March has long passed but I still wanted to share the new K-Pop from the month. So I’m giving my quick takes on all of the debuts and comebacks we got!
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!
Calling by Xodiac pre-debut
Not going to lie the main reason I added this to my quick takes list is because they are outside of a Disney park (Hong Kong Disneyland to be specific). So I had no expectations going in, which leads to my surprise that this is an all English song. I’ll admit that this video and track does make me interested in what they will release in the future, which is the point of a pre-debut release. Their company must have money is they can rent our a Disneyland for their video and include Mickey Mouse in it.
Hidden Side by Hwang Min Hyun
I really like the song and the video. The video gives me “Now You See Me” vibes which is one of my favorite movies actually. Overall an enjoyable listen and watch.
Set Me Free Pt.2 by Jimin (BTS) (Debut)
This the pre-release track for the highly anticipated solo debut album of BTS’ Jimin. And I feel like the ultimate purpose of this release is to set the tone for the album as a whole. And if that is the case, we are in for some interesting music.
I have to say when I first listened to it, I did question the vocal tone of Jimin’s starting rap. It seemed a little whiney, at least to me, and it was an interesting choice to start with that after the dramatic intro. But after a few listens I have grown accustomed to it. Plus when Jimin sings, his vocals sound perfect so all is right with the world again.
I could write a lot about this track and video, but that is the antithesis of a quick take. So go read my full review of the album Face for more.
LIKE CRAZY by Jimin
Like Crazy is quite the antithesis of the pre-release track Set Me Free pt. 2 with its synth-driven pop sound and a hazy, dreamlike quality both musically and visually. Much like how Jimin wished to be “lost in the lights” and for the night to never end, we get immersed in those feelings with the almost lulling quality of the track and the slight disorientation of the visuals. Both song and video do a great job of replicating the feeling of pushing or drowning out the weight of reality for a sense of peace, for one night of freedom.
DASH by HORI7ON Debut
It’s fine I guess. Nothing in it was groundbreaking or really gives them their own identity.
Tricky House by xikers
I like that they have a bit of Ateez energy (seeing as they are the younger sibling of them) but still have their own vibe as well. This debut makes me look forward to what else we’ll get from them. Hopefully they will get to really for a strong, independent identity.
Comebacks
Love Me Crazy by LIM KIM x JAMIE
It’s fine. I wanted more vocal differentiation between them since for me they sound too similar in the verses. That or just a solo by Jamie because her vocals fit the song better in my opinion.
seOul drift by OnlyOneOf
At first it was just any other boy group badass song, but the chorus and bridge brought in the sound and vibe that is more uniquely OnlyOneOf thankfully. OnlyOneOf is special, and underrated, so I’m glad they didn’t lose part of their sound. Now it isn’t my favorite track from them nor the most standout either. The song needed more levels of energy changes to make it more dynamic in my opinion.
on the street by j-hope ft. J. Cole
The moment I heard this song, I knew this was J-Hope’s “goodbye” song before leaving for the military. It has the same feeling that Jin’s The Astronaut does and even BTS’ Yet To Come. It has a sentimental vibe that comforts.
I have to admit that at first I didn’t love J.Cole’s part, but with another listen and knowing how much of an inspiration he was to J-Hope, I appreciate it more.
O (Circle) by Onew
Onew has such a lovely voice which fits this song so well. The lyrics are also quite good. The video was weird in some points, usually when the puppet cat creature was there. So if I’m going solely based on the song this is 4 hearts, but the video does pushing it down a bit.
Groovy by Cravity
This song lives up to its name because it is quite groovy. I appreciate a fun song as much as anyone else, but there isn’t anything particularly unique about it. Will I still dance to it in my car during my commute? Yes.
P.O.W! by Cherry Bullet
The pre-chorus is the most interesting part of this song, and the rest of it all sounds like songs I’ve heard before. There is nothing about this song that screams “This is a Cherry Bullet song”. It’s anonymous.
Set Me Free by Twice
The overall vibe feels more mature for them which I appreciate since I feel like they have been around long enough to warrant growing up from overly cute looks and sounds. The song itself is enjoyable but not super wow-ing or unique. I’ll listen to it again, but it won’t be my new favorite Twice track.
Karma by Pixy
I really like this song style for Pixy. It gives them a clear identity that is more uniquely them. Overall I’m really enjoying this iteration of Pixy and I really like both song and video.
Fix YOU by TAN
At first I thought I was going to get a ballad, which is not my favorite song style for title tracks. But I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed listening to the song and will add it to my playlist. But it isn’t anything groundbreaking.
Young, Dumb, Stupid by NMIXX
Using Frère Jacques for the chorus was a choice that I don’t know how I feel about. JYP has used familiar and simple beats like it before (Chopsticks by NiziU). Overall though I’m so glad that they stopped trying to mix different beats and genres together. This song is solid all the way through, highlights their vocals well, and perfectly fits their group and fan demographic (which I am not a part of).
Rover by KAI
This is such a good song for Kai. Poignant lyrics with an addictive beat, there isn’t anything to hate here.
Smoke Sprite by So!YoON! (ft. RM)
I was completely unfamiliar with So!YoON! prior to this, so I didn’t really have an expectation going into my first listen. I enjoyed the track and the video and not just because my favorite BTS member was in it. But there is something about her voice, that I can best describe as breathy, that I didn’t really love. So I probably won’t go and listen to more from her, but I do enjoy listening to this particular song and won’t turn it off if it starts playing.
New Dayz by Trendz
I’ll admit I zoned out a little while playing this. I enjoy the song and will likely listen to it again. The video is full of visuals we’ve seen before so I can take or leave it to be honest. This isn’t the most stand out comeback, but I do enjoy the song specifically.
Moody by Superkind
The video was honestly distracting since I didn’t understand what was happening most of the time and what it had to do with the song. I know their AI member is a big part of their concept but I could have done without him in this video entirely since his presence didn’t make any sense.
I like the song, but it’s hard to enjoy that while being confused by the visuals attached to it. I’ll have to listen to the song by itself to really enjoy it I think.
Love Me Like This by NMIXX
Finally an NMIXX song I like! The beat is honestly addictive with how catchy it is. They don’t sound so vocally strained and the whole concept fits them well. And no more of that terrible genre splitting.
Limitless by Ateez (japan release)
The chorus reminds me of an anime intro which I guess is kind of fitting for a Japanese release. Generally speaking though, it’s missing some of Ateez’s edge that their Korean tracks have. I probably won’t listen to this song again if I’m honest.
Nugudom by Craxy
Craxy really brought it for this comeback and I love that for them. Every part, from the song to the video and choreography, is really great and top quality. I want this to be their blow up song because they do deserve it. This is probably my new favorite Craxy track.
Dystopia by Kingdom
I always love the visuals we get in Kingdom videos. The videos are the scene stealers to be honest because they are so cinematic. The songs do stand up to their visuals, but with this song I wish the chorus had a little more power so the song didn’t feel like it hit a plateau in those parts. I don’t want every chorus to be like the final one, but a little punch would have been nice.
Alarm by ICHILLIN’
I like the song but I don’t know how I feel about it as a title track. I hear it as more of a b-side. And I don’t understand the video really and what the song and video have to do with each other.
Kitsch by IVE
Well this is the most Gen Z focused comeback I’ve seen yet. And there is nothing wrong with that, I’m just not that demographic. I still like this song and think IVE pulls it off well. And it is an improvement from their last comeback.
Eunoia by Billie
Both visuals and music makes me think they want some of the New Jeans vibe and fans as opposed to be uniquely Billie. And for the most part, only New Jeans really pulls off their concept. Plus I shouldn’t be thinking about another group when watching your comeback. It’s fine but I’m just not a fan of this one.
GGBB by Mamamoo+
I’m not a fan of this style of song and I don’t think it suits Moonbyul especially. Maybe I would have liked it better if done by other artists, but I just don’t like this song. And the made the song worse with the dance break being a different vibe entirely. I didn’t finish listening after that to be honest, and I wish I didn’t even give it a try.
What new music have you been enjoying this month, K-pop or not? Tell me about it with a comment!
i agree with the billie song, didn’t even watch or listen to the rest it was reminding me too much of new jeans!
i loved rover so much kai never fails to amaze me!
i didn’t really like minhyuns new song which it were more exciting
Another month where I’ve actually seen a few of these…. I’ve also had a few served up to me by the YT algorithm that you didn’t mention. Kewl, I guess. As to my thoughts of what you’ve posted that I’ve seen or now clicked through from your post:
Lil Kim & Jamie – Love Me Crazy — It was fine. Slightly above average even.
Cherry Bullet – POW — It was ok. Not one to make me stan Cherry Bullet at all, but it wasn’t bad.
Twice – Set Me Free — One of the few Twice songs where their “makes me smile” superpower didn’t kick in. I didn’t mind it, it just “doesn’t have it” (whatever “it” is) for me. My wife and daughter also thought it was merely okay.
Pixy – Karma — Another that was just fine, but didn’t really excite me either.
NMixx – Young Dumb Stupid — This one started well, then when Frere Jacques hit during the chorus I wasn’t sure about it, but as the song progressed i decided that they pulled it off and I quite enjoyed the song overall. It’s even gotten stuck in my head a few times, though generally that’s been the Frere Jacques part, so…. My wife loved it, my daughter thought it was okay.
NMixx — Love Me Like this — Overall an enjoyable one again. As you say, now that they aren’t trying to sandwich 2 separate songs together they seem to be doing better. I think I prefer “YDS” to this one, but it’s a near thing. My wife and daughter liked it well enough, but not as something to re-watch either.
Craxy – Nugudom – This one’s quite good, definitely a cut above.
Ichillin’ – Alarm — I didn’t pay much attention to the video, but as music playing in the background while I was working on something in another window, I enjoyed it more than “average” so i’d call this one good.
Ive – Kitsch – I like the verses, but the chorus/hook is so monotone and repetitive that it brings the whole thing down for me. My wife didn’t like it at all, and my daughter felt like I did, that the song itself was pretty good but the chorus didn’t help.
Billlie – Eunoia – I’d call this one firmly middle of the road. Didn’t hate it, but don’t love it either. My wife and daughter felt the same, not sorry I showed it to them, but didn’t care to re-watch/listen.
Solar/Moonbyul – GGBB — I really liked this one a lot. It was just plain silly fun, the music “worked” for me. It was very different from what I expect from Mamamoo, but since this is a subunit so they can experiment…. it worked for me. The rap section in the middle felt out of place (almost early NMixx weird mashup out of place), but was still good enough that it didn’t bring the song down for me overall.
Now for ones you didn’t mention that I’ve seen:
Cheos Sarang (CSR) – Shining Bright — This one had the “Twice Superpower” and just plain made me smile. I showed it to my wife and daughter and they both agreed that it’s really good. I’ve re-listened to this one several times since running across it.
Bebe Yana – 64 — Another surprisingly good one, enough so that when an older video of hers was suggested after watching with my wife and daughter, we all elected to watch the suggested “Space Mulan” afterward also. That said… we didn’t finish Space Mulan, finding it rather boring, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we enjoyed 64.
aespa – Hold On Tight – The Tetris theme with some interesting lyrics, apparently done for the soundtrack of Apple TV’s Tetris movie. It’s fine, but don’t care to listen again either.
Tri.be – Witch — A couple of months old now, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Nicole – Mysterious — Also a touch older. I like the bass line quite a lot, and overall would call it above average, but not something I’d put on repeat either.
Raon – Like Like — This one’s fun and upbeat, but it didn’t stick with me either. I’m actually refreshing my memory of it right now with a re-watch and… its good No idea why it didn’t stick with me more after the 1st listen.
Apink – DND – I think this one’s “too new” and should be in your end of April post, but hey…. — It’s fine. Upbeat, poppy, kinda catchy, but doesn’t quite hook me completely. Not sorry I’ve seen/heard it, but don’t feel a need to give it another go either.
New Jeans – Zero — Also perhaps too new. It’s a coke Zero ad, which by itself doesn’t make it bad (I rather enjoy the Coca Cola song that Bollywood put out a few years back, after all…), but overall it still didn’t work for me.
Looks like YT is delivering a new one from Ive released this morning called “I Am” so I’ll assume it’s going to be in your April post also 😉 As it is, I’ve now listened/watched and I think this is the one that’s made me go “ok, this group is finally realizing their potential.” I haven’t minded their other songs at all, but this is the 1st one where I’m thinking “yeah, I like this” all the way through it.
And YT is now tossing me Kep1er’s new “Giddy” released yesterday. And I can’t resist the click and… it’s fine. Thoroughly middle of the road. Like it well enough, but once I’m done with this listen I doubt I’ll ever hear it again either.
I actually ended up removing some releases from my list for the month because I just didn’t have the time. I moved them to a mid-year missed tracks post I have planned. CSR is on their I believe.