I’ve spent too much energy this month complaining about songs produced by Devine Channel. Between 1Team’s “Rolling Rolling,” Kang Daniel’s “What Are You Up To,” and EXO-SC’s very own “What …
Read More »[Review] Woosung (The Rose) makes solo debut with the effortlessly addicting “FACE”
I was surprised to find out that “FACE” is the solo debut of The Rose‘s Woosung, so I guess it just felt overdue. Honestly, I had no idea what direction …
Read More »[Review] NCT Dream grow up a bit on sleek “BOOM”
It’s been almost a year since the last proper NCT Dream comeback, though with the way the ever-rotating NCT system works, these long hiatuses never feel quite as endless. New …
Read More »[Review] Kang Daniel debuts with adequate but dull “What Are You Up To”
As Wanna One’s first center and a bonafide variety show star, Kang Daniel is easily the most anticipated of the group’s post-disbandment debuts. He’s spent the past few months locked …
Read More »[Review] MAMAMOO’s “Gleam” is a surprising release that delivers little surprise
Sometimes it feels like K-pop releases are preceded by endless weeks of teasers, so Mamamoo’s surprise drop of “Gleam” is a refreshing new strategy. It makes me wonder if an idol act …
Read More »[Review] CIX debuts with “Movie Star”, which is moody & smooth but doesn’t really go anywhere
The year of debuts rolls on with 2019’s second Wanna One-spawned idol group in CIX, who will likely enjoy instant success due to the presence of member Bae Jinyoung. They’re …
Read More »[Review] TVXQ go unabashedly big & fun with “Hot Hot Hot”
TVXQ have been busy in both Korea and Japan since both members were discharged from the military in mid-2017. But so far, nothing they’ve released has quite matched their pre-enlistment material in …
Read More »[Review] EXO-SC’s “What A Life” is remarkably disappointing
Before EXO’s Chanyeol and Sehun debuted as an official sub-unit, they paired together to deliver last year’s SM Station track “We Young“. That song offered a nice balance between hip-hop …
Read More »[Review] Hyoyeon continues to be surprisingly convincing with “Badster”
Hyoyeon’s transformation into an EDM DJ initially felt like a gimmick, but last year’s addictive “Punk Right Now“ proved that she was willing to have fun with the genre. With “Badster“, she …
Read More »K-pop’s (BTS/Super Junior/Stray Kids) inroads in Saudi Arabia leads to understandably mixed reactions
Almost a week ago, Super Junior and then Stray Kids made history by becoming the first K-pop groups to perform in Saudi Arabia after they showed out at the Jeddah …
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