Editorials

Taken together, IU’s past three singles (Blueming, Eight and Into the I-LAND) form an overarching sound that comes across as quite cohesive. They’re all feel-good, sing-along pop anthems, and I …

As the years have gone by, Dreamcatcher have kept their rock influence but their fusion sound has definitely hopped around from genre to genre. It’s been hard to argue with …

Over the past few years, Golden Child have displayed a versatility in both concept and sound. This can be a dangerous road to travel, and oftentimes results in a hodgepodge …

In terms of releases that seemed to come out of nowhere, Susan’s “Amateur Lover” may be one of the most surprising. Not only had I never heard of her before, …

Lately, I’ve noticed a worrying boy group trend. I like to think of it as “the Road to Kingdom effect”. It’s like a K-pop pissing contest, where comeback tracks have become little …

With K-pop’s retro trend continuing to chug along, artists like Yubin stand to benefit most. After all, she’s been tackling city pop before it was popular, with songs like 2018’s …

Before we get into Asurabalbalta (아수라발발타) itself, can we all just agree on T1419 being a horrible name for a K-pop group? I mean, I know the market is oversaturated, …

(G)I-DLE raced out the gates during their 2018 debut year, releasing two great singles and a great album, by my count. For most they’ve only continued their ascension since, as …

Whether related to the pandemic or not, SM Entertainment’s reach into the Japanese market seemed to stall in 2020. I’ve always considered them one of the few K-pop agencies that …

Rain’s 2020 has been a story of resurgence, as his ridiculous 2017 single “Gang“ unexpectedly rose to fame and he became one third of retro pop pastiche SSAK3. JYP’s 2020 …