The K-POP Gossip

GIRLSET "Chat"

I actually liked the group's r'n'b sound, but they weren't doing well on the charts and instead of promoting them better, JYPE decided to jump on the hyperpop train and ruin their sound. That company is so creatively bankrupt and risk-aversive, it's embarrassing.

A2O MAY "Love Got Me Ooh"

This is Lee Soo Man's Chinese girl group, who sing in English for some reason. I don't know why people glaze that old geezer, LSM is a terrible man with a terrible track record when it comes to mistreating his idols, and without SM's A&R team, his own creations are pretty bland. Meanwhile, UNIS released a cute j-pop summer song.

THE 8 "8DM"

Sunmi "Forever July"

Just when I thought we were done with the Jersey club sound in k-pop songs NewJeans helped popularize, Sunmi releases one. The chorus needed to be fleshed out a bit more, but the vibe is good.

Huta "Icy & Spicy"

BTOB's Minhyuk is set on releasing summer songs it seems, I hate the chorus, but he looks great, I can also see this being a hype song for big crowds.

Picheolin "Love Sick"

News outlets this week are reporting that pretty much all TWICE members are preparing to leave JYP Entertainment to concentrate on their solo careers. I can't criticize that in any way, the girls gave their all the past 10 years for the group, and JYPE milked them dry. They made a bunch of money and are set for life, so whatever the girls want to do in the future (singing, acting, modeling, hosting, influencing), I wish them all the best. Also, I'm pretty sure they'll still release music for their big anniversary dates like Girls' Generation and other groups have done.

idntt "Kids Return"

I like the Y2K urban sound they got going here, but the verses needed a little bit more substance to support the chorus, which was the best part.

WOOAH "Summer"

Man, what happened to their budget? The group usually releases quality songs, especially "Blush" was fantastic. But things don't seem to be going too well behind the scenes, I won't be surprised if we hear disbandment news next year.

CIIU "Step By Step"

Yeonjun "Ice Cream"

TXT's Yeonjun is a pretty boring soloist, he can dance, but his singing is mid at best and the songs he picks are terrible. First GGUM and now this Robin Thicke "Blurred Lines" wannabe track.

UAU "Tuesday"

TRENDZ "On My Knees"

This was actually good - the melodies, the energy, and the chorus worked well together. The raps were unnecessary, but it's a k-pop boy group, they can't seem to make songs without it.

AHOF "Run To You"

Not as good as their other tracks, but I did like the beat/instrumental. I just wish the chorus was more than just the hook being on repeat. And MEOVV's b-side "In My Hands" is Instagram influencer core, I guess.

RESCENE '"Pretty Girl"

i-dle "Gimme Dat Love"

Well, it's better than the pre-release, which sounded like a Soyeon solo. Here we have stark Tyla influences, but super bland, where's the charm in that?

UAU "Gene"

These three Dreamcatcher members are making music that's so far removed from DC's sound, it's almost funny. I liked the verses but the chorus was too repetitive.

BABYMONSTER "I like it"

Seventeen V8 "singasong"

HYBE gentrifying the underground nightcore/edm genre is funny. You can see it with Cortis' whole concept too, acting like they're indie-rock artists, while a billion-dollar company is curating and managing every single thing in their lives/careers. Anyway, the song was ok for what it is, but not my cup of tea.

OMEGA X "Life Detox"

The group has been through the ringer, so I always cheer for them, but their music is just too basic to make a splash, and Junghoon already left earlier this month, so who knows how much longer they can last.

M.O.N.T "Run"

M.O.N.T have been releasing pop-rock songs since their debut in 2019, but it feels super generic and kinda boring. A three member group is rare for bands, they should do something more interesting to highlight each member.

Keyveatz "OXY"

Silica Gel "Molecular Gastronomy"

AtHeart "Say It"

A fun summer song, but the "Lovefool" sample is a cheat code. One of the best pop songs ever written, now I want to go listen to that instead.

NEXZ "Hellmate"

I want to like NEXZ but the music has been miss after miss since their amazing debut. At least Haru and Yu look hot as usual.

ATEEZ "Bad"

With a Latin beat like that, I was expecting a dance anthem, but this felt really subdued, and the raps were awful. Chase Infiniti in the music video was funny though.

HITGS "Little by Little"

dodree "Hawwah"

JYPE's creative team has done such a great job at creating this modern/classic Korean folklore fusion for dodree. I wish the song was longer and had more time to develop nuances, though.

Stray Kids "Run It"

SKZ has had some great success with their Korean folklore fusions as well, but this one is a miss. I don't even know what story they were trying to tell, but the song and mv were underwhelming, which is funny since they were going for an anthem vibe.

Primrose "Cosmic"

CLASSy "Tear Drop"

A very simple pop-rock song, the chorus could have been a bit more than just repeating the hook "tear drop, dududu". Meanwhile, NCT Wish did a whole cover of 90's j-pop song. And Secret is back as a three member group.

HYUNHAYO "NALLY-NA"

I can't really get into TREASURE, this song might as well be a leftover track from Block B (not necessarily a bad thing). I just don't think any of the guys can rap well enough to pull it off.

Hearts2Hearts "Lemon Tang"

SM really doesn't know what to do with their 5th gen groups, their sound/concept is all over the place - from "The Chase" to "Rude" to this... I'm not a big fan of disjointed songs either, so this was a dud for me.

Evan "Ride or Die"

ONF "Open The Door"

Here the music video and the song don't match at all, it's almost strange how uplifting the song is, and how dark the visuals are.

USPEER "Wicked Game"

This was rather generic and inoffensive, but also lacks anything that makes the song stand out. Koreans do love to use AI though. Meanwhile, I enjoyed Fifty Fifty's b-side "Starstruck".

Yves feat. Lexie Liu "Break It"

STAYC "2 Love"

I like the upbeat retro beat, the chorus was also catchy. Overall a cute summer song, but not STAYC's strongest comeback.

RIIZE "Do your dance"

RIIZE fit edm music, although here the chorus is a bit repetitive, I preferred "Impossible's" house beat. Maybe this is what happens when you let 15 year olds write your songs.

i-dle "Crow"

BabyMonster "Sugar Honey Ice Tea"

If you want to make kitch edm music, you should at least be at the level of T-ARA. These recent k-pop dance tracks just don't hit the same. BM's lyrics are always terrible too, somebody give these talented girls a good song.

BoyNextDoor "Viral"

Finally, a HYBE song that isn't just trying to be a TikTok hit, how ironic that it's called "Viral". I liked all the non-rap parts and that they let go of their cringe comedy concept.

izna "Metronom"

Xia Junsu "Gravity"

I wasn't expecting industrial house music from Junsu, but the beat and his vocals work really well together. I was kinda hoping for a big highlight towards the end though.

MAMAMOO "4 Flowers"

The group is back after four years, so the title makes sense in more than one way. I liked that they didn't go with a boring ballad but instead an upbeat pop track full of melancholia.

XODIAC "Phantom Fire"

SHINEE "Atmos"

Oh, this is giving "View" vibes and I love it. The edm beat is so rich and full of different textures. The guys sound good too.

MEOVV "DDI RO RI"

The Dracula themed concept would've worked better around Halloween, but even then, the music is lacking originality. It's just another copy of BP's sound and style.

TREASURE "If"

The English lyrics are cringe, the swag is cringe, the music video is cringe. YG's biggest flop, no wonder they want to debut a new boy group this year, I just hope they can be less outdated.

FIFTY FIFTY "Like a Bubble"