Just A Little Fangirl Love

Release date: 2025 December 23 Album tracklist: Replay Album runtime: 3 minutes  It's been a hot minute since I've done a review from them because apparently I didn't notice that they did a July release, otherwise I would have made sure to do it. I like these guys. I like these guys a lot. And I like that runtime. Oh, that's a fantastic instrumental. It's also, surprisingly, definitely a winter song so that's going to be labeled appropriately. Huh. It starts off pretty mellow, and I was into it basically from the start. Then the energy kicked up a little bit, the bells started in and the entire song just brightened. The flow of the song is lovely.  Even the rapping in this song is lovely and lyrical. This is a great example of why I like them. The rapping and the singing styles flow so nicely into each other that the song sounds so cohesive, and that's ignoring the vocals layered over the rapping and the ad-libs and whoo-ing. You shouldn't ignore those b...

Release date: 2025 December 19 Album tracklist:  Wish to Wish Album runtime: 3 minutes  Well, this is my first review for the ever lovely Yoona, and it's a Christmas song, so I'm just pleased all around. I've got high hopes for it, but generally I'm also just excited to be getting new music from her, even if it's only a single. Best time for one, in my opinion, though. There are some interesting instruments here. It's been a minute since I've gotten to hear the wooden blocks, and they're in the song as a garnish, which really enhances the song because that little rhythm is neither frequent nor attention stealing. In general though, this is very 70s sounding. I can practically see the TV screen because it reminds me of Charlie's Angels. It's a very chill sort of song, but also like being wrapped in a warm fluffy blanket with a hot cup of cocoa, curled up watching a Christmas episode. I don't know if the show ever had one, but that's kind o...

Release date: 2026 January 19 Album tracklist:  Crown , Back It Up, Crazy, Suffocate, Moonlight Shadows, Back Pocket, Touch & Go, Flatline,  I'm Home Album runtime: 28 minutes  I missed out on being around for EXO's 7th album by about a month, although even though I wasn't listening to K-Pop quite yet, I was definitely on my way because I was on episode 4 of Alchemy of Souls on the 7th, and I remember this because I told my friend about it and how funny it was when we went to the Bryan Adams/Joan Jett concert together. Did I also use the songs up for MAMA's Song of the Year to get to know K-Pop in general that year? Yes, and that means that I did listen to Cream Soda  a bit, but there were a lot of songs on that list and I was focused on Wind and Wish because that was BTOB's song that had come out that year and was up for it. I have the playlist of those songs saved still. So, long story short, this is my first comeback with EXO, who is one of my beloved 2012 gr...

Release date: 2025 December 15 Album tracklist: Lovin' the Christmas Album runtime: 3 minutes  DAY6 gave us a Christmas song! Yes! Could I have just added it to my Christmas post for the year? Yeah, but I really love DAY6 and I'm kind of on a roll. So, here we are.  Ah, I love the bright and fun Christmas songs. We've got some bells to help brighten the normal band insturments they usually have, and those bells are the standard addition to make things seasonal. We also get some brass instruments, and one of them might be a French horn, which honestly would just tickle me pink if it was because when they show up, they're great, and they're another standard addition to make things seasonal.  This is such Hallmark song, and I love it. I cannot wait for the music video. We've got a gorgeous melody for the vocals, and I really couldn't be happier about this. And the lyrics are great too. Like I said, total Hallmark song. I do feel a little bit like this might be ...

Release date: 2025 December 08 Album tracklist:  KIIRAS Album runtime: 3 minutes  That's such a cute play on words that I needed to do a review of this one. Not that I can listen to the group for ages because the maknae turned fourteen after they debuted, but I want this on here so that in four years when I can listen to the group, I can add this to my Christmas playlist. I'm assuming I'm going to love it. Why wouldn't I? Okay, this is what I'm looking for. If you listen carefully, buried underneath everything else is the sound of bells. It's very subtle but adds such a good extra texture to the song. You've got chimes up above that are much more audible, and the occasional brass instrument, but it's just such a bright song. There is a shift to the dramatic at about the two-thirds mark, which brings me joy, and not just because the two thirds mark isn't a minute and a half. This is a good addition to the winter and Christmas songs. I'm really ann...

Release date: 2025 December 06 Album tracklist:  Runaway Album runtime: 3 minutes   Well, this is a surprise, Jay. I wasn't expecting a drop from him. It literally wasn't on my radar here. Crazy, huh? It does make me wonder a little bit about the current status of B.D.U though, because, well, I have loved what they've done so far. Still, Jay's vocals are phenomenal and this is what I'm here for. I'm glad I decided to check one more time. There's the most fascinating pause right before that burst into the chorus, like the song is charging up. The verses are soft and almost mournful, but the contrast between them and the chorus is exactly the kind of thing I like because of the difference in texture. We've got the slow coil and then the pounce. It's really just so well done, it's also pretty delightful to have the song soften right at the end, before the instrumental ends and we're left with his voice. It's a great way to end the song. Jay ...

Release date: 2025 December 02 Album tracklist:  White Memories Album runtime: 3 minutes  If this isn't a Christmas/winter song, I will be so sad. It looks like it should be. The title looks like it should be. But we have had a dearth since I started the Christmas/winter list of songs, and I want more of them. I also really hope that fromis_9 is doing well and happy in their new home.  It sounds like one. So I think this is in fact a duck. I do have to say that I'm a little bit surprised that we have a few different song shifts and transitions because that's not the most common thing with this genre of song, but I like it. You know what else I like? This song uses the full three minutes of song to do something with them. Instruments come in and out. It ends somewhat decisively like a firm nod. It's just pleasant. Their voices. This is the real reason why I like this genre because we get a lot of big vocals and demonstrations of vibrato, both of which we get here. There ...

Release date: 2025 November 22 Album tracklist:  Forever and Ever , Forever and Ever - Instrumental Album runtime: 8 minutes  I don't know about you, but I'm delighted to be able to post reviews for both Eunwoo and Rocky side by side, as I very pointedly gesture to the title of this review. And we get almost four minutes of song with  the instrumental as a separate track. I'm so happy about this. That being said, I did miss a release Rocky did at the end of August. Will I get to it? I intend to, but there are no guarantees. This sounds like a happy song, and I'm all about that. I like the way that the twinkling and the guitar work together, because it gives the song a nuanced sound. But you know what I'm happiest about in this song? There's an entire section that is solely dedicated to audience participation clapping! We've got another one, folks! That has been sorely lacking of late unless I simply just missed any, which is always possible, but the presence...

Release date: 2025 November 20 Album tracklist: Daydream; Like Our First Snow ; Goodbye, My Friend; Still in Memory; Compass Album runtime: 19 minutes  Do I get to start on my Christmas post already? I assume so based on the fact that we have a song called "Like Our First Snow" but it's also not even the first one of the season. Such is life. You think you're prepared for something and then the unexpected happens. But here we are. And as a side note, I'm thoroughly delighted that I understand the Korean of this title! But also, there's only one song that's shorter than three-and-a-half minutes. Bless him. Are you ready for me to squeal delightedly over this instrumental? Because you should. This is absolutely gorgeous. It's soft and slow, with the occasional weighty drum to hold the song down and give it depth. The piano almost makes me want to cry a little bit from how lovely it is. The plaintive guitar. And my favorite instrument for just about anyth...

 Hello, everyone! This is the Christmas and/or winter and/or holiday songs for the 2025 season. We're going to get this one started early because, well, I think we've already had a release for the season. I'm counting it because it's talking about snow. Also, as with 2024's, I'm going to be updating this as regularly as I find songs for it.  Minimal commentary from me! Just music! 2024 Edition The Old 10CM Winter Breath Moonbyul (MAMAMOO) A miracle 3days ago Monsta X Lonely Christmas NCT Dream JOY billlie snowy night Lee Haein Santa Lullaby (We Used To Sing) K.Will, SISTAR, BOYFRIEND Snow Candy TVXQ! Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town JUSTB I luv you Merry Christmas LUNCH Mr. Santa And here's the annual, 11th addition because it's funny if you think I'm not going to include this when MINHYUN GETS DISCHARGED AROUND CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!!! First one to come home! Even if he technically got to stay at home most of the time because of the nature of his mil...

Release date: 2025 July 9 Album tracklist: Paint Candy, Snowy Summer , You, Bubble Tea Album runtime: 11 minutes  Close Your Eyes debuted back in April , so I'm a little surprised that they are having a comeback so soon, but I'm not going to be too worried just yet. I hope they're taking care of the maknae and any of the other minors in the group specifically. I do have to say I really enjoyed their entire debut album, so I'm hoping that I like this one as well. The album runtime is a little bit suspect, but the title track is just shy of three minutes, so it could be worse and I'll accept it.  The instrumentals are relatively mild and out of the way, which is really nice, but I'll talk about that when it's time for the vocal section. I like how we have sections where the instrumentals mimic the vocals as it can be reassuring for the performers and with them being about three months old at this point, it could be a very subtle safety net. It's also mild ...

Release date: 2024 December 24 Album tracklist: Everyday X-MAS Album runtime: 3 minutes  My first question is "Does this include Jay?", not because I necessarily only want One Pact with Jay, but because I have no idea what is happening with the B.D.U situation is, and I'm a little concerned. Barring that, let's see what this Christmas offering is. I am very much excited to see what is going on. These are some very smooth instrumentals. I'm very impressed by it. Also, it's either chimes or a xylophone that is gently twinkling up above the rest of the much more noticeable drums, synth, and piano. I'm not sure which specifically it is because I can't tell if it's metal or not. Or it's possible that both are used and my uncertainty is because both are available. Either way, it's a very nice touch to what is a very generic (as in, adhering to the rules of the genre, which is not a bad thing) set of instrumentals, and the only thing that is more ...

Release date: 2024 December 23 Album tracklist: We X Mas , Actor Album runtime: 8 minutes Do I need to do a review of the new Christmas single from ONEWE? No. Do I want to? Yes. I really like the band, and this falls under my principle of trying to focus on smaller groups so that they can get more attention. Plus, they're a band, and I've been vocal about my love for bands. There's nothing particularly Christmassy about the instrumentals, or at least nothing that particularly invokes the season. If I weren't looking directly at the name, I'd suspect this to be a regular single. There is a sense of nostalgia, or at least fondness, but it's not necessarily seasonal based on the instrumentals. The guitar solo however is my favorite part. It's nothing that's grand or groundbreaking, but going up the scale like it does reminds me of rock ballads from the 80s. We get that same thing in miniature a couple of other times during the song, which makes it even bett...

Release date: 2024 December 20 Album tracklist: My Christmas Sweet Love , Jazz Bar (Carol ver.), Wonderland (Carol ver.) Album runtime: 11 minutes  My spooky Halloween girl group dropped a Christmas single! Most exciting! I'm even more excited about the fact that it's almost four minutes long. Don't mind me. I'm just happily basking in this. I spent about the first quarter of the song thinking about how pretty and surprisingly subdued the instrumentals were, especially for a Dreamcatcher song, then the energy kicked up and the rock-tinged instrumentals I know and love flared to life. The chorus should normally have an increase in energy, but this epitomizes the notion of the quiet before the storm. The chorus instrumentals automatically appear to be louder just by virtue of the relative quiet immediately preceding and proceeding the chorus. The bells are not as present throughout the song as I would have expected, but instead, during the chorus, we have what might be a ...

 This will be updated throughout the month as I'm going to include as many of the new  holiday or winter songs as are released as I can find. If I missed any, which is likely, please yell at me. I'm also going to include ten "oldies" just for a little bit of variety in age in no particular order. Hope you find one you haven't heard before. (Also, the Country Kko Kko album that song comes from has Feliz Navidad  in Korean on it and when I tell you that I giggled, my dog was worried because I haven't laughed that hard in a while. It's a glorious song and breaks my brain a little.) This is just a bunch of music! Enjoy! 2025 Edition The Old HELLO VENUS, ASTRO, Weki Meki All I Want aespa Jingle Bell Rock EXO December, 2014 Country Kko Kko Happy Christmas NINE.i Back to Christmas THE BOYZ White Apink PINK CHRISTMAS 2021 SBS Gayo Daejun All I Want For Christmas Is You Crayon Pop Lonely Christmas TVXQ! Duet -winter ver.- JUST KIDDING! I'm actually including a ...

Release date: 2024 December 18 Album tracklist: Winter Magic, Christmas With You , Snow, Christmas With You - Unplugged, Winter Magic - Instrumental, Christmas With You - Instrumental, Snow - Instrumental Album runtime: 27 minutes  I'm so excited to listen to this. Obviously I'm very excited since I'm actually posting this on the day it releases, but I'm over the moon (pun not intended...mostly) that they're releasing a Christmas album. I've already fallen in love with the teaser, and I was waiting most impatiently for them to actually drop the thing. I'll need to find something else to look forward to for the rest of the week, but I can do that. In the meantime, I'm just going to bask. And Merry Christmas to me, it comes with the instrumentals and an unplugged version. That piano is gorgeous. The piano is the dominant sound going on in the instrumentals, which does make it sound a little bit like lounge music, but it's so unbelievably soothing that ...

Release date: 2024 December 10 Album tracklist:  The Last Christmas Album runtime: 4 minutes  I was surprised to see that One Hundred Label (or BPM? I'm not sure which one would be more accurate) decided to do a company-wide Christmas Special like other companies back in Ye Olden Days. Artists involved in this one are Lee Seung Gi, Taemin, Baekhyun, Chen, Xiumin, Ha Sungwoon, VIVIZ, Lee Mujin, BE'O, and BADVILLAIN. It took me this long to do this, because I was sulking that Ren wasn't included. I didn't think he would be, but I was also hoping that they recorded this before he enlisted. And he won't be on next year's either if they do one because he'll still be enlisted. I'm fine. It's fine. Just about a year and a half. That is a gorgeous song length. Why does the very start of this song remind me of When You Wish Upon A Star ? Otherwise, whoever composed it did a great job of making this sound pleasantly Christmas-y. It's the bells. It's al...

Release date: 2024 December 10 Album tracklist: Must Have love - 2024 Version , Must Have love - Eng Version, Must Have love - Instrumental Album runtime: 11 minutes  I was just talking about this in the M.O.N.T and Jay reviews I did recently about how I was worried about what was going on with B.D.U. And look at what just showed up! A Christmas song, or at least I assume it's a Christmas song, judging by the title of the album. I'm fully expecting this to be Gorgeous Voice Central for almost four minutes. Do I know what "2024 Version" means? No, so I'm going to go take a look. And the answer is, this is a remake of a collaboration between SG Wannabe and Brown Eyed Girls from 2006 (and it's amazing, and that video they go into Feliz Navidad  and they sing in Spanish.). Brown Eyed Girls would go on to release their version of the song in 2014. ATBO did their version  last year. The bells instantly put you in the Christmas mood. I'm actually really happy...

Release date: 2024 December 09 Album tracklist:  When You Say My Name , Naughty or Nice Album runtime: 6 minutes  The Ship of Theseus has returned to port for a brief time for a seasonal celebration before heading back out to sea. 'Tis the season, everyone. Let's see what the offering from them is. I know there are people out there who don't like ballads. And that's fine. But I think I'm building a mental stock of the ballads to support me when the songs start straying into places I'm not particularly fond of. In this case, I genuinely don't think you can go wrong with the piano/strings combo. It's a one-two punch, except it's more of a caress with a soft smile. There's nothing here to distract from the vocals, although the rhythm of the instrumentals does go at odds with the members' voices in places.  Flex those pipes, girls! Flex them! Ship of Theseus this may be, but the new parts are not temporary replacement parts. They're the kinds...

Release date: 2024 December 10 Album tracklist:  Rupert's drop , Rupert's drop (Inst.) Album runtime: 7 minutes  As expected, all the groups that were on Ace of Ace are dropping mostly singles about a month after the show ended. This was the group I went into it hoping they'd win, even though I wanted all the groups to do well, but by the end, I really didn't care who won because they were all so good. There were some serious dark horses for me, whose reviews are coming up. But that's the thing about love: it's not a finite resource. Even though I added more groups to my ever growing list, Oneus's performances were also phenomenal. Also, one more thing I've learned is that Oneus's album artwork is gorgeous, Malus in particular. There's something about the instrumentals of this song that screams "indie band playing in the parents' garage," but specifically from the late 90s, early 00s, where the accompanying "music video" ...