Ex-B.A.P member Moon Jongup debuted as a soloist in 2020 with the addictive Headache, but it’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard from him. The long wait pays off with the release of a new mini album heralded by title track X.O.X. We’ve heard iterations of this song before. Take one slinky bassline, … Continue reading
There’s a long history of K-pop groups debuting in Japan, but the opposite rarely happens. I expect this to change as a new generation of Japanese groups formed and managed by Korean companies make their mark on the industry. NiziU are a JYP act and have been doing quite well for themselves in Japan and … Continue reading
Seeing Taemin at this year’s KCON reconfirmed his utter dominance as a performer. I’ve been lucky enough to watch him with SHINee a couple of times, but few artists can command a stage so completely on their own. He deserves all the hype he gets. With that said, I feel his music is beginning to … Continue reading
Riize’s Get A Guitar has proven to be a huge sleeper hit for me, alongside their very solid pre-debut track Memories. This one-two punch shot anticipation sky high for their follow-up, so when I saw the silly punnery of “Talk Saxy” coupled with the tease of an irritating Jason Derulo style sax loop, I couldn’t … Continue reading
Early visual teasers of LE SSERAFIM’s special Overwatch 2 single Perfect Night had me excited. Their 80’s aesthetic seemed to portend a concept change — maybe a successor to fellow retro girl group tracks La Di Da or I Can’t Stop Me? I mean, isn’t it time the HYBE girls turned up the synths and … 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’m about to contradict myself… In … Continue reading
It feels like ages since we last heard from GHOST9. After a very promising 2020 debut, the group has swerved from sound to sound — some more successful than others. But after an appearance on this spring’s Peak Time, the guys are back with a new album. Title track Ruckus is yet another transformation for … Continue reading
Jessi can always be counted on for a fun, colorful rap track — no matter the agency she’s signed with. Gum is her first work since leaving P Nation and signing with Jay Park’s More Vision, but you’d never know it from listening to the track. Gum is everything you’d expect from Jessi: energetic, a … Continue reading
The idea of a K-pop debut gets more muddled by the year, with pre-releases and pre-debut tracks quite common these days. G.O.A.T doesn’t even bill itself as a proper music video, though it’s the first full taste of upcoming group ONE PACT. These guys have a lot of goodwill behind them, with every member participating … Continue reading
Proving they can (barely) walk and chew gum at the same time, Woollim Entertainment has released a special digital single from Kwon Eunbi during the lead-up to Golden Child’s latest comeback. Longtime fans of the agency will know how rare this double whammy is for the agency! Kwon Eunbi is enjoying renewed attention this year, … Continue reading
Two years ago, Victon’s Do Hanse released an underrated highlight with his brash Take Over. I’ve been patiently waiting for him to make a solo return, and was excited to see him paired up with swaggering soloist BIGONE on a rock track. Be careful what you wish for I guess, because Gummy Bear is more … Continue reading
About a month after pre-release BYOB (Bring Your Own Best Friend), Billlie are back with title track DANG! (Hocus Pocus). That’s a lot of parenthesis! This one-two shot further establishes them as a quirky group who exist just outside the mainstream. DANG! enlists songwriters Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell among its team of four, and … Continue reading
Seventeen have yet again broken pre-order records for their new album. It’s astonishing how much of a global juggernaut they’ve become, especially considering Pledis Entertainment’s dire straights when they first debuted. This success calls for a victory lap, and new single God Of Music (음악의 신) is happy to oblige. I love the ambition in … Continue reading
Whether with protégés Ryugujo or her own band Queen Bee, I’ve fallen in love with Avu-chan’s songwriting. It’s fierce and cathartic — the perfect vehicle for a vocal that’s often combative and raw. Queen Bee’s music runs the genre gamut, but straight-ahead rock is a particularly satisfying match for the band’s charm. The excellent Violence … Continue reading
Over the years, it’s become clear that the members of EXO have different musical taste than I do. For a group who has released so many K-pop classics, I haven’t connected to hardly any of their solo work. So often, the music takes a subdued, coffeehouse vibe — whether that be in the form of … Continue reading
I spend a lot of time (probably too much!) complaining about the things that annoy me when it comes to K-pop agencies, but in YG Entertainment’s case I’ve always loved how they’ll occasionally extend an album’s life cycle by promoting a song months after its release. B.O.M.B comes from Treasure’s summer project Reboot, appearing late … 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. Last week, Just B quietly released … Continue reading
I know it’s a placeholder, but “NCT New Team” is still weirdly literal for a group name. These six members form the long-teased Japanese unit of NCT — apparently the project’s final fixed unit. They’re scheduled to debut next year, but Hands Up offers a pre-release tease of what to expect. Fans of the NCT … Continue reading
You may have noticed my hesitancy to feature virtual or animated acts on the blog. In my mind, a company’s focus on this technology only steers them further from putting effort into the songs themselves. Maybe I’m self-flagellating by continuing to approach K-pop for the music. After all, the industry has transformed into a true … Continue reading
I can’t even process Kingdom’s Coup D’Etat without remembering the classic G-Dragon album of the same name. I also get a little self conscious because I can never remember where to place the apostrophe in “D’Etat”. Yes, this is the level of stumbling block I push through to deliver song reviews on the daily. Poor … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 