As popular as it has been, TWICE’s Japanese material has left a lot to be desired thus far. Pursuing a hyper cutesy motif, it’s only seemed to accentuate the group’s …
Read More »[Review] Arashi go with a throwback feel on the bright, refreshing “Natsu Hayate”
Arashi spent much of 2017 experimenting with their sound. Whether it was the swing-inspired “I’ll Be There“, the symphonic and trap breakdowns of “Mikan“, or the eleven-and-a-half minute song suite …
Read More »[Review] Minseo’s soundtrack-esque “Zero” truly soars behind orchestral instrumental
While I’m quite a bit late on Minseo and “Zero“, my excuse is that I have never heard of this person before. Fortunately, I did stumble upon this song while …
Read More »[Review] Hey! Say! JUMP continue to mature with unapologetically fun “COSMIC HUMAN”
It’s hard to believe that Hey! Say! JUMP celebrated their tenth anniversary last year. After a decade in the industry, most pop acts begin to fade, moving on to less …
Read More »[Review] (G)I-DLE continue their climb to the top with the gorgeously arranged “Hann”
After a strong start to the year, Cube Entertainment has collapsed in recent weeks with the mishandling of the E’Dawn/HyunA dating “scandal” and BTOB members’ impending military enlistments. It’s bound …
Read More »[Review] DIA tighten up a familiar sound for “Woo Woo” and give us a summer anthem
DIA have made their first comeback of 2018 with “Woo Woo“, and it’s also their first without the recently departed Eunjin. While there was minor controversy before its release due …
Read More »[Review] D-CRUNCH at least manage to stand out in “Palace” debut
After a few years of immense growth, K-pop hasn’t seen all that many notable debuts so far in 2018. The industry has become more infatuated with limited run project groups …
Read More »[Review] LOONA debut as 12 with “FavOriTe” and prove to be worth the wait
LOONA effectively got underway back towards the end of 2016, and now just under two years later, we finally get to see all 12 girls together in a release. While …
Read More »[Review] Stray Kids’s “My Pace” goes for hype but suffers with erratic sound
Rookie group Stray Kids released my favorite debut of the year with March’s “District 9“. That track positioned them as an exciting new force in K-pop, blending trendy hip-hop with …
Read More »[Review] Red Velvet go back to ‘red’ side and come up with surprisingly bland “Power Up”
Red Velvet is coming off an excellent 2017, with four of their songs (“Peek-A-Boo“, “You Better Know“, “Talk To Me“, “Red Flavor“) ending up as my favorites of the year. …
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