In a K-pop climate where everyone seems to be harnessing rock touchstones, EXO’s Suho has thrived on the genre for years. It’s been a sweet spot for his solo music and new title track Who Are You continues to paint him in this light. It’s a sprawling mid-tempo seemingly designed for road trip sing-alongs. This … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. 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. Based on Wendy’s past solo work, … Continue reading
Red Velvet’s Wendy made her solo debut four years ago and most of her work has been some form of ballad (Wish You Hell notwithstanding). I’ve always been a proponent of big-voiced pop stars using that big voice over fast-paced, energetic material. There’s nothing better than power notes anchoring a banging dance track, and I’d … Continue reading
Nine years after debuting as part of NCT 127, Haechan is finally releasing an album of his own. He’s a huge R&B fan and worked with a small team of collaborators to craft a suite of songs that honor that genre. It’s a sign of shifting generations that the template for male soloists has gone … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
It may simply be my exhaustion with current K-pop trends speaking, but I feel like agencies often learn the wrong lessons from their successes. aespa’s most successful title tracks have hinged on varying levels of repetition, but ever since last year’s Whiplash it feels like SM Entertainment has been on autopilot with the group’s material, … Continue reading
NCT Wish released a late-summer highlight in the form of their buoyant Surf and promptly followed it with a second pre-release (the much more confounding Baby Blue). With the theme of color driving their new album, you’d expect the music to be as vibrant as possible. Title track Color is certainly stuffed with sound, rarely … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. August 2025 Overall Thoughts In the immortal words of BABYMONSTER: “Sheesh!” Based on recent history, I’ve … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Technically, there are still a few weeks left of summer in my area, but with days getting shorter and back-to-school looming around the corner, we’re quickly transitioning to fall. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to look back at the past few months and determine my ultimate 2025 summer playlist. I … Continue reading
NCT Wish’s buoyant Surf has proven to be a real grower, as summer-themed songs often are for me. The group is spoiling fans with multiple pre-releases for their upcoming mini album, with new track Baby Blue the second in line before the title track is unveiled next week. By its very nature, Baby Blue has … Continue reading
Last week, EXO’s Chanyeol pre-released the incredibly soft Happy Accident as a teaser for his new album. When listening to that song, I hoped he had something with more bite coming down the line next. Throughout his solo career, Chanyeol has experimented with rock textures and that’s proven to be a good match for him. … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
EXO’s Chanyeol is slated for another solo album soon, and today he’s teasing us with pre-release Happy Accident. Alongside female vocalist Sole, he’s delivered a vibey slow burn guaranteed to take the edge off any feelings you may be having today. Chanyeol’s singing voice has a very calming quality and works well within this sonic … Continue reading
I don’t know why all these distinctly summer songs are releasing right before I have to go back to work for the new school year, but the timing is not to their advantage. Summer songs need weeks to brew and connect with all the great experiences listeners enjoy during the season. At any rate, Red … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. In 2025, I thought I’d try something new and add a weekly feature to supplement my monthly round-up. Each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 