Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Hello and welcome to the Rundown, where you get to watch as I get increasingly lazy towards the end of the year and bigger names and better songs get thrown in here.
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WHIB – “BANG!”
Always amazed at the dichotomy between K-pop songs with titles like this and 10+ seconds in the chorus of a languid beat without any sign of a refrain.
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Crush – “Hmm-cheat”
Sort of a throwback to the era of The Neptunes, which I dig, but it didn’t come with the melody/hook to complete the feel.
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AMPERS&ONE – “On And On”
Funny name aside, this is quite a fun debut. While it does kind of have that paint-by-numbers bright boy group debut vibe to it, “On And On” also does it well, and it’s surprisingly catchy.
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NTX – “Holy Grail”
I actually kinda love that rubbery, thumping synth that dominates the chorus. At least it differentiates this from the rest of the boy crush fodder.
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3YE – “LOCO”
For better or worse, K-pop has found Afrobeat. The dreamy and ethereal vibe to it is rather nice, and at worst it’s pleasantly enjoyable background music, though comparatively it does feel a bit unseasoned.
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Epitone Project & YoonA (SNSD) – “Knock”
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APOKI – “Hashtaggg”
Other than the furry thirst trapping, or maybe because of it if that’s your thing, this was another solid addition to her discography.
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THE BOYZ – “WATCH IT”
Was really into it at the start, but I could feel that anti-drop coming from a mile away and it was as disappointing as I expected. Still, the verses and pre-chorus carry this further than many of their other releases for me.
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VIXX – “Amnesia”
VIXX‘s dark, sexy, and cool vibes are always welcome, and I’m certainly glad to have them back, but this felt a bit too passive even for that soundscape.
