Another month has ended 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!
Favorite by POW
I like the song and their vocals, but this song style is what is trendy right now so it is being done a lot. Compared to other songs of this style, it doesn’t stand out a lot. I’ll keep an eye out for their official debut, but this doesn’t make me super invested in it.
Get A Guitar by RIIZE
I’m glad that they have a wholly unique-to-them sound. And the song is catchy with a great chorus and funk beat. Is it the greatest debut ever? No. But it is fun and a solid track.
Cheeky by EL7Z UP
This is a project group created from the show Queendom Puzzle, which took existing idols and formed a group. So all of the members are either currently or previously in groups. This song is pretty hit or miss for me. I don’t care for the chorus since it feels like too much of a concept change compared to the rest of the song, which I do enjoy. The chorus just gets too cutesy for me. The rap parts are the best in my opinion.
Sensitive by Loossemble
It’s a fun song. The chorus is the best part easily. I don’t really have the strongest of opinions of the song.
Trouble by EVNNE
I love how different their style is from their Boys Planet counterparts. This style is more to my personal taste, so I enjoy it more. And with all of the new debuts being very youthful, it is nice to have something different.
New Tomorrow by Fantasy Boys
I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want music videos to really be short films. It took two minutes to get to the song and I skipped all of it. The song is pretty generic, to be honest. It sounds a little underproduced, like it is missing a layer to make it more interesting. It’s pretty mediocre for a debut track.
E.R by New:ID
This is a new Filipino group where all the members were contestants on the show Dream Maker. I like the instrumental and the chorus in particular. It’s a decent debut, but they have room to grow still.
Y.O.Univers by VCHA
VCHA (pronounced Vee-Cha) is the group formed from JYP’s A2K. There are some nice vocals and the song is nice. I’ll probably give their actual debut a listen, but they are too young for me to want to invest too much attention to be honest. There was nothing in this song that made me excited or interested in more honestly.
7HEAVEN by Purple Kiss
It’s cute and I enjoy the song, but it is pretty generic sounding and doesn’t fit this group too well. They looked unnatural in the video, a little too forced happiness. So it isn’t bad but not my favorite from them at all.
Cheese by Cravity
It’s fine. I don’t think it is a great pre-release song since it doesn’t get me excited for the comeback, but it is a fun single.
Lemonade by XODIAC
I enjoy the song and would listen to it again. I can see why they made this a pre-release since it isn’t a strong enough song to be the title track, but is interesting enough to give it some spotlight.
But Sometimes by BOYNEXTDOOR
Of the BOYNEXTDOOR songs, this is probably my favorite. It does have a little more of a mature sound and is also a style we don’t hear in K-Pop frequently. All in all, a solid first comeback for them.
Let’s Dance by Lee Chae Yeon
I have to say this so I can move on from it because I know this issue I have means very little to most people. For the love of god, why is she in pointe shoes? I get that it’s supposed to be bad at ballet and thus switches to what she is comfortable with, but she didn’t need the pointe shoes that look too small, are tied wrong, and would break her ankle since she doesn’t know what she is doing in them. (I did ballet for over a decade and have danced en pointe).
Moving on from that, it’s a fun song and that is about it. It’s just another summery song which I am tired of.
Boom by Rocket Punch
I feel like I’ve heard this song before, which is not a good thing. Something at the beat is familiar, which just means this style has been done before and they didn’t do enough to make it different. Also, the chorus is boring. Something needed to perk up in the chorus. Also, why did they become the cast of Birds of Prey at the end of the video?
I Love My Body by HWASA
This is our first comeback of Hwasa under a new company. And I don’t love it. I think Hwasa makes it a better song than it actually is because of how talented she is. I prefer her solo work when she was at RBW, to be honest.
MY WAY by TRENDZ
I like this. It’s a new style for them and it works. The pre-chorus and chorus are especially good in my opinion. It’s not mindblowing, but I do like it and will listen again.
Cat & Mouse by BLACKSWAN
This song didn’t need a video, especially not a cheap-looking one. Especially after how gorgeous Karma’s video was. The song is nice and could have made a cute video, but this wasn’t it.
N.Y.C.T by NCT U
I find it a little strange that they are releasing this separate from the NCT U album that just came out. It’s a nice song and would have been a nice sound to add to that album. That aside, it is a nice, relaxing song. Taeil’s vocals especially sounds really nice. I’ll listen to this again when I want a chill vibe.
Only for a Moment by Eric Nam
I got a little distracted by Eric being dressed like he was in the Matrix. The video was just kind of bizarre, but at least the song is good.
Good & Great by KEY
Key is becoming a favorite of mine. I love that this song is catchy without it being grating. It isn’t the most unique song ever, but it is an enjoyable listen for sure.
Ready or Not by Cravity
It’s a fun song. Not super unique sounding, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Good Day (Special Dailee) by Weeekly
This song is a good mix of youthful fun with a maturity that makes it an enjoyable song regardless of your age. It is a good balance of what their original concept was without fully losing the more mature side from Ven Para.
Flirting by mimiirose
I’m glad to see mimiirose back, because they have always brought an interesting sound that standouts from everyone else’s comebacks. Now, this isn’t my favorite release of theirs. I do like it, but I don’t think it highlights their talents as well as their other songs. There is something about the chorus that just sounds a little off to me as well. So I’d say this comeback is good but just short of great.
Back for More by TXT ft. Anitta
TXT is really killing these collabs. Their vocals sound so great in this track. And I actually really liked Anitta’s part and her vocals added to the song well. This is my new favorite TXT collab song.
Good Night by THE7
It’s pleasant. That’s really the extent of my thoughts.
DALALA by YUJU
It’s a nice song to just vibe with and sway along to. I hate that the video interrupted the song, especially one that would be such a satisfying listen start to finish with no breaks.
Vroom Vroom by Tempest
This reminds me of early Cravity which is some of my favorite Cravity, so I enjoyed this. I also like how I never know what to expect from Tempest as they experiment with sounds and concepts a lot. This isn’t my favorite song from them and not their strongest title track, but I still enjoyed listening to it.
Either Way by IVE
The best way to explain what I think about this song is fascinated. It has a different vibe for them, which isn’t a negative. It succeeds as a pre-release because now I’m actually more interested in their upcoming comeback.
Galileo by Kep1er
This concept and sound works for Kep1er, and I actually like the song. I’m actually surprised that I like it as much as I do since Kep1er usually misses more than they hit for me.
Baila Conmingo by ONEUS
Latin-influenced tracks are some of my favorites, so I definitely enjoyed this track. But I think ONEUS has had some much stronger releases, so this was a little underwhelming in that regard. So I like it but I don’t love it. There is a Spanish version of the song that sounds better than the Korean honestly.
BYOB by Billie
It’s a trendy song, which isn’t a bad thing. I’m glad it is a pre-release and not the title track, since it would have been a bit of a forgettable title track. Plus they are missing two members, so hopefully, for the next full comeback, they have all seven members.
Puppet Show by XG
The music video visuals and concept doesn’t fit the song at all. Even the choreography doesn’t fit the song in my opinion. It almost looks as if this song wasn’t originally the title track and they made a last minute switch, so the planned concept wasn’t made for it. If that was the case, they should have left this song as a b-side because it isn’t that great of a title track. They probably should have saved one of the three pre-releases as those were all stronger songs.
Now when I just listen to the song without the video or any other influences, I do enjoy it and would listen to it again. It would be a great b-side, but they muddled it by making it a title track.
Ringo by Itzy
It might just be me, but lately, Itzy’s Japanese releases have been much better than their Korean ones. This particular song brings back that teen crush vibe that got them so popular in the first place. I also have a preference for the badass women concept. Now it isn’t the best song of theirs, but compared to recent releases I like it better.
3D by Jungkook ft. Jack Harlow
I am not a fan of this song. I don’t like how Jungkook’s voice sounds at all, and it never changes from the pitchy and whiny tone. The rap is so problematic, unnecessarily so. It sounds like a song that Justin Timberlake would have done in the early 2000’s that would age poorly and he’d try to pretend never existed. Its already gotten old for me after one listen. This song has managed to make me like Seven a lot more, which I haven’t been a fan of either. Please Jungkook, stop doing these songs not created by yourself or your team. Compared to the rest of BTS, your songs are terrible thus far.
I did listen to the alternate version, which takes out the rap verses, and it is better in my opinion. I’d rather not have misogyny in my music so at least I can listen to the alternate. I won’t, but I could.
What new music have you been enjoying this month, K-pop or not? Tell me about it with a comment!