NewJeans is officially trying to leave ADOR/HYBE. After their creator Min Hee Jin left the company last week, the members “left” too. Hanni and Danielle left messages to fans explaining that they couldn’t take the mistreatment and manipulation anymore. But HYBE is not going to let them go so easily, so look forward to a messy court fight. On November 28, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein held an emergency press conference. The members explained, “The time period for rectification ends at midnight tonight, but it seems HYBE and the current ADOR have no plans for reform or to listen to ..read more

Red Velvet Irene “Like A Flower” Irene was always known as the visual, and there’s a reason for it, her singing, dancing, rapping was pretty average, but her looks were top-notch. So my exactions were low for her solo, and I’m still underwhelmed with the whole EP. TWS “Last Festival” I suppose TWS will try to cater to middle school students for the rest of their career in hopes of recreating their success with “Plot Twist”. Problem is, that song was boring, and everything they’ve released since is even more bland and boring. BURVEY “Clap” This is a nugu kids group, of which exist a few too ..read more

WayV “High Five” The instrumental is generic but funky 2000’s r'n'b, mixed with strong hip-hop beats that could have stood out more if the guys were better rappers. The raps were really the biggest weakness here. BADVILLAIN “Zoom” There’s something really outdated about this comeback. Feels like a million other songs I heard between 2018-2020. I didn’t like the “zooom” chant during the chorus, it sounds like a copy of aespa’s “Armageddon”, which I didn’t like either. Wonho “What would you do” I almost didn’t recognize Wonho, new nose, fully clothed, and singing in English instead of Korean ..read more

After the fall-out between HYBE and Min Hee Jin and her and NewJeans not being able to force back/reinstated Min Hee Jin as the CEO of ADOR, she has now resigned from ADOR completely and will end her five-year contract under HYBE. MHJ released a long statement detailing her reasons for resigning. Another interesting development is this saga would be NewJeans trying to terminate their contracts with ADOR/HYBE as well. They already said they would do so if MHJ is not reinstated as CEO. Well, now that she’s out, I assume NJ wants out too. We’ll see how HYBE will react to all of this ..read more

Taeyeon “Letter to Myself” I like Taeyeon doing something with more edge, she could have gone a bit further and deliver a proper rock ballad here, but I guess this worked better for her vocal range. The rest of the EP is just basic r'n'b music we’re used to from her. NEXZ “Nallina” I have to say, I don’t see what direction JYPE wants to go with this group, they have been releasing tracks so vastly different from each other, that their identity is difficult to identify. Do you want them to do r'n'b, cutesy pop, or hip-hop? Pick a lane and stick with it, at least for their first year! Same iss ..read more

ATEEZ “Ice On My Teeth” The lyrics have got to be some of the worst I’ve heard in k-pop. The trap beat and the strings are nice, although the whole track falls apart for me when that ridiculous chorus starts. The music video looks great. CLASS:y “Psycho and Beautiful” This whole sound was modeled after NewJeans, no doubt, but man, this was chill and slick. I actually liked the verses more than the chorus, but the instrumental is a little too repetitive. Speaking of NJ copycats, ILLIT’s “Tick-Tack” exists too. BTS Jin “Running Wild” Jin’s solos have been pretty bland, his voice sounds thin a ..read more

ENHYPEN “No Doubt” ENHYPEN is a performance oriented group with energetic songs, this was way more subdued than usual, almost lackluster. The autotune is unbearable, and with the r'n'b genre vocals are one of the most important things. The boys did try to bring sexy back, though. Stray Kids “Giant” SKZ is also a performance oriented group with usually energetic songs, this was more subdued. From their J-releases, nothing beats “Social Path” so far. The autotune is annoying here as well. LE SSERAFIM “Star Signs” This sounds wonderful, kinda reminds of TWICE b-sides. The little ‘uh-uh’s are a ..read more

IVE x David Guetta “Supernova Love” Su-su-su supernova - not really. This one’s not as catchy as aespa’s burning star anthem but I liked the chorus, the song is just way too short. I kinda expected Guetta to deliver something more powerful in the EDM genre, this was almost too generic even for him. NCT DREAM “Flying Kiss” This was super soft and fluffy, and the chorus went wild, I liked that combination and the track definitely stood out in the sea of boy group songs this week. I just wish the verses were a bit more dynamic. VIVIZ “Shhh!” My god, it felt like this song went on and one with ..read more

DAY6 Sungjin “Check Pattern” I’m disappointed they went with such a fluffy, safe song for Sungjin’s debut when “I don’t want to do anything” was right there! That song is the real star of his EP, definitely one of my favorite tracks of the year. Yesung “It’s Complicated” I like the minimalistic, almost eery sound in the beginning, then it turns into a more upbeat pop song. The synths are my favorite part, Yesung of course also knows how to use his voice here. EPEX “Universe” This was basic and forgettable after two listens. Nothing stood out, nothing really hooked me either. It’s average bo ..read more

TXT “Over The Moon” This felt like one of those songs that would have benefited from being 30 seconds longer and having a bridge. There just wasn’t much going on in the verses and the chorus. It’s smooth, safe, and catchy enough to not bother anyone, but the problem with songs like that is the lack of replayability. J.Y. Park “Easy Lover” Can’t help but wonder if JYP and TXT are going to do dance challenges together, the timing of this track and those lyrics is hilarious. The song was fine, the mv was the standout here. Minho “Call Back” I actually like the mid-tempo r'n'b tracks from SM I ..read more