Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Actually glad to say there was more stuff this time around that was nice and a borderline review decision than not.
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MAMAMOO+ – “GGBB”
A harmless song with a rather timeless instrumental base that lends itself of pleasantness, but it’s ultimately rather forgettably subdued, and I think I ended up preferring their pre-release.
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Xikers – “TRICKY HOUSE”
Debuting a group with a song that seems made for dance crews more than listening — complete with a ton of empty space for choreography — thus rendering the members themselves completely anonymous is … a choice.
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Kim Woo Seok – “Dawn”
Actually quite good with the creeping synths creating a feeling of drama, and even the vocal effects make sense here. It sorta comes off like a generic version of Kang Daniel’s “Paranoia” because it’s not as dynamic, but it’s still notable and something that made me want to pay attention to his future releases.
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Ryu Sujeong – “Daydreaming”
A light and dreamy track with a bit of bounce to it that’ll fit right in on chill type of playlists. Sorta reminds me of the more pleasant stuff one could find on indie channels, and it effectively delivers the mood of an afternoon walk in the park in late Summer or something.
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Apink – “D N D”
Brighter than their past songs since their reinvention, with a lot more bounce and funk to it. Also a sound we’ve heard before, which makes it a bit reliant on a chorus that is nice enough but a lot more forgettable than their best since it blends into the crowd a bit.
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Agust D (Feat. IU) – “People Pt.2”
A comforting and warm track that harkens back to the more chill R&B/hip-hop collabs of the 90s/00s from the Common, The Roots, and Janet Jackson school of things. It doesn’t reach those heights for me (even though it badly wants to), as the lyrics of the chorus are esoteric at best, it drags during his vocal section, and the repetitiveness of it compounds that issue. Still, it’s another song here that I enjoyed, and it’ll surely hold more nostalgic appeal to some.
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Mark (NCT) – “Golden Hour”
Loved the edgier sound here with the electric guitar and the grimy drum hits that recalls Kanye West‘s “Black Skinhead“ (and BewhY‘s “GOTTASADAE“ by proxy), though I wish it stuck with that sound instead of kinda getting lost in the forest a bit halfway through. Regardless, I expect fans to love this more than I will, but it’s at least understandable due to the referential and playful nature of it (and the meme-worthy lyrics).
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I’m not posting all the Boys Planet songs here, but since some of you asked … they’re all mid or worse.
