The story of NU’EST is unique within the world of k-pop: a once buzzed-about group hanging on by a thread, revived not by the hype of a viral moment or …
Read More »JYPE’s Stray Kids show potential on “Hellevator”, which is an uninspired retread
October will soon be cluttered with idol survival/debut series, from ‘The Unit‘ to YG Entertainment‘s ‘MIXNINE‘, to JYP Entertainment‘s ‘Stray Kids‘. Of the three, Stray Kids seems set to be …
Read More »Lay’s “Sheep” is like a joke that isn’t funny and ends up as a complete waste of time
Two weeks after releasing the supple funk of “I Need U“, Lay has returned with the worst K-pop-adjacent track this year (and that’s saying something, since his most recent competition …
Read More »DAY6’s “When You Love Someone” confirms that they’ve fallen into a rut
The beauty behind the kind of sustained release schedule DAY6 has utilized this year is that it gives an artist the opportunity to display a wide variety of sounds without …
Read More »Lay surprises with lithe funk on “I Need U”, where subtlety became a strength
Though Lay is still technically part of EXO, he didn’t participate in their new album or repackage. Understandably frustrating for fans, his absence is the byproduct of continual Chinese promotions. …
Read More »B1A4’s “Rollin'” uses a tropical frame and gives it a successful anthemic makeover
There are few “sure things” in K-pop. but the beauty of a self-produced group is that you can be assured of some sense of musical consistency. B1A4 has been that …
Read More »Masstige’s screaming & distorted vocal on “DAMA” is assertively terrible
Much to my eventual dismay, I stumbled across Masstige‘s “DAMA” music video since I subscribe to CJ E&M‘s YouTube. While I didn’t expect much of anything, it surprisingly managed to …
Read More »IU transforms SoBangCha’s “Last Night Story” into a quirky 60s girl group track
After the incredible success of her 2017 album ‘Palette‘, IU is taking a victory lap with the release of her second covers project. ‘A Flower Bookmark 2‘ follows the same …
Read More »Sechs Kies get saddled with YGE’s dad music on “Something Special”
Ever since it was announced that Sechs Kies would be signing with YG Entertainment for a late-career comeback, many were waiting for that big track that would herald the return …
Read More »LOONA Odd Eye Circle has an odd name, but “Girl Front” ends up delivering
So you thought that NCT had a complicated group configuration? Well, LOONA might just have them beat. The girls have not even debuted as a full group yet, but we …
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