In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in what’s new in J-pop. With that in mind, here’s where you come in: I’m one person with one set of musical preferences, so please embed any other new J-pop tracks you’ve enjoyed in the comments so we can get a fuller spectrum each week. *And just like I do with my reviews, I’ll wait until full versions of songs a ..read more

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I’m a little baffled why I enjoy YOUNITE’s new album as much as I do. It’s easily my favorite thing they’ve released, yet it’s filled with the kind of shout-chanting that usually earns an immediate “6” on this blog. However, songs like Geekin work thanks to the excellent beat driving the track. The production acr ..read more

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. K-pop’s early summer continues with the release of Fantasy Boys’ newest mini (single?) album. It’s heavily themed toward the season, down to its title (and also the title of this buried treasure), Make Sunshine (몰랐어 첫사랑인지 스쳐가는 감정인 건지). Prior to its release, the guys performed both this and title track Pitter-Patt ..read more

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Until now, I don’t think I’d listened to an Xdinary Heroes album more than once all the way through. I’m not sure what happened, but the material on their just-released Troubleshooting finally clicked with me. I don’t want to rob them of their individuality, but this new material feels like an ideal entry point f ..read more

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. IVE will be releasing a music video for double title track Accendio later this month, so I’ll wait to share my thoughts on that song until then. Overall, I think their new mini album is solid and enjoyable — even if nothing compels me back for an immediate re-listen. HEYA is already aging well, and I’m curious to ..read more

At their best, E’Last have offered an ultra-dramatic take on K-pop, fueled by orchestral strings and inventive song structures that feel almost like musical theater. Over the years, they’ve drifted from that early sound, most recently in the form of Kiss Me Baby‘s funk energy. New single Gasoline returns to darker textures but fails to recapture the magic of their best work. Gasoline is delivered with plenty of panache, but the song spends most of its time offering a style of plodding shout-singing that’s become less effective the more boy groups embrace it. Despite its bombast, the melody rem ..read more

K-pop has a long, storied history of songs about shoes. From Highlight’s Gikwang boasting his Dancing Shoes in 2009 to ITZY putting on their Sneakers in 2022, these tracks tend to be pretty silly. And really, how could they be anything else? Now, TOZ is back with their ode to “Nu Shoes” (and no, that’s not an homage to the brilliant 80’s one-hit-wonders Nu Shooz… though I wish it was!). TOZ is notable in the K-pop industry for being an entirely Japanese group. They debuted last year with the so-so Magic Hour, and Nu Shoes is definitely an improvement. Right from the start, its rhythmic groove ..read more

Ever since the immense success of TWS’s Plot Twist, I’ve been wondering if bright boy group fare would come back into vogue. That seems to be happening slowly but surely, and Fantasy Boys’ Pitter-Patter-Love (분명 그녀가 나를 보고 웃잖아) is a great example of the form. I haven’t paid too much attention to this group yet, but this is easily their strongest single. While Pitter-Patter-Love may not reinvent any pop music wheels, its buoyant sound and addictive melodies target the pleasure centers of your brain with undeniable accuracy. It continues a run of (very) early summer boy group tracks, adding a bub ..read more

K-Pop queen HyunA made her return on a new label late last year, and Attitude was a brief shot of excitement leading into this new era. Follow-up Q&A takes a more vibe-driven approach, but its dance elements work well for her. Between 4minute, Trouble Maker, Triple H and her solo work, HyunA’s covered a ton of musical ground over the years. If I were to slot Q&A into any of these eras, I think it shares the most with Trouble Maker’s moody pop. Though this is an upbeat dance track centered around a late-2010’s style instrumental drop, the production has an atmospheric air that adds emot ..read more

Apart from a fantastic pre-release, YOUNITE haven’t done much to stick in my memory. I’ve written about all their title tracks, but I honestly couldn’t hum any of them today. New single Geekin is unlikely to change that, but its addictive beat helps it stand out amongst their discography. I should hate this song. After all, the spoken word chorus hits many of the stylistic tropes I tend to despise in modern boy group music. Yet somehow, “why you geekin?” is such a stupid phrase that it somehow becomes fun. More than anything, we can thank the song’s production for its success. I could do witho ..read more