April 2026 Wrap-Up: Party in the Desert

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 It's not that I delayed this on purpose, but I needed to settle from the 3/10 star weekend I had at the beginning of the month. Sixty hours of stress, anxiety, and frustration. I will also never be going back to El Paso. NU'EST could literally come back and do a single concert, only in El Paso, and I would not go back. I would be begging Aron to add literally any other stop, but I would not be going back to El Paso. The city hates me. The people are lovely, but like I said. 3/10 stars. One of those stars was the pizza I got, because wow that was delicious.

Okay, debut time. Group debuts I covered: KEYVITUP, hertz.wav, MODYSSEY, UNCHILD. Soloists who debuted that I covered: Somin (APRIL/KARD), ALL'N, Kangin (Super Junior), Vari (NINE.i).

Songs I was looking forward to:

  • TOP (BIGBANG): TOP IS BACK, BABY!
  • KickFlip: I was a little shaky with them on debut, but they have since won me over strongly. I like these kids.
  • TOMORROW X TOGETHER: Do they get songs of a decent length? Will HYBE let them have songs that are over three minutes?
  • LE SSERAFIM: I worry about liking this group too much because girl groups I love tend to not survive too much longer, or at minimum go on hiatus for years.
  • QWER: My girl band! Yes!
  • Lucy: This is my band with the violinist. I love violins. And they should all be finished with the military now, so I am delighted.
  • Keyveatz: Pre-debut girl group? Will I like them? 
  • Vari (NINE.i): ONE OF MY NINE.i BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we have officially moved to the second quarter of the year, so it'll be interesting to see what trends we see going on now. Also, I didn't update the actual Hub Page for all of these since the first week in April. Whoops.

Week of 04/01 - 04/07

Week of 04/08 - 04/14

Week of 04/15 - 04/21

Week of 04/22 - 04/28

And of course we get the section that I like best! The new releases I really liked! I didn't realize how many of these I really liked. Huh. Oh, well. I'm not going to restrict the list just because it feels like I am liking a lot of songs. 

Top Releases of the Month:

  • fromis_9 "Sky Runner" {Japanese}: This got added to playlist with the first note and it's got such a soft, sentimental music video. 
  • Monsta X "heal": Gorgeous, gorgeous song with a music video rich in symbolism. Also, it got three checks from me for the things I look for.
  • KickFlip "Eye-Poppin'": Not a fan of how short the song is, but the song simmers in a really fun way.
  • Donghae (Super Junior) "Good Day": This is such a happy song. I love happy songs. I also love bonkers music videos and I got that here too!
  • AMPERS&ONE "GOD": Modern and traditional blended music with a delicious story of a music video.
  • T.O.P (BIGBANG) "Studio54": Nana from After School is in the music video. And I love what's going on with the vocals and lyrics.
  • LOVEONE "Unica": I'm still not quite getting what I want to be hearing from this group, which is fine if a bit of a disappointment. However, the music video for this? This is solid and clever.
  • MODYSSEY "HOOK" {Debut}: My boy Li Zihao got to debut this time, it was written by 3Racha, and while I'm not even annoyed by the repetition of the word "hook". I know.
  • ALL'N "We Up" {Debut}: Violin. Next. In all seriousness, I admire what this guy is doing, and the fact that the song is actually a banger is a bonus. Plus, his story about TOMORROW X TOGETHER in the elevator is delightful.
  • PLAVE "Born Savage": I just reread my paragraph about the music video, and I snorted. Ah, I'm funny sometimes. Anyway, the flow between the rapping and the singing is top tier.
  • Wheein (MAMAMOO) "The Symphony of Fxxxboys": Everything about this song, I love. And a music video with a message? Yes, please.
  • Kangin (Super Junior) "LOVE IS PAIN" {Debut}: He sounds like a member of SuJu (which makes sense because he was) and it's a bit gospel-y in the instrumental. Emotions. All the emotions here.
  • Xdinary Heroes "Voyager": I have feelings about this music video, complicated feelings, but I'm always here for rock music.
  • Apink "15th Season": Happy anniversary! Everything about this song is gorgeous, I'm a little in love, and the music video is the opening title of a kdrama.
  • EVNNE "Balktalk": The song is a lot of bold choices that I love for it. Music video has a flashing lights warning I gave.
  • UNCHILD "UNCHILD" {Debut}: I'm tentatively not putting them on Underage Protocol because of when members are turning eighteen. Although I probably should. This one I almost didn't include in the playlist because while there's a lot going on in the instrumental for a two-and-a-half minute song, vocally the song doesn't have the room to have as much non-singing time as it does. What tipped it over is how vibrant the music video is. But know that I'm not happy about the vocals.
  • Kim Jaehwan (Wanna One) "I'll Be There": We have strings in the instrumental and his voice has so much range that I just want to swoon. Also, we love a man who pines.
  • VVS "$TAY THE NIGHT": We are on Underage Protocol for this group, and I absolutely love heist plots as part of the storyline.
  • ChRocktikal "Navi": Traditional instruments were used in a rock song by a rock band. We are here for this.
  • Changsub (BTOB) "Youth": When he ends up having kids, I hope he sings them to sleep because as this song demonstrates, he's got the Ultimate Lullaby Voice. (insert: Danganronpa reference)
  • Hui (Pentagon) "Dear Tomorrow": This song is a showcase of most of what he can do with his range and voice and his vibrato. 
  • SLAY "appear": Did I know who this man was before this? No. Do I know now? Yes, and I'm almost tempted to do an Expanded Offerings post on something he's done. Such is the excellent quality of his voice.
  • Lucy "All Ages": The maknae is back! This feels like such an anime opening song with brightness and a vocalist that I'd love to hear do a duet with someone like Jongho.
  • Vari (NINE.i) "My Dearest" {Debut}: The man gave us a four minute comfort song, with a blended animation and live action music video, for his debut. And it's reading to my brain like country music, which makes me very happy.
  • AKMU "Paradise of Rumor": This however is much more country music of a different variety. And while I love the song, the music video had this on the playlist about one second in.
  • Cravity "Awake": I love this music video. Holy storyline, Batman!

Full list of April reviews: here

Reviews for other months:

I've done so many of these posts now. And realistically, I haven't covered even a drop in the bucket of eligible songs. I have officially titled these, as you may have guessed from SLAY up there, The Expanded Offerings so I have a collective title for them. Whoo! I also went full chaos for this month and didn't know what song I was going to be doing next until I'd finished the previous song. It was fun.

If you'd like to give me a suggestion, which I would love to have and do not be afraid to submit it, drop a comment or you can fill out The Form, even if you only want to give me the artist, album, and song title. That's really all I need.

Greatest Hits

  • Apink "Mr. Chu": Is there a bigger "nervous crush" energy song than this? The music video is delightfully vibrant in yellow, pink, and blue, and apparently, if you were a middle school girl when this debuted, you wanted to know the choreography. And during their Killing Voice, those harmonies were so gorgeous that I actually cried a little.
  • Oneus "Same Scent": I got to coo a little bit over the lighting in the music video because I absolutely loved it. And there were some intense expressions going on in a yearning song that had a surprisingly wet music video. The ending fairies for the stages, though. They were hilarious. But if you watch no other video I shared, including the music video, you need to watch the 2022 KBS Song Festival performance. I've never found a stage that embodies the spirit of the song as much as this performance did for Same Scent.
  • HOTSHOT "Watch Out": The music video is so 2015, I can practically smell the Hot Topic and the skinny jeans. Yes, this is a love song, but this is so teenage boy-coded love song that I have to laugh. And with the stages, we've got some impressive choreography. There's so much fun choreography here and the footwork? Wow.
  • EXO "Love Shot": I had to laugh when this one was chosen because of what I'd planned for May, but I was abiding by the chaos. This song is kind of The Song that I think of when I think about an EXO song, and it's got one of the catchiest, most irresistible lines. I do the hand gesture every time my brain decides to play it. But this is a beloved song, and it's for a very good reason. I also discovered that Chanyeol has at least one dimple.

Battle of the B-Sides

  • f(x) "Paper Heart": As far as I can tell, this song is actually a pretty beloved b-side for the fans. It's a bit of a summery song, with some gorgeous vocals enough harmonization that I, the bottomless pit for harmonies, was satisfied. I'd also love to see what some of the younger groups could do with this song with a cover.
  • MAMAMOO "Destiny": This is peak MAMAMOO vocals. It really is. Elegant. Powerful. Lyrically beautiful. And the staging for this song is always top tier by having them in their own individual costumes, but they're still always matching. And the ending choreography makes me want to kick my feet.
  • Baekhyun (EXO) "Ghost": One of the performances I found featured a voice crack, which has me over the moon, and you can also hear some brief panting into the mic. This is a tragedy of a song, lyrics-wise, and his vibrato during the ad-libs sends me. So smooth. Love this.
  • DIA "Waiting For You": The song has a harmonica that is actually played by one of the members during performances. I repeat: one of them plays the harmonica! This is such a lonesome, cathartic song that I immediately had to mind singing around a campfire after a day that has kind of sucked, if we're going to be honest.
  • ASTRO "Cat's eye": Some debut-era fabulousness. They're adorable in this song. They're so cute. And the dance practice? The cuteness aggression is real. But this is one of those songs that you really can only release at debut. Plus, the music video uses scenes from the drama they were in pre-debut.

Honorable Mentions:

  • NU'EST "FACE": Any bets now on if this is going to be my most streamed song for the year, again? Anyone?
  • INFINITE "The Chaser": I know that I was listening to it a lot, but the choreography in this song is something to behold, and there's a key change. Swoon.
  • Seventeen "Snap Shoot": I love Dino's rap. The entire song is so bright and cheerful that I'd be in love anyway, but Dino's rap. There's a reason why it's beloved. The entire thing is so cute. And I love the credits for the music video.
  • JUST B "Medusa": The vocals in this thing. My favorite of their songs and I've now seen this performed live. I also really, really want to cover it as a Greatest Hits post. It's on my list, but if you wanted to suggest it...
  • ZE:A "The Ghost of Wind": Oh, look. Another song that's on my list that I want to cover. I'm not super familiar with them as a group, but the handful of songs I've heard by them, I've absolutely loved. And this one has strings and drama and so much second gen delicious goodness that I'm kind of in love. Whoever has those deep notes specifically, I love you.
  • VIXX "VOODOO DOLL": OG Concept Kings over here. I love this song. I genuinely do. It's stunning and intense and everything I want. And I may or may not have something else I'm chewing on regarding this song... But you know who I'd want to see try to cover this song? ATEEZ. They would have so much fun with it.
  • FT ISLAND "Hello Hello": This one is in my workout playlist and is one of the first K-Pop songs I decided I really liked. It's such a good workout song, and it's so dramatic!

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