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Song Review:: H//PE PRINCESS: 17.7- Stolen {Pre-Debut}

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Release date: 2026 April 29 Album tracklist: Stolen Album runtime: 3 minutes  Again, we have a group that I’m not sure where we’re at with the Underage Protocol, nor do I actually know anything about them because of the aforementioned productive captivity during the plane ride that I’m on, but this is either their debut song or a pre-debut song. So, we’re going to temporarily put them on Underage Protocol until I can find out if they’re actually supposed to be on there or not. Better safe than sorry. I’ll also update this with more information when I get back. They need to be on Underage Protocol unfortunately because they will have four members under eighteen at debut later this month. Ah! And one of the members is a trainee over at JR's company, Evermore Entertainment. And another one is Keita's younger sister. Nice. Oh, that’s an interesting beat. It sounds like a wooden instrument of some sort, but despite the lightness of that beat, there’s a simultaneous grunginess and we...
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Greatest Hits:: After School: Bang!

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It's a testament to my self control regarding these posts because this was the first girl group that I really vibed with and some of their songs (including this one) have found their way not into just my general listening playlists, but also some of the specific playlists, like my pre-work playlist, that I have. I just really like the Pledis groups, y'all, and even though I will be one of the first in line about their management issues (exhibit...basically all of their groups), they generally have a track record of picking very good songs for their groups. This song was one of the first ones I picked for the theme for the month and I slotted it in specifically to be released today, because Happy Mother's Day, everyone! After School debuted in 2009 under Pledis Entertainment as a five member group, formed around and because of leader Kahi, who formed the group alongside HSS, the company CEO. Because of their graduation concept, they've had almost as many line-up changes ...
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Song Review:: BABYMONSTER: CHOOM- CHOOM

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Release date: 2026 May 04 Album tracklist: MOON, CHOOM , I LIKE IT, LOCKED IN Album runtime: 12 minutes  We are on Underage Protocol for this group, which is annoying but fine, because five of the seven were under eighteen at debut, and the maknae was all of fourteen, which means both conditions for Underage Protocol were triggered. It's not an achievement for the company. For shame, YGE.  It's even worse because I could fully vibe with this group. Next year. We've got kind of an Indian sound going on here, which provides an interesting counterbalance to the rapping parts of the vocals, but it's still a lighter sound than I would have expected. We've also got a few different sections for variation, so I'm pleased that the song is as long as it is. I'm really curious about the other songs they've got. I mean this in the highest compliment possible, but this sounds so YG Girl Group. The company bloodline, metaphorically speaking, is strong with them. The b...
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Song Review:: I.O.I: Goodbye With A Smile

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Release date: 2026 May 04 Album tracklist: Goodbye With A Smile (Recorded in 2016) (Prod.Jinyoung) Album runtime: 4 minutes  Did I think I was going to ever be writing a review for one of their songs that hadn't been suggested by someone via The Form (because you can do that; if you don't want a full GH or BBS post for a song and would rather know what I think about a song or just want someone to talk about the song briefly, you can ask me to do a regular, normal review about any song, title track, pre-release, b-side, it doesn't matter)? I did not, but here we are, and I'm excited about this. For everyone who already is a fan, I'm so excited for you to have this. For the people who are about to become fans, I hope you enjoy the journey. Four minutes of song. Four minutes of piano and strings and a guitar. This is so pretty. It's also powerful and fairy-like, which is a bit of a fascinating combination. The strings and the chimes give the song a very specific li...
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Song Review:: NAZE: NAZE- People Talk {Debut}

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Release date: 2026 May 04 Album tracklist: Pretty Pink Socks, People Talk , Awesome, Seoul Album runtime: 12 minutes  I'm suddenly having deja vu, like I've already looked these guys up. Was it this group? Was it a different one? Well, regardless, these guys took a bit of the ol' ASTRO route and technically debuted as actors first in a drama and used that to introduce themselves. And I believe that they would have been CIX's younger brothers, if CIX hadn't recently been disbanded, and yes, I am totally fine about that. Why wouldn't I be? Disbanding right before military service. It's fine. Technically they're the grand-dongsaengs because of EPEX., so EPEX are the ones getting younger brothers. Anyway, I wish NAZE all the luck in the world. And their maknae is already eighteen, so we don't need to put them on Underage Protocol. Interesting choice for a debut song. I feel like more companies are debuting with a little bit more of a sultry, yearning sou...
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Song Review:: Wonpil (DAY6): Unpiltered- Piano

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Release date: 2026 March 30 Album track list: Toxic Love,  Highs and Lows , Already Grown Up, Up All Night, Step by Step, Hold My Love,  Piano Album runtime: 20 mi nutes  We got a music video! I was not expecting the music video! Yay! I would have been disappointed if the song had featured less piano, given its title. Even when it's no longer the sole instrument, it has such a prominent role in the structure of the instrumental, including opening and closing the song on its own, that it meets expectations well. I also love how we get the feedback sound of plugging something into an amp. I thought it was a door the first time I heard it, but no, that's definitely an amp.  Ah, a free-range vibrato, allowed to wander through the song and do as it will. Thank you, bands. We've got a couple of different textures going on because of the range of the notes he's dealing with, which is nice, but what surprised and then delighted me was the harmonizing at the end. It's all we...
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Song Review:: : MAMIHLAPINATAPAI- It's Me

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Release date: 2026 April 30 Album tracklist: GRWM (Get Ready With Me); It's Me ; paw, paw!; Mamihlapinatapai; Love, older you Album runtime: 13 minutes  I will get to the May reviews eventually. I promise. HYBE needs to stop forcing their groups to have two-minute songs for the title tracks. This is surprisingly clangy, a lot more so than I was expecting. The instrumental is a pretty strong EDM, with a heavy dose of nightclub and action scene, so the choreography had better match that.  I'm going to be looking at the lyrics, but I would swear that they're saying "Who's your bias? I'm your bias" at the beginning and throughout the song, and I just hit my limit on being able to listen to this song on repeat. There are a couple of spots where I remember thinking that I needed to remember to talk about it, because that part was actually kind of interesting but the entirety of the song in my temporary memory has been taken up by "Who's your bias? I...
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