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
Tag Archives: sm
Song Review: Chenle (NCT Dream) – Lucid
It’s a slow day (week? year??) in K-pop, so I’m going to sidestep over to the Chinese market for a moment with the debut solo single from NCT Dream’s Chenle. The song is part of a “special EP,” and given the way Chinese music is usually promoted I assume this album will be released in … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from April 27 – May 3
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
K-POP Time Machine: Ranking Six Random Songs from 2015
Sometimes, it’s fun to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in a specific K-pop year. Similar to my Battle of the B-sides, this feature sees me shuffling a huge playlist of songs from a certain era, picking out six at random and sharing my thoughts about each. All songs are eligible: Title … Continue reading
Song Review: RIIZE – Bag Bad Back
After a lengthy hiatus, RIIZE are gearing up for their first full album in a few weeks’ time. Teasers have promised a strong visual component and that kicks off with today’s pre-release single Bag Bad Back. Though RIIZE’s music has been high-quality across the board so far, their sound hasn’t embraced just one style. This … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from April 20 – 26
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
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: April 2025
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
Buried Treasure: Kai (EXO) – Off And Away
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. The K-pop industry loves to harness … Continue reading
Song Review: Kai (EXO) – Wait On Me
Kai’s been teasing the release of his new album with several songs, both of which took dance elements and subdued them to a leisurely pace. All the while, I’ve had to make peace with the fact that Kai clearly wants something different from his solo work than I’d expect. Title track Wait On Me continues … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from April 13 – 19
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
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (April 20, 2025)
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
Song Review: Super Junior-L.S.S – Pon Pon
Super Junior sub-unit L.S.S — comprised of members Leeteuk, Shindong and Siwon — have the dubious honor of the lowest-rated SJ release on this blog. In fact, last year’s Joke is one of the lowest-rated songs in general. Their music tends to blend retro with novelty for tracks that feel more like memes than enjoyable … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: NCT Wish – Melt Inside My Pocket
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. Listening to NCT Wish’s new mini … Continue reading
Song Review: Kai (EXO) – Walls Don’t Talk
EXO’s Kai pre-released Adult Swim earlier this month, wasting extraordinary potential on a dull, spoken-word chorus. His actual comeback is still around the corner, but before that he’s surprised us with another new track. Walls Don’t Talk picks up the pace a bit and feels slightly more developed than its predecessor, but still delivers a … Continue reading
Song Review: NCT Wish – poppop
NCT Wish had a moment last year — starting with their excellent Songbird and continuing into their upbeat banger Dunk Shot — where I could clearly hear the potential of a fun, youthful new generation of SM boy groups. But surrounding those songs has been material I’ve had a hard time connecting with. The music … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from April 6 – 12
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
Song Review: Mark (NCT) – 1999
For the long-awaited release of Mark’s first solo album, he’s promoting with a title track named after his birth year. Birthdays aside, 1999 was an awesome year for music. Everyone was in party mode due to the impending turn of the millennium. Pop music was diverse and dominant, with MTV and TRL serving as hubs … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from March 30 – April 5
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
Song Review: Kai (EXO) – Adult Swim
With Kai serving his mandatory military enlistment, it’s been just over two years since I’ve gotten to write about one of his solo singles. But now that he’s back, he’s wasted no time getting into the studio. A new mini album is on the way with pre-release Adult Swim tiding us over in the meantime. … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of March 2025
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. March 2025 Overall Thoughts While this year in K-pop has not wowed me yet (not even … Continue reading