When it came time to draft my Top 10 Rookies Of 2018 list, I wanted to find a place for NeonPunch. After all, their June debut was an early-summer highlight …
Read More »[Review] CLC stand up and stand out with unconventional but successful “No”
CLC finally seemed to find the general direction they wanted to pursue with “Hobgoblin“, and the buy-in to a more mature and serious concept paid dividends with “Black Dress” last …
Read More »[Review] SNUPER get back on track a bit while in Japan with “Weekend Secret”
Those who have followed The Bias List for some time have gone on the SNUPER journey right alongside me. It’s a story that starts with Sweetune-fueled promise, climaxes with Sweetune-fueled …
Read More »[Review] HOTSHOT’s Taehyun makes solo debut with predictable but successful “I Wanna Know”
In theory, boy group HOTSHOT stood to benefit big time from 2017’s second season of ‘Produce 101‘. But despite member Sungwoon becoming part of WANNA ONE, the guys have struggled …
Read More »[Review] IMFACT’s “Only U” is solid, but could’ve been a lot more
After a series of scattershot singles, IMFACT hit pay dirt with last year’s “NANANA“. It worked within a now-familiar genre (deep house), but inverted the structure just enough to simultaneously make …
Read More »This Is So Stupid: Mascot Chiitan jailed for blackface, fired by city
Regional mascot Chiitan was fired recently by the city of Susaki in the Kochi Prefecture, following the otter being captured in blackface. That led to a stint in jail from …
Read More »[Review] BAND-MAID scale their intensity back a bit to stellar results on “Bubble”
Since I latched myself onto the BAND-MAID bandwagon back in 2016, they’ve failed to disappoint with a release yet, which is something I know because that’s what I’ve been writing …
Read More »[Review] NCT’s Chinese unit WayV debuts on solid ground with “Dream Launch”
I vividly remember the disappointed groan I let out last March when it was revealed that NCT’s ‘Empathy‘ album would be filled with songs we’d already heard before. That groan returned a …
Read More »[Review] Hyomin finds something to build on with safe but solid “U Um U Um”
Generally speaking, the solo work of T-ara members has reinforced the notion that they work best as a group with Shinsadong Tiger helming the production. As no matter how much …
Read More »[Review] Seventeen give the typical winter release an interesting twist with “Home”
I’ve gotta admit, I was worried. When Seventeen started teasing “Home” as a mixture of “future” r&b (why is everything labeled “future” so hopelessly dull?) and more traditional balladry, I …
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