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!
Salty by n.SSign (Pre-debut)
This is actually a pre-debut release for n.SSign. There is something just really pleasant about the song and the members’ chemistry. I couldn’t tell that this group was formed from a survival show which I only found out when doing more research on them. It’s a nice song for a pre-release, since I don’t think it would be that impactful of a debut track.
Just Do It by BSS (Seventeen Sub-Unit)
It’s a fun song that I enjoyed listening to and watching the video. But that is as far as my thoughts go for it. It’s an enjoyable listen that I wouldn’t mind hearing again, but it isn’t a new favorite.
Rising by tripleS
tripleS as a group baffles me a little, as from what I understand they are supposed to be like a female NCT. Hopefully once they start sharing more music it will flesh out better, but it seems like tripleS is the NCT U equivalent for context’s sake.
Concept aside, the song is fine. This is formally their debut, and I must admit that this didn’t make me want to listen to them in the future and look forward to what they produce. It felt safe and kind of boring to be honest. It isn’t the worst debut I have ever seen, but it’s also very average.
Honestly by LimeLight
I like the song more than the video because musically it doesn’t lean too deep into cotton candy cute. The video fits the song, but it’s more cutesy than I like and that’s just personal taste. I’m mostly glad to see they are officially debuting.
How Are You by HAWW
I don’t have a strong opinion on this to be honest. I do think the funky dance break is a good addition to make the the song feel more unique. But I have to admit that the ending sneak preview of the video caught my attention much more than the rest of the video and the song. I don’t think this song is going to make waves as a debut in the vast ocean that is the K-Pop industry.
Best Friend Ever by NCT Dream (Japan Comeback)
This is the kind of song that fits NCT Dream’s original concept and I actually like. It’s approachable and pleasant. But for a song about best friendship, it didn’t feel to me that the members were best friends. Regardless of if they are or aren’t real life, it didn’t come across like they were in the video.
The Sound by Stray Kids (Japan)
It is hard for me to ever dislike a Stray Kids song since I enjoy their overall style and sound quite a bit. And The Sound fits into their discography well, but I’m not sure how I feel about it as a title track. I’d have to develop those thoughts after listening to the whole album I think.
Target by Class:y (Japan Comeback)
They really said “Let’s make an anime theme song” with this track. And I don’t dislike that, but I also don’t think it works for CLASS:y since they didn’t 100% commit to that style and vibe. If they had it might have been great, but this is kind of mediocre in my opinion.
Killer by Key
This song gives me Blinding Lights by The Weeknd vibes, which is one of my favorite songs of his so I’m not mad at all. There also seems to be a bit of Michael Jackson influence as well. Overall I really like the song and I will definitely listen to it again.
We Are Young by TRI.BE
It’s fine. I’m definitely not the target audience and it, based on their previous songs and overall concept, doesn’t fit them. At least they look like they are genuinely having fun.
Teddy Bear by STAYC
I don’t like cute concepts, so I honestly didn’t finish this one. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but so outside of my preferences that I didn’t want to listen or watch anymore.
MBTI by JUST B and AleXa
They vocally sound really nice together. The medium paced R&B sound works well for these artists coming together. I don’t know if I’ll listen to it that much since faster tempos is what I tend to gravitate towards more so.
Sweet Juice by Purple Kiss
Purple Kiss comebacks make me happy because I know I’m going to get something different from everything else that is trending. Even if I need a few more listens, I always end up enjoying their songs. Sweet Juice was one I quickly enjoyed both song and video for this one. The haunted hotel was an interesting setting that I think they utilized well and fits their overall concept. The song is definitely more sexual in nature than previous tracks, but I prefer that over the cute and bubblegum pop other groups do. Plus the overall sound is one I enjoy a lot. The only thing I didn’t really like was Yuki’s rap. I would have liked the song more if it was much more vocal focused.
Dancing In The Dark by HELLO GLOOM
It’s not every day you see drag queens in a K-Pop video. And they somehow make sense, although I had to get into the lyrics to sort that out. Overall I like the song, although there were some moments where I didn’t know if I liked his voice or not.
Love or Die by TNX
This reminds me of something TxT would do, especially in the I Know I Love You era. I like the overall sound and find it to be a solid song. I do find it interesting that, for the video, it looks to be filmed at the same locations as their January release “I Need U”. I wonder what the reasoning for that is.
Roar by The Boyz
I actually think the most interesting part of this comeback is the video. They made interesting choices visually that caught my attention. The song itself is one I enjoy, but it sounds similar to others I’ve heard and really almost any 4th gen boy group could have released this.
Thrill by E’LAST
I’m happy to see E’Last return, since I really enjoyed their last comeback. I admire the change from the last comeback as well, showing they can do more diverse music and concepts. And I do enjoy this one, but I like Creature just a little more. But it’s close, and they perform both so well.
Cupid by Fifty Fifty
I find the concept of questioning cupid is a fun, different take. And the overall comeback is a good follow up to their debut, keeping to their chosen sound and showing how well it fits them, especially vocally.
Mirage by TFN (Japan)
Oh no. I wanted this to be good so it would be a great comeback from Amazon. But it’s clear that this song was not written for them in mind, and their vocals don’t sound good at all. I didn’t even make it one minute in before I had to pause because it’s honestly bad. The mixing isn’t done well either. The members need more vocal training to do a song like this. They all have very unique voices that don’t mold well with every song style. And the rap doesn’t fit at all! But at least the rappers sound better as rappers. Wow I’m shocked.
I Do! Do You? by Kep1er (Japan)
It is a Kep1er song at its finest. It’s bubbly and cute, Bahiyyih has less lines than nearly everyone, and I’ll probably never listen to it again. The only thing it has going for it for me is that it is better than We Fresh. I’m probably going to stop checking out Kep1er unless they do something really different.
What new music have you been enjoying this month, K-pop or not? Tell me about it with a comment!
Wow, I’ve actually already seen several of these. That said….. going through your selection and clicking on the ones that seemed interesting —
Limelight – Honestly — As you said, musically it’s pretty good, but the video is just kinda meh. I think I’ll hope for more and better from them in the future based on the strength of the music in this one, but I don’t think I’ll revisit this one either.
Tri.be — We Are Young — Another of the “if it came on the radio I’d keep it playing” ones. Video didn’t do anything for me, though it was better than Limelight’s, at least.
StayC – Teddy Bear — I’d already seen this one. It’s cute, but ultimately forgettable. I showed it to my 13-yr old and she danced along with the video but hasn’t gone back to listen to it again on her own either. My wife thought the bear stuff was cute, at least.
AleXa & Just B – MBTI – Dang. I knew that Asian cultures like the MBTI personality profile a lot, but I never imagined a song about it like this. I’ve enjoyed AleXa for a while now, so I watched it for her more than anything. I found it… inoffensive. That said, it’s not “my style” of music either, so… a big meh from me.
Purple Kiss – Sweet Juice – Another I’ve seen already. Didn’t really care for it. Showed it to my daughter and she wanted to watch Nerdy and Zombie afterward instead, so she didn’t appear to really like it either. My wife flopped down on the bed and turned away from it, so she seemed to actively dislike it.
Fifty-Fifty – Cupid — I like how melodic it is, but overall it doesn’t hook me either. It picked up a bit after the key change, but not enough to make me want to listen to it again either.
Kep1er – I do! Do you? — Heard this one also. Another “inoffensive” one. The pre-chorus made me expect to hear Twice suddenly break in and sing the chorus from “Scientist” though, so it felt kinda derivative to me. Showed it to my daughter and she got bored about halfway through. My wife wasn’t impressed either.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to on repeat today. It’s not kpop though 😉 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IjdkNaGI6k
Inoffesnive is a great way to describe most of February’s releases.