Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
A bunch of heavy hitters over the past week or so, and I’ve been seeing a bunch of rather ironic fandom arguments over whose songs are more mid than the other (they’re both mid).
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Kwon Eunbi – “SABOTAGE”
It took me a minute to get into both “Glitch” and “Underwater“, so maybe the same will be true for “SABOTAGE“. However, it’s been over a week now and I feel like those others were subtly addicting, whereas this is meant to be a pop anthem that just felt a bit ambitious for her range. Regardless, the energy and hook makes it a solid enough add to her discography.
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H1-KEY – “Let It Burn”
This is so close to that angsty pop-punk anthem it’s aiming for, and their vocals are plenty to carry this sound, but the melodies didn’t quite hit home for me like say Avril Lavigne‘s did. Still, everything they release (aside from some standard ballads) keeps me interested in what’s coming next.
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TWS – “If I’m S Can You Be My N?’
The start gave me hope we were really leaning in to some kind of male GFRIEND school trilogy vibe, but instead it was a lot more hip-hop focused with melodies not nearly as strong. Cute and all, but a lot of boy groups have gone this direction since, and it seems like a lesser version of “Plot Twist” in a lot of ways.
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Chuu (LOONA) – “Strawberry Rush”
The propulsive chorus is what makes this sound quite good in clips, but man the quasi-rapping in the pre-choruses is rough and sorta kills the track’s rhythm right before that. Still, it’s Chuu doing agreeable synth-pop stuff, so she’ll get the benefit of the doubt from most, though I do wonder if it’s the kind of track that’s enough to establish an identity as a soloist.
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U-KISS – “Stay With Me”
This felt more like the generic-ish fansong I expected last time when instead they actually returned with a hell of a banger. Well, at least it has some pep to it.
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B.D.U – “My One”
A project group from an Mnet reality show (Build Up) dedicated to finding underrated vocals … and they’re not doing a sleepy ballad? Well, that’s a win in itself, really. Hell, it even really picks up during the chorus to make for a pleasant summery song.
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Kim Jaejoong – “Glorious Day”
Glad he’s back and he sure can sing, though this also does sorta feel like the background music for a Cialis commercial or some kind of religious event.
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LISA (BLACKPINK) – “ROCKSTAR”
Lisa‘s star quality helps carry this otherwise repetitive track that just sorta meanders until the Tame Impala sample hits (which is cool, to be fair). For those who liked her previous work — as well as groups like XG — they’ll definitely find something to enjoy here. For me though, it kinda felt like we’ve been here before and there wasn’t anything being added to the formula.
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Jimin (BTS) (Feat. Loco) – “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band”
Honestly, there’s just not a ton to latch onto here. I guess it’s cute enough if you’re a fan of his vocals, but it’s one of those tracks that understandably wouldn’t get any attention if it was published on Mirrorball Music. It’s just … kinda there, chilling.
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FTISLAND review? Maybe? Yeah.
