Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Actually there’s a bunch of quality songs in here this week. Flawed a bit but quite fun.
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Kang Daniel – “Ready To Ride”
Feels like it wants to be a fourth-gen boy group song but was hungover and passed on giving energy.
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PSY – “Celeb”
Doesn’t quite hit on the hook-y notes that I’ve come to love PSY for.
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BUSTERS – “Futt”
The song title is so fucking funny, man. The idea of the song is right but the execution is lacking.
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Wheein (MAMAMOO) – “D-Day”
This song released just for a fanmeet is better than all of her singles as a soloist. That’s kind of throwing shade at her solo work since this is a genre right up my alley, but it’s mainly that this is a pretty effortless and fun listen.
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Ryeowook (Super Junior) – “Hiding Words”
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ALICE – “Power Of Love”
I was excited for their rebranding and they’ve returned with a certified snoozer. Please god let them do something else.
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WOODZ – “I Hate You”
Living up to his outstanding 2021 was always going to be difficult, and this time he leans on rock again but goes more in the pure punk-pop direction. For me, it leans in so hard that it effectively edges close to being just another K-rock song I’ve heard before as it lacks the standout melodies, but oddly enough it’s right on trend and above-average compared to what others are putting out.
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iKON – “BUT YOU”
This caught me by surprise in a nice way as the foundational synth loops are engaging throughout, but it also doesn’t really hit that next gear and I think it’s because this is a bit of trend-riding that doesn’t truly fit the skill set of the members well. After the great initial impression, multiple listens makes it kinda wane in impact a bit, but still I’ve liked this more than most of their singles.
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CLASS:y – “SHUT DOWN”
This is … actually a rather solid debut. The core elements share stuff in common with groups like Red Velvet, with the thumping bass and the upbeat rhythm familiar but not particularly all the way into the girl crush direction we’ve seen so often this year. It’s so constantly busy that it kinda wears out the listener, and I’m not sure it actually all comes together melodically, but I’m definitely interested after not at all paying attention to My Teenage Girl.
