Rookie boy group INX debuted last August with the promising “Alright“, opting for a classic synth sound that helped them stand out. Unfortunately, they went pretty silent shortly after. In …
Read More »IMFACT’s “Tension Up” boasts dynamite chorus and questionable choices elsewhere
Rookie boy group IMFACT have teased a monthly release schedule for 2017, but the month of March was conspicuously skipped. I have to assume this was due to preparation for new …
Read More »DAY6 successfully shift gears for summer with fun & breezy “I’m Serious”
Though I have my qualms about digital singles replacing album releases, the biggest upside of a monthly title track schedule is that it allows an artist’s material to change along with …
Read More »Red Velvet’s “Would U” an understated but pleasant opening act for SM Station
March is always a pretty barren month when it comes to big K-pop releases, but it feels like we’re coming off of one of the driest spells in recent memory. That …
Read More »CNBLUE’s “Between Us” delievers one of their best efforts in a while
It’s been eight years since CNBLUE made their debut. After so long, it’s got to be hard to keep new material fresh. I imagine that rock groups find it particularly difficult, …
Read More »Highlight (Beast) ‘debut’ with “Plz Don’t Be Sad”, which has more positives than not
As Beast closed out their career with the melancholic drama of last summer’s spectacular ‘Ribbon,’ the newly renamed Highlight opens theirs with a much more upbeat offering. The guys have …
Read More »Seven O’Clock do little to stand out from the crowd in “Echo” debut
It must be a tricky choice when deciding how to debut a new group from a small agency. Without name recognition or pre-debut hype, a rookie’s success lies solely on …
Read More »Yang Hee Eun & Akdong Musician’s “The Tree” a success thanks to hypnotic soundscape
Akdong Musician have always seemed older than their years, bringing a sense of world-weary maturity to even their lightest pop songs. Since their first album in 2014, they’ve been going …
Read More »Highlight (BEAST) show they haven’t lost a step with “It’s Still Beautiful” return
Of all the comebacks and dramas that are likely to happen in K-pop this year, Beast‘s transformation into Highlight might just be the most interesting. Acts have left their agencies …
Read More »MVP’s debut with “Take It” makes them a rookie group to watch
It’s already mid-March, but it doesn’t feel like 2017 has given us any real notable debuts yet. This time last year, we’d already seen the first releases by Astro, KNK, …
Read More »