Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Been a while, and honestly there’s some enjoyable stuff in here this week. Maybe or maybe not a coincidence that it trends that way with summer releases getting underway in earnest. K-pop in 2024 could use a jolt and successful run, really.
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BADVILLAIN – “BADVILLAIN”
A flashy debut at least gives me hope that the company is invested, though doing so with a less catchy BLACKPINK/BABYMONSTER/YG Entertainment knockoff track probably isn’t what they needed to distinguish themselves.
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AKMU – “Hero”
I mean BIBI‘s “Bam Yang Gang” was a smash hit and it’s AKMU, so I get the idea. Somehow though, this is even less dynamic and really does sound like department store music.
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Xdinary Heroes – “Boy Comics”
They’ve had an enjoyable run of releases and I definitely welcome more heaviness to the idol scene. It lacks an addictive melodic center and/or guitar riff that it probably needed to take off, but it’s appreciated.
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Nicole (KARA) – “5!6!7!8!”
Only really lacks the knockout chorus that separates the good from the great with these kinds of smooth, disco dance-pop tracks that meld together a bit. I liked it fine enough.
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Candy Shop – “Don’t Cry”
How is Brave Brothers doing with handling their new girl group? About as well as they did with their old one, as I didn’t know this was their comeback. It also doesn’t help that the song itself is B-side material.
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ONE PACT – “FXX OFF”
Yes, please fuck off with this sound. What the fuck.
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Cignature – “Poongdung”
Honestly, I think this is the song that really made me realize the summer songs are coming back. The bright, celebratory energy is there, which helps carry this to enjoyable territory alone. Literally everything also feels like it’s about Jeewon at the moment, who I also like, but it’s rarely a winning long-term strategy for a group. Seems more like C9 Entertainment desperately trying to recoup their investment or something.
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EVERGLOW – “ZOMBIE”
The first time through “ZOMBIE” is a great experience, as the creeping, claustrophobic, and unsettling mood is great. For a while it reminded me of one of Dreamcatcher‘s B-side tracks, but unlike some of the best of those, this just repeats twice more and doesn’t go anywhere. It had a golden opportunity at around 2:55 to escalate things and just passed on it.
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TRENDZ – “GLOW”
Aw yeah, the generic* funky disco dance-pop tracks are coming back to give the good vibes, summer is definitely back, baby.
*Not pejorative.
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CSR – “Pretty Mob”
Triggering every SNSD fan immediately is a hell of a choice for a girl group, but more than that, they seem to have shifted away from GFRIEND-inspired stuff. Bouncy and rhythmic fun seems to be more trendy anyway, though the vocals are still thin, which isn’t normally an issue but their songs are pitched so high.
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Sunmi – “Balloon In Love”
Doing her own work across the board is an interesting musical switch, and the sentimental, sleepy summer track with some soft rock elements is pleasant enough.
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Weki Meki – “CoinciDestiny”
While I’m glad they got a farewell song — and one that’s better than a typical goodbye song — it’s borderline insulting how this whole thing rolled out, with Fantagio doing the absolute bare minimum.
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WOOAH – “POM POM POM”
I think if everything in this track had the delivery of the metal-tinged chorus and the nonstop energy of the conclusion, I would’ve fucked with this heavy. I just felt like there were too many lulls for the cliche rap verses, and not enough commit to the rock sound. Still better than your average release in 2024, though.
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RIIZE review and something on EVNNE when I stop being a lazy fuck.
