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. October 2022 Overall Thoughts First off, I want to recognize Korea’s national period of mourning and … Continue reading
Monsta X’s Kihyun made his solo debut earlier this year with a rock sound. Voyager showed promise, but it didn’t stick around my playlist for long. Luckily, he’s doubled down on its strengths for follow-up Youth. This time, the melodies are stickier and the overall sound is more upbeat. Kihyun has one of the more … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … 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. When it comes to September’s K-pop … 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. September 2022 Overall Thoughts Well, September was certainly a contrast to August! With hindsight, August was … Continue reading
CRAVITY have had a very mixed discography, and that’s putting it mildly. There are some title tracks I find borderline unlistenable, but they’ve also got big highlights like Adrenaline. Luckily, this year has seen them veer toward lighter sounds, embracing the more upbeat side of boygroupdom. Party Rock is their most explosive joy bomb yet, … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts Too often this year, my monthly round-ups have been… kind of a … 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
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. Depending on how you look at … Continue reading
Having vaulted to the a-list only a few months after debut, IVE have entered an early ‘imperial phase’ where anything they touch is all-but guaranteed to be a hit. This kind of instant success can lead to quick stagnation, but the group has a great track record so far. Both Eleven and Love Dive have … 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. July 2022 Overall Thoughts Counting up all of July’s releases, I’m not sure we’ve ever had … 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. WJSN have a reputation for standout … Continue reading
Are you kidding me? Another Universe release? This app needs to stop doing this to me! Worse yet, this is the second Monsta X song to be released via Universe. Groups. are. double. dipping. Will the madness ever end?? Well, there’s not much to say about If With U. It’s pleasant but dull, somewhere between … Continue reading
After WJSN’s victorious Queendom result, the group has made a long-awaited comeback. It’s been over a year since they delivered the high-octane dance pop of Unnatural, but they haven’t missed a step. Last Sequence builds upon that sound in blazing fashion, proving you don’t have to shout and chant to elicit big K-pop energy. WJSN … 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. June 2022 Overall Thoughts I’ll be publishing my top songs of the first half of 2022 … Continue reading
The lines between music and advertisement have always been blurred in K-pop, making the industry’s CF track worth watching out for. In fact, I think last week’s Gatorade jingle was actually stronger than most official comebacks! The Pepsi/Starship collaboration continues with Blue & Black, bringing together Hyojung and Arin from Oh My Girl, Wonyoung and … Continue reading
Over the past few years, Starship Entertainment’s Pepsi (or in this case, Gatorade) CFs have become a reliable summer tradition, bringing together a diverse array of artists. Apparently, they don’t have to be part of Starship’s roster to participate. And in the case of Move Like This, they don’t even have to be professional singers! … Continue reading
May 31st, 2022 We arrived on the planet CRAVITY late last night and celebrated our successful voyage with an early sleep. No champagne for this team. Even if we had wanted a grand celebration, this planet’s quirky physics wouldn’t allow it. Gravity is constantly changing here. Our Mission Specialist dubbed it “crazy gravity,” or “cravity” … Continue reading
As a supplement to my individual episode recaps, I like to take a look at the original songs that make up Queendom‘s finale. These were pre-released ahead of next week’s performances, which means we can judge them on their own merits rather than the effects-heavy stages that will no doubt bring a healthy dose of … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 