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Song Review:: NouerA: .exe- .exe

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Release date: 2026 July 27 Album tracklist: .exe , LOCKED IN, W.T.F(un), LIFE IN COLOR Album runtime: 10 minutes  Congrats on the wins! While this song is of a suitable length, the runtime as a whole ain't it. That averages out to about two-and-a-half minutes, and that's with one almost three. It's so nice to have a younger group that isn't on Underage Protocol because then I get to really listen to the songs. This instrumental feels like a boss fight in Nier: Automata , especially in the chorus, although there are spots where both the number and intensity of the instruments drops a bit, providing a great contrast. I love how the song doesn't start with the instrumental, because that means we get a tiny bit of a cappella. There's very little actual softness to the song though, but even in the quieter moments, there's almost a metallic quality to it.  The line "I'm an .exe" makes me snort every time I hear it because my brain goes "Executab...
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Song Review:: RESCENE: SCENEDROME- LOVE ATTACK

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Release date: 2024 August 27 Album tracklist: Lucky you, LOVE ATTACK , New World, Pinball Album runtime: 11 minutes  I saw this song got a win almost two years after it was released, and my eyebrows went up to my hairline. That sort of thing does happen (looking at you, Woodz ), but it happens rarely enough that it's startling every time. And then I remembered I'd never reviewed this and cursed Past Fangirl for not being on top of things. Major congratulations, though! I'm delighted that y'all gave me more work. This makes me happy. And they're very close to coming off Underage Protocol. Just a few more months. I'm kind of hating myself for failing to cover this when it was released. It's fine though. Because I'm reviewing this song now, I'm going to add it to this year's playlist for the new releases I like the best. The beat is solid without overwhelming the entire song and allowing the vocals to have something to push against o that it doesn...
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Song Review:: Picheolin (Dino) (Seventeen): 吉BOARD- Micheo Micheo {Debut}

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Release date: 2026 August 03 Album tracklist: ZZAN, Party Rock Rock (prod. Hitchhiker) , Sincerely (prod. Lee Hyun Do of DEUX) , Micheo Micheo , Love Sick (narr. Lee Moon Sae) , For JEONG and LOVE, LIKE IT Album runtime: 20 minutes  The day has finally arrived, everyone, and I am late. So late, in fact, that I forgot there was another song that was a pre-release. But, he has officially debuted. Also, I'm super excited to see him on Zip Daesung, because that's two maknaes who stepped away from their groups by doing trot as their solo debut. I'm also laughing that one of the tracks is both Picheolin and Dino. The piano does such a great fake out for the song. Gorgeous iano and then it's just all trot. If I had to describe this song, which I absolutely do since I'm here, that is like Italian disco, but villa Italian disco, not city. It's surprisingly rural feeling, obviously something I relate to. This is high energy with a strong dance beat, but the kind of dance ...
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Music Show Wins:: Week of 07/22 - 07/28

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  The Show is back again this week, everyone, which means a full set of wins, one of which was a huge surprise and required me to review a song I missed back in 2024! And I'm almost caught up so you can get the commentary again soon! As always, links in the chart go to my reviews. Show Champion: idntt "Kids Return" MCountdown: ATEEZ "BAD" Music Bank: idntt "Kids Return" Show! Music Core: RESCENE "Pretty Girl" Inkigayo: RESCENE "LOVE ATTACK" ASC Performance: N/A The Show: idntt "Kids Return" The Extra Stage: 8TURN "Stagefright"
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Battle of the B-Sides:: Monsta X: Hero

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 We just had a whole lot of b-sides for July, but a bunch of those were buried tracks. This one, this one is iconic, so iconic, in fact, that when I was thinking about what songs to do for August, that was when I found out that this and another one that I'm planning are both b-sides. I genuinely thought it was a title track. These two songs are also songs that you regularly see pop up in the K-Pop compilation videos that get posted on YouTube, so if you're like me and watch those regularly but also haven't actually heard this song yet, here's your chance to find out why it's in all of those videos delivered to you on a silver platter. I've done all the groundwork for you here. The other kind of funny thing is that both songs I was considering started off life as a b-side and then became a Japanese debut for the group. What's the other song I'm talking about? You'll find out. You can blame the order of these posts on my EXO-L friend (and now Baby Stay...
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Music Show Wins:: Week of 07/15 - 07/21

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  I thought I'd be able to get these done so I could go into August caught up. Alas. As always, links in the spreadsheet go to my reviews. Show Champion: AHOF "Run To You" MCountdown: ATEEZ "BAD" Music Bank: Yeonjun "Ice Cream" Show! Music Core: Yeonjun "Ice Cream" Inkigayo: I.O.I "Suddenly" ASC Performance: N/A The Show: N/A The Extra Stage: UDTT "Viper"
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Song Review:: AHOF: RUN TO YOU: RUN TO YOU

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Release date: 2026 July 08 Album tracklist: RUN TO YOU , Sugar High, JUST SAY YES, You're the Reason, Our Story Album runtime: 15 minutes  I can listen to AHOF like I want to December of 2028 when the maknae turns eighteen. He was fifteen at debut, which unfortunately puts the group in Underage Protocol. Although he is currently sixteen, so if you're not quite as stubborn as I am and sixteen is your only hard limit, the group is good to go for you now. The group being in Underage Protocol does not change the fact that I have several of their songs sitting waiting in the playlist I have for songs by groups I can't listen to yet.  If this instrumental was slightly more acoustic, we'd have a country song on our hands. As it is, this song is also still so "boy groups" that I'm not surprised it's gotten a win already. The beat holds the song in place while the other pieces move around it, and while there is a dramatic late song interruption with specifical...
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