’re saying MWUAH. Fair enough. Not everyone speaks Japanese, I guess. These strange utterances match their quirky sound, though sometimes the group’s music feels like one good idea without the development to make it into something fantastic. The titular “MWUAH” appears … Continue reading
MADEIN have had a rough go, at the whim of an agency with serious allegations against it. This has caused them to lose three members already and makes it impossible not to read between the lines when the girls depart for “personal reasons.” But purely from a musical standpoint, their output has been decent. New … Continue reading
Yang Yoseop made his solo debut all the way back in 2012, which is crazy to think about. Not only has his group endured through name and agency changes, but he’s been churning out his own work for fourteen years. I’m a big fan of his voice, but I can’t say that much of his … Continue reading
Around this time last year, IVE kicked off a successful run with pre-release Rebel Heart and title track Attitude. Now, they’re seeking to replicate that hat trick with a similar approach surrounding their second full-length album. We’ll hear the title track later this month, but today we have Bang Bang as a taster of what’s … Continue reading
It’s been several months since ILLIT returned with Not Cute Anymore, and since then the song has become a popular TikTok challenge. That’s not too surprising, given how the song’s whole identity was designed to become a viral challenge. Even its ultra-brief running time was well-matched to SNS. Today, the girls have surprised fans with … Continue reading
After a few years of (musically) diminished returns, ATEEZ climbed back on my radar in 2025 by attempting new sounds that injected a sense of freshness to their formula. Both of last year’s Korean title tracks and their Japanese single made it onto my year-end countdowns, re-igniting my curiosity for where they might take their … Continue reading
THE SSYNDROME made their debut late last year, emerging in an era flush with rock bands. Just this year alone, it feels like I’m writing about a rock act every week — and that’s not even including all the rock-influenced comebacks from idol groups. Korea is really into guitars at the moment. This isn’t a … Continue reading
You know new K-pop releases are in a terrible state if all I have to write about is a pre-release from one of the industry’s “virtual” groups. SKINZ follow PLAVE as the latest virtual act to attempt a successful launch. They debuted last year and are set to release their first mini album soon. Before … Continue reading
The word “Navillera” hits me with an instant serotonin boost because I instantly remember the GFriend song of the same name. For my money, no girl group has released a better title track than that in the last ten years, which is actually a depressing thought when I ruminate on it too long. Today, “Navillera” … Continue reading
One strange aspect of the K-pop industry is that it doesn’t really care about endings. Once their cash cow has been fully milked, it’s usually put our to pasture unceremoniously. Often, the only time we get a decent disbandment song is when that disbandment comes unexpectedly and a group’s final comeback ends up being their … Continue reading
With over 5,000 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
Since their 2023 debut, WHIB have alternated between lighter and darker sounds. For me, they were at their best in 2024 when they felt a rush of joy, but that rush proved fleeting as they quickly moved into the more aggressive Bang Out. New single Rock The Nation has a delightfully earnest title that made … Continue reading
POW is such an interesting group. At every turn, they seem to make moves antithetical to traditional idol group success. Their music is often quite subdued, calibrated for coffeeshops rather than stadiums. It’s almost like indie music filtered through an idol group persona, which really should be more compelling than it has been. Instead, the … Continue reading
I have not been shy about expressing how completely underwhelming this month (and last month) of K-pop has been. In fact, when January’s average rating is calculated, we’ll probably be looking at a historically low number. Because of this, I’m grabbing onto anything halfway decent I can find. Hell, at this point I’m clinging onto … Continue reading
In a very short time, the newly-debuted LNGSHOT have racked up plenty of hype and plenty of controversy. Their music has one tiny toe in the world of idols but feels primarily indebted to K-R&B, making it more palatable to those “too cool” for pure pop. While I was impressed with the vocals on their … Continue reading
We seem to be in K-pop’s era of “rage hip-hop,” as the genre has slowly entrenched itself within idol releases. So far, this has largely been limited to a boy group phenomenon, but it makes sense that an act like Young Posse would give it a try. After all, they’ve covered many hip-hop sub-genres already. … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 