Another month is at its end which means another month of new K-Pop to check out. So I’m giving my quick takes on all of the debuts and comebacks we got this month!
I’m only sharing the debuts and comebacks I actually paid attention to and not every single one that happened in the month. So if a favorite artist of yours isn’t in here, tell me about them in a comment and I’ll check them out!
Debuts
StarLight by LIMELIGHT
This is actually a pre-debut release for the trio, but it is our first introduction to them like a debut would be. Overall, it is fine but this isn’t anything we haven’t seen or heard before. I wish the song had more variety with the instrumental because it felt constantly loud which is exhausting.
Like Psycho by We;Na
The music style and music video aesthetics just don’t fit together in my opinion. There were some parts that worked together, but enough odd choices where it was a little disjointed. Maybe they wanted to show us they could visually do different concepts, but then it looks disjointed. If they chose some different sets and didn’t have the black outfits, it would be better.
Rose by mimiirose
I enjoyed the video more than the song. The song has some interesting parts and I think they are strong vocally and the second verse music change wasn’t terrible like what some other tracks have done. I look forward to seeing what they do next, which is a good start for a debut.
Comebacks
Same Scent by Oneus
I’m impressed and pleased. Everything from the song to the video feels just right and works together well. I’m glad that they made some interesting cinematography choices to make moments interesting versus over-the-top sets and costumes. I am glad that this comeback is the one that got them their first music show win.
2 Baddies by NCT127
“2 Baddies 2 Baddies 1 Porsche” with Porsche mispronounced is so stupid and I just laughed. The rest of the song isn’t terrible, but it isn’t great either. It feels too generic for NCT127 and they tried to make it up with an outlandish-looking video that is more obnoxious than anything else. I prefer when they go way-out-there experimental over this.
Requiem by Craxy
There are parts I like and parts I don’t. It feels glaringly obvious that their company does not have the financial power to produce as big of a production as they strive for, which is disappointing. I want to commend them for trying, but they also need to accept their limits. I actually have a lot of thoughts on this which wouldn’t make it a quick take anymore, but I’ll surmise as much as I can.
Things I liked: their wardrobe was solid, the choreography is decent, and the song is fine although not super memorable and generally generic.
Things I didn’t like: whenever the video went to the amorphous blue effect because it had no purpose and would linger on it for too long, the SWAT portions because they don’t fit the rest of the video, the fact one members hair is both pink and blonde as if they ran out of time at the hair salon and had to start shooting before it was finished, and the use of green screen is a little too obvious.
Overall, they really shouldn’t have made so many videos for all the songs on the album and instead invested their time and money into making one amazing video for the best song.
Stay With Me by IRRIS
I like the overall vibe of the video and song. It’s laidback which is quite enjoyable. I don’t have much more of an opinion beyond that, to be honest.
Nirvana Girl by Sorn ft. Yeeun
Does anyone else feel like this is the anti-idol song for her? She doesn’t want to be controlled and pulled around as an idol anymore. I’m probably reading way too much into it, but it is a hard thing to miss. Anyway, I do like the song overall and I’d listen to it again. It isn’t groundbreaking, but that’s fine.
Dice by Nmixx
Stop with the song mashup already. It was bad the first time and it is still bad now. I was actually enjoying the start, and then as soon as they “change up” the song I get mad. They’re taking “MIX” too far and doing a horrible job actually mixing these songs together. And by doing this stupid idea, they don’t actually highlight their vocals at all and I genuinely thought they sounded bad at the end. JYP is ruining this group for the sake of a unique (but terrible) concept.
I Am by MAKAMAKA
There are a lot of energetic and loud girl group songs this month, and listening to them all in a row is honestly exhausting. I will say that of these fast-paced tracks, this one is one of the better since we do get breaks from the high-volume and energizing parts.
Fire by EXID
I’m conflicted on how to feel about this comeback. In general, I like the sound of the song, but the lyrics ultimately are just a bunch of puns and references to hot things. Not all of the members looked like they fit this concept, and I think that ultimately stands out because the ones who really owned it were so good. Overall it is hit and miss throughout, but I wouldn’t say any of it is bad.
Drip N’ Drop by Mirae
I definitely like the song and it was an easy add to my main K-Pop playlist. The video I’m mostly indifferent to. It didn’t make the song better nor did it make anything worse.
Party Rock by Cravity
The chorus ended up not how I expected after hearing the first verse and even the following. It isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t fit with the rest of the song. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it feels like the funk influence is lost at the chorus and it really needs that to keep it from sounding too cheesy. Not my favorite from them in all honesty.
Gratata by Lapillus
Lapillus really needs something to make them stand out and be memorable because I honestly forgot about them prior to this. With so many 4th gen girl groups having similar concepts to this comeback, there needs to be something more. I still really enjoyed this song and the video, but we still need more.
Icarus by RoaD-B
This sounds more like an OST for a show or movie than a regular comeback. That isn’t a negative necessarily, but I’m not a fan of the music style that most OSTs have, so not a big fan of this song.
Rush Hour by Crush Ft. j-hope
J-Hope is the perfect artist to feature on a song with this sound. And overall it is a fun and relaxed song that I enjoyed. I initially thought I wasn’t going to listen to it very much, but I ended up enjoying it more and more with each listen. It is definitely a nice break from all of the overly energetic tracks we’ve had this month.
Brand New by Xiumin
This is my first time listening to Xiumin outside of Exo. Initially, I was dreading what this song was going to be since the introduction was the same overly energetic stuff we’ve had too many times at this point. Thankfully the rest of the song is not like that and is more enjoyable than I was expecting. I don’t know if I’ll listen to it often, but I’m glad it isn’t the same as everything else.
Magical Symphony by Adora
I’ll be honest and say the only reason I even check out Adora is because she was formerly a producer for BigHit and BTS. There is something about her style that I just don’t enjoy, which is unfortunate because I do think she has a good voice, but there is just a touch of childishness in her stuff that I don’t vibe with. So in general, this isn’t bad but just not for me.
What new music have you been enjoying this month, K-pop or not? Tell me about it with a comment!
Took me a while to get through all the videos you posted. I dunno what it is, but I just can’t seem to enjoy any boy groups. None of them did anything for me. Though honestly, in this list none of the girl groups really did either. I mean… I can’t say I actively disliked anything I heard today, but only the I Am by Makamaka really had any kind of beat that made me go “this one’s not bad.” The rest were really just “there” for me. Though I will say I think I liked this Nmixx song better than their debut, at least.
FWIW, I showed my 12-yr old daughter “I Am” by Makamaka tonight and she said “I don’t really like it. I mean.. it’s okay, it’s just… not really grabbing me.”
Yeah the month was generally disappointing for me, and I had high hopes. It got exhausting to go through them after a while.