Author: Rahul M

Not only is it a busy day for K-pop comebacks, but we’ve got a few Japanese releases as well. xikers have already made their Japanese debut and are back with the poppy rush of second single Up All Night. This group’s sound has been all over the place, but I tend to enjoy their songs most when they’re anchored by big choruses. Up All Night fits this bill even if it doesn’t sound much like xikers at all. This isn’t automatically a bad thing, as acts often target international work toward individual markets they’re promoting in. Rather than a specific…

Just a day after her fellow Sistar member Hyolyn released a new single, Soyou is back with new music of her own. Two summers ago, she carried on Sistar’s sonic legacy with the excellent Aloha, but like Hyolyn she’s decided to explore different summer sounds with PDA. PDA feels much more indebted to the early 2000s in the way so much recent K-pop has been. Its sprightly beat has that familiar ‘Neptunes meet Jersey club’ sound, hitting softly even as the tempo remains brisk. It’s a production that could have backdropped so many recent K-pop singles, making it amorphous when…

Given Mystic Story’s track record, their first boy group ARrC’s material hasn’t been as quirky as I would have thought. So far, their sound hinges largely on old-school hip-hop, which isn’t a unique touchstone when it comes to K-pop’s boy bands. New single Awesome continues this trend with a few early 00s influences thrown in for good measure. In a post-trap world, the quality most of these songs are missing is a sense of fullness. When I think back to the 90s and early 00s hip-hop I loved, I imagine car-thumping beats with a robust lower end. These songs moved…

Girl Group ifeye debuted earlier this year with the sprightly Nerdy. That song boasted a great chorus that was undercut by the airy, subdued production style that’s become so popular with this generation’s girl groups. With new comeback R U OK?, the girls make a sonic turn toward a more percussive summer sound. R U OK delves into dance music, moving between hard-hitting bhangra beats and electronic textures during its chorus. In between, the song struggles to maintain its momentum. I’ve noticed this a lot with current K-pop songs. Their highest points feel like the energy you’d expect on a…

“Omniscient Reader” has shared behind-the-scenes production details and concept art for the film! Based on the popular web novel of the same name, “Omniscient Reader” will tell the story of Kim Dok Ja (Ahn Hyo Seop), who suddenly finds himself living in the world of a fantasy novel he was reading. Armed with the knowledge of what happened in the novel, Kim Dok Ja sets out to save the world from ending. Lee Min Ho stars as Yoo Joong Hyuk, the protagonist from the novel that Kim Dok Ja read. The most significant element in the film is, without a…

Throughout their career, Purple Kiss have waffled between sounds and concepts with varied success. Their music hasn’t quite caught on in the way I would have thought despite the group being very talented. This uncertain vibe carries through to new single DOREMI, which feels like their least notable release yet. DOREMI is a stately mid-tempo, underlined by trap beats and featuring melodies that swirl around the track with more heft than most of their contemporaries. As I often say when it comes to mid-tempos, melody and production are key. You’re not getting a thrilling dance beat to keep you engaged,…

Hyoyeon from SNSD has developed a nice solo career as a DJ/performer, though SM Entertainment has yet to give her an actual album to flex her skills. I guess full/mini albums aren’t as common in dance music as in other genres, but if you were to string all her prior tracks together you’d have a strong compilation. Add new single Yes to that line-up because it’s another hit. Many K-pop acts flirt with various dance genres, but HYO dives right into high-octane house music with Yes. Even the cheap, DIY music video has a certain underground club appeal. Her vocals…

ENA’s upcoming drama “The Defects” has released a highlight teaser! In “The Defects,” Yum Jung Ah plays Kim Se Hee, a celebrity doctor who is outwardly respected in the medical field but secretly leads an illegal adoption trafficking ring. Won Jin Ah plays Kim Ah Hyun, a young woman who was returned after being adopted through a broken system, but miraculously survived. Dex plays Jung Hyun, a human weapon raised in the shadows by Kim Se Hee, and Choi Young Joon stars as Woo Tae Sik, a subordinate in Kim Se Hee’s illegal adoption trafficking ring who secretly rescues and…

CLOSE YOUR EYES has won a second music show trophy for their new title track “Snowy Summer”! On the July 16 episode of “Show Champion,” the candidates for first place were aespa’s “Dirty Work,” ALLDAY PROJECT’s “FAMOUS,” CLOSE YOUR EYES’ “Snowy Summer,” Super Junior’s “Express Mode,” and TWICE’s “THIS IS FOR.” The trophy ultimately went to CLOSE YOUR EYES! Watch their comeback performance, win, and full encore below: Other performers on today’s show included VIVIZ, H1-KEY, NOWZ, n.SSign, AHOF, Baby DONT Cry, RESCENE, NouerA, You Dayeon, KEJIMIN, CrazAngel, Doha, and Woo Yerin. Check out their performances below! VIVIZ – “La…

ENA’s upcoming drama “My Golden Star” has unveiled its first poster and teaser! “My Golden Star” is a romantic comedy about Korea’s biggest top star Im Se Ra (Jang Da Ah), who mysteriously vanishes and wakes up one day as Bong Cheong Ja (Uhm Jung Hwa), an ordinary middle-aged woman. The drama follows Bong Cheong Ja as she struggles to navigate life after losing 25 years of her memory, with the help of Dok Go Chul (Song Seung Heon), a tough and solitary traffic police officer. Uhm Jung Hwa plays Bong Cheong Ja, a former top star who wakes up…