Debuting in 2019, Exile Tribe’s Battle Of Tokyo is one of the coolest projects developed by any entertainment company. It brings together the agency’s Jr.Exile groups under fictional guises in a futuristic battle royale. It’s a multimedia project, including videos, books and — of course — music. This week, the third chapter in the series … Continue reading
It feels like &TEAM have promoted recent single Firework more frequently on Korean broadcasts than in their native Japan, making the whole ‘Korean-agency-debuts-Jpop-act’ approach even more nebulous. Thus far, &TEAM’s output has basically been K-pop performed in Japanese — a trend many agencies are attempting to replicate. My thoughts on this aside, Firework is a … Continue reading
ENHYPEN’s One And Only is a collaboration with Pokémon, though the song’s line distribution ensures we never get to hear Pikachu’s beautiful falsetto. Instead, the colorful pocket monsters appear in the music video. Without those added visuals, One And Only is a pleasant summer bop — airy and mid-tempo. ENHYPEN have a few tracks like … Continue reading
I can hardly keep up with all the twists and turns in the LOONA story, but I know one thing for sure: after nearly six years’ hiatus, Odd Eye Circle are back with new Korean music. Their work represented some of LOONA’s early peaks, offering an edgier take on K-pop’s girl group fare. After signing … Continue reading
NMIXX were smart to pre-release Roller Coaster last week. That song takes some time to get under your skin, but it’s blossomed into a subdued summer hit for me. Title track Party O’Clock plays within similar sonic territory. It’s far less successful in its execution. The name “Party O’Clock” conjures ideas of massive EDM drops … Continue reading
Debuting in 2019, Exile Tribe’s Battle Of Tokyo is one of the coolest projects developed by any entertainment company. It brings together the agency’s Jr.Exile groups under fictional guises in a futuristic battle royale. It’s a multimedia project, including videos, books and — of course — music. This week, the third chapter in the series … Continue reading
It’s a big day for K-pop boy groups, with one veteran act returning after a long hiatus and the year’s most anticipate rookie making their debut. ZEROBASEONE were brought together through MNET’s audition program Boys Planet, which I chronicled on this blog back when it aired. Though I was pleased with the final line-up for … Continue reading
I’ll always have a soft spot for EXO. They were one of my gateways into K-pop, way back when they made their debut eleven years ago. It’s been a rocky ride the past few years, with member enlistments and other roadblocks preventing the group from making their yearly comeback. Instead, fans have waited two years … Continue reading
Debuting in 2019, Exile Tribe’s Battle Of Tokyo is one of the coolest projects developed by any entertainment company. It brings together the agency’s Jr.Exile groups under fictional guises in a futuristic battle royale. It’s a multimedia project, including videos, books and — of course — music. This week, the third chapter in the series … Continue reading
I have only a passing familiarity with Tokyo Gegegay (mostly through their collaborations), which caused me to miss the video for Break The Romance (破壊ロマンス) when it was released two weeks ago. But with a new album out this week, I dove into this single and won’t be looking back. I love when a song … 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. Starship Entertainment’s current A&R team is … 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. Teen Top’s HWEEK is a certified … Continue reading
Formed through Yoshiki Superstar Project X, XY is more like a performance troupe than a traditional boy group. It’s an insanely ambitious idea: bring together vocalists, dancers, a rock band (and a baton twirler for good measure) and see what you can come up with. The result is absolute magic. I feel similar about XY … Continue reading
If I had a time machine, I’d go back to 2016 and tell myself that – in seven years – I’d be writing the words “& Jonas Brothers” in the title of a blog post on The Bias List. It’s been quite a journey, my friends. Who would have ever thought we’d end up here? … Continue reading
NewJeans kicked off the day with the release of an eponymous introduction track for their upcoming album. That Powerpuff Girls collab was mood-setting but ephemeral. It fully embraced the group’s stylized worldview. NewJeans are nothing if not cool. Sometimes, I think “cool” is put at a higher premium than anything else. I understand why this … Continue reading
Queenz Eye debuted late last year with a song I never covered on the blog. Now, they’ve returned with their first comeback and a new sound. Un-Normal feels decidedly normal to me — especially given current K-pop girl group trends. It’s the latest in a long line of groovy, mid-tempo pop/r&b jams. The other day, … Continue reading
With so many pre-releases, it feels like Kiss Of Life have already debuted several times over. But Shhh (쉿) is the big one — the song they’ll be performing and promoting and ultimately be remembered for. As such, it falls somewhere toward the bottom half of their burgeoning discography. It may have been naïve of … Continue reading
Mere days after SHINee and U-KISS released new material, Teen Top are the latest second-gen group to join K-pop’s summer line-up. I’m not sure what a “hweek” is, but I’ll gladly take any kind of hweek that results in all my old favorites returning to the industry! HWEEK (휙) feels like a companion to U-KISS’s … Continue reading
There will be no summer barbeques or afternoons at the beach for Jun’s Psycho. This song spends its time in a windowless room, chains and restraints attached to the walls. Summer fare this is not. Jun has recorded solo material before, most recently with last year’s Limbo. Psycho follows a similar vibe, though it’s more … Continue reading
Unlike every Johnnys group before them, Travis Japan’s debut year has been characterized by a stream of digital single releases. This is much more in line with Western pop roll-outs, and gives the group a chance to quickly display the various sides to their music. Luckily, Travis Japan’s singles keep getting stronger. Candy Kiss is … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 