At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
KiiiKiii blew up big time this January with their hit 404 (New Era), quickly establishing their place at the forefront of this generation’s girl groups. They’ve also become one of the architypes of K-pop’s current dance trend, blending hyperpop with early-2010s EDM. Personally, the first word that comes to mind when I think of them … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … 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
Starship Entertainment’s new boy group AEN debuts as a hybrid K-pop/J-pop group, releasing versions of each song on their album in both languages. As someone who prefers having a “definitive version” of a song, I’m not usually a fan of tracks recorded in multiple languages, but I understand the commercial strategy behind it. At any … Continue reading
Dayoung has carved out a nice little career as a soloist, which is probably for the best since it doesn’t seem like Starship Entertainment will ever promote a WJSN comeback again. Her material has pulled strongly from 2000s R&B, making her team-up with Jay Park feel like a natural pairing. The two join forces on … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
K-pop is well known for latching onto a specific musical trend (usually a year or two late) and refusing to let go until they’ve drained the sound for all its worth. This is fine if we’re dealing with a fun, malleable trend, but becomes increasingly maddening when the trend is narrow and poorly executed. It’s … Continue reading
I haven’t done this before, but now that 2026 is halfway over I thought it would be interesting to see how my “top ten” rookies of last year are doing. Any best-of countdown is tied heavily to the time it was written, but the rookie countdown is particularly malleable because these acts can easily explode … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Monsta X’s Kihyun first promoted as a soloist back in 2022 but hasn’t made a comeback since. Much of that, I’m sure, is due to a lengthy military hiatus, but new single So Good picks up right where he left off. As expected, it’s a big, rock-fueled ballad. Kihyun has an excellent voice for 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. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
It’s difficult to know whether to write about a performance video, but the pre-debut of a new group from a major agency feels worth a few words. AEN is Starship Entertainment’s latest boy group, debuting less than a year after IDID. They’re co-managed by a Japanese agency with the idea of actively promoting in both … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … 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
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. May 2026 Overall Thoughts While May wasn’t quite as stuffed with highlights as April, it was … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … 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
IDID made a quick comeback after their September debut, but left fans waiting after that. Six months later, they’re finally back with new single Fly!, melding their old-school hip-hop sound with upbeat melodies. This fits squarely within a realm of current new-gen boy group sounds where acts flip the aggressive, hard-edged hip-hop of the fourth … Continue reading
Today may be a barren day for new K-pop releases, but IVE have slid into the empty slate with a music video for new Japanese single Lucid Dream. Their Japanese work has been a mixed bag so far and overall feels pretty inessential. This track does nothing to buck that trend. For Lucid Dream, the … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 