WJSN are at their best when they highlight the “cosmic” part of their name. Last summer’s “Happy“ was a fun, peppy diversion, but tried to emulate too many other girl …
Read More »[Review] N.Tic play it safe & generic with “Once Again” when they needed to make waves
Prior to their debut, N.Tic gained more notoriety from member Jion’s ultra anime style face than the prospect of any music they may be releasing. I suppose everybody needs a …
Read More »[Review] SF9 oddly change direction on fun but flawed “Mamma Mia”
Since their debut in 2016, SF9 have flirted with a variety of genres and sounds. With October’s “O Sole Mio“ they seemed poised for a breakout, exploring the kind of …
Read More »[Review] CLC use familiar sound on “Black Dress”, but killer moments are something to build on
In the (almost) three years since their debut, CLC have cycled through just about every girl group concept you can imagine. Yet, none of these changes in style has led …
Read More »[Review] Weki Meki’s “La La La” lacks creativity, ends up generic unlike album tracks
Less than a year into their debut, girl group Weki Meki have quickly become lodged in a frustrating dilemma: their album tracks are consistently superior to the songs they’re given …
Read More »[Review] BoA’s “One Shot, Two Shot” about as frustrating as it is addictive
Just over two weeks ago, BoA pre-released single “Nega Dola“. I was a bit hesitant with the song, but it’s since grown on me quite a bit. That’s one of …
Read More »[Review] AAA’s Nissy brings showstopping funk-pop with “The Eternal Live”
Over the past month, I’ve been digging deeply into the gargantuan discography of prolific J-pop group AAA. They’re an act I’ve been wanting to get into for years now, but …
Read More »[Review] “Gorgeous” is the better of VAV’s title tracks thanks to its lively energy
Double title tracks are not particularly common in K-pop, and even less so when it comes to artists from small agencies. Despite this, boy group VAV have released two music …
Read More »[Review] HIGHLIGHT’s Yoseob’s “Star” safe & pleasant, but too hesitant for its own good
The winter of 2018 has yet to give us many great ballads. I’m certainly not complaining, as January yielded a steady supply of uptempo pop instead. But it does feel …
Read More »[Review] B1A4 continue run of quality in Japan with lush, melodic “Do You Remember”
Over the past few years, B1A4‘s Japanese releases have become a welcome continuation of the sound they’ve established in Korea. The group self-produces almost all of their material, and that …
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