There’s always something so exciting when new music drops – the uncertainty and anticipation of what the album might hold, especially in K-pop. The genre itself is on another level when it comes to creativity and vibrancy, never feeling dull or lacklustre. One group consistently goes the extra mile to embody all of that while…
Category: Album Reviews
Being and Nothingness: Existential Despair in TABLO x RM’s “Stop The Rain”
TABLO and RM are the leaders of the most iconic K-Pop/K-rap groups, Epik High and BTS, respectively. K-Pop groups tend to have specific roles, such as rapper, vocalist, visual, maknae, to which members are assigned. The position of leader is perhaps one of the hardest because, besides having to moderate any internal conflict, they are…
82MAJOR Step Up: Bold Sound, Bigger Vision on 3rd Mini-Album “SILENCE SYNDROME”
82MAJOR are on the run. Well, at least they are in their latest music video to TAKEOVER, accompanied by their 3rd mini-album SILENCE SYNDROME. If it’s your day one with 82MAJOR, six prison escapees getting down on a train track while dressed in soft pink pyjamas with bunny motifs will be the first impression you…
IVE’s Next Chapter: “IVE EMPATHY” and the Art of Reinvention – EP Review
Few groups in recent years have shaped the K-pop market quite like IVE. Since their debut in December 2021, the six-member act – comprising An Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo – has established itself as a dominant force among girl groups. From their first release, ELEVEN, which topped domestic charts within a…
For CIX, Groove Comes Naturally: “THUNDER FEVER” Review
Quite like wrapped chocolate, with CIX, you know what you’re going to get. The well-rounded four piece make good use of what they have. Their voices sit nicely next to each other like siblings on a bench in a family photo; there is no standout timbre, but rather always a comfortableness to their sound. Cinema…
BSS Turn Up the Energy with Second Mini-Album “TELEPARTY”
January can often feel bleak, but SEVENTEEN’s unit BSS (BooSeokSoon) provide much-needed vitamin supplements to make us happy and cheerful. It’s been two years since BSS released the mini-album Second Wind, which saw them go viral and achieve record-breaking figures thanks to its title track, the optimistic Fighting (feat. Lee Young Ji). The unit, consisting…
K-Pop 2024: Hits, Highlights, and Rising Stars
As 2025 approaches, let’s reflect on the successes of K-pop in 2024. The industry, as always, has proven to be a treasure chest of gold. Over the past twelve months, we’ve witnessed countless releases, sold-out tours, and the debuts of many promising rookie groups. It wouldn’t be the phenomenon it is without the endless creativity…
Riaan & Dane: Promising Soloists Make Their Debuts
2024 has been a fantastic year for Asian musicians. BABYMETAL are still going strong, Beabadoobee, Audrey Nuna, Laufey, Peggy Gou, Griff, Sarah Kinsley, and ATARASHII GAKKO! all dropped huge albums, and beloved artists of their niches like yeule, ONE OK ROCK, two of the three DPRs (and endless others) all made releases in the past…
Taemin Embraces Sensual Power in His New EP “ETERNAL”
SHINee’s Lee Taemin can be described in various ways, but he is undoubtedly an artist who is a risk-taker and who isn’t afraid to blur the lines of gender and the exploration of sexuality in his artistry. His 2023 album Guilty signalled a return to form following his military discharge, indulging in sensuality with songs…
Creativity and Artistry in Jimin’s “MUSE” – EP Review
Originally conceived in classical Greek Mythology, nine muses were born from the union of Zeus and Mnemosyne, one for each night the couple slept together. However, it was Apollo and the nymph Eufime who raised them, thus literally and metaphorically giving birth to the association between the muses and the arts. While traditionally the muses…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 