The K-POP Gossip

Stray Kids "This & That"

Repetitive and boring. I don't know what is going on with SKZ but they haven't released a banger since "Gods Menu". I did like the music video but even the rappers of the group are not delivering. Maybe this is what happen when idols are working non-stop and lose all their creativity.

aespa feat. Ty Dolla $ign "Switchblade"

Did they use the "Tokyo Drift" soundtrack as inspo or straight up sample it? Well, it's way too repetitive, but the feature was out of left field. Meanwhile, KISS OF LIFE's "Sweat" is a sexy comeback Tyla could have released.

TUIDE "Meet my GRLS"

Red Velvet "Surfin' Boy"

I really wanted to like this, but the talk-singing is super annoying here. The chorus has pretty melody but the music video strangely doesn't suit the concept - like are they mermaids or wattpad writers?

BabyMonster "Moon"

BM always does better when they're not doing a BlackPink cosplay concept, but the girls don't have to keep singing about haters and how rich and pretty they are.

NEXZ "Can't Hide"

KARD "Back To Life"

This is the group's good by e song since the group will disband after this comeback and tour. It's a nice way to say bye, even if the song is kinda basic, it works for them.

Young K "Shut The Door"

Day6's Young K went with an 80's pop-rock anthem for his comeback and I bet it sounds really good when a whole crowd shouts the lyrics to the song along.

BIG Naughty feat. HAGA "Flower"

Jennie "Less than a Lover"

Jennie's new summer song is quite repetitive, but interesting enough to enjoy in the evening while chilling on your balcony.

aespa "Kiss and Tell"

This was generic pop music I was not expecting from aespa but rather H2H, it doesn't suit them at all. Well, it's just a J-release.

J.Y. Park "Wet"

Somebody stop this old man from releasing thirst traps. Who is that JYPapi shit for anyway? What a bad week for k-pop...

KATSEYE "Animal"

OURBIRTHDAY "Hungry"

TWICE might be done with JYPE, but the company is already promoting their new 5th gen group. I'm not sure if it's really a 3-member group (rare) or if the others have not been revealed yet, but the song/choreo was cute.

Hyolyn "ChecK"

Girl is channeling her inner Beyoncé again, but Hyolyn is a really good singer and dancer so it's nice to see that she's back doing r'n'b. fromis_9 is also back with a summer song.

LUN8 "Sneakers"

idntt "It's Not Over"

The melodies are beautiful, so is the music video, but I kept thinking how much this sounds like a girl group song. More of this, less of "Kids Return".

IRION "Memoria"

I wasn't sure what to expect with that kind of intro, but the song was actually solid for a rookie nugu group, reminds me of some early G-Friend tracks (ironically not Memoria though).

U-KNOW "Time's Tickin''

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"