Just A Little Fangirl Love

 The second half of the week is entirely silent, and because of the regularly scheduled awards shows, some of which have been canceled or postponed, there was only one win this week: Stray Kids. The ASC was a pre-recorded yearly recap of some of their favorite moments, where the MCs (Aron, Allen, Taeyoung) played some of the games they hosted for the guests. It was funny and enjoyable and a surprise as I figured it would have been postponed, but I assume it was aired because it was pre-recorded. Show Champion: N/A MCountdown: N/A Music Bank: Stray Kids "Walkin on Water" (note: should their performance, had they done one, show up, I'll update this with the correct day's performance) Show! Music Core:  N/A Inkigayo:  N/A ASC Performance: 2024 Recap The Show:  N/A

Release date: 2024 December 30 Album tracklist: Apocalypse (:Superego), Love Potion , Running After Love, Pit a Pat, XOXO (Complete Me) Album runtime: 27 minutes  Honestly, I'm a little surprised that this one was released, and I'm hoping that this is a gift of a song to help you feel good or comforted. I could have sworn that I did a review for them, but I didn't remember a new song coming out since I started this, and I have. I did their debut track  as part of my effort to make the NINE.i reviews I did a little less lonely. So they're just over a year old, and I just learned that since I did their debut track, Eddie and Junhyeok have left the group so they're down to a group of seven, I think. Poor Eddie. I haven't heard a song sounding quite like an *NSYNC sound out of any of these groups in a while, but wow. There's also a dose of mid 00s' girl group to the sound, especially at the beginning, that gives me some amusement. The song is a textbook exam...

Release date: 2025 March 05 Album track list:  Please Stay ,  LOVE TODAY , Starry Night, Say Yes,  Be Alright , Hi Beautiful Album runtime: 19 mi nutes The timing for this song was unfortunate, so there is no music video yet. After the mourning period is finished, I'll update this if one is released. BTOB continues their new trend of releasing a single a month, which I believe will happen for at least the next little bit until they can get their next album out. I could be wrong, so don't quote me on that. But ending the year with the Healers of K-Pop is a good way to end it anyway, so even if they don't continue it through January, I'm okay with this for the presents they gave us already. I'm a little disappointed it's under three minutes, but at least it's close. I really want to talk about their vocals, but I'll stick to my pattern and do the instrumentals first. I have a shout-out to give to Minhyuk, as this one is his  song, rather than Hyunsik's...

삼가 고인의 명복을 빕니다. It feels very weird to be in a little bit more of a "celebratory" tone given what's happened this month, and I'm caught between wanting normalcy and respecting my pattern, and wanting to be reverent. Which is part of why the posts slowed down a lot toward at the end there. Still! There were things to celebrate, like a few debuts! NINE.i had their Japanese debut ! I can't believe they turn three next March! I only covered one other debut, for Irubin, formerly of 1TEAM . Debuts, I didn't cover include Nakwon , T:EV , Dáff , Wish (formerly of ViV) , A20 MAY (a Chinese girl group, but you may have an interest there as well), Lee Gwangseok (a former Build Up contestant) , and KYSB . Most of these debuts were for soloists; only two were for groups. Although finding out that ViV is one of the first groups to disband that debuted this year is also rather disheartening. But, I also wish her luck as a soloist. There weren't as many releases that I k...

Release date: 2024 December 27 Album tracklist:  Hoper Album runtime: 3 minutes  Second gen idol dropping a single? Yes, please. The only thing that could make this better is it if the single was multi-track, which is a weird thing that I've accepted is common practice, even though single means one and a multi-track single feels like an oxymoron, but I digress. Although he did do a full album this year, so the single is just supplementary. Also, Jaejoong has done quite a few OSTs, which is cool.  Starting off with a lone, slow piano. Eventually strings get added, but the piano has the role that the percussion (usually drums of some sort) usually takes for the song, which makes sense because it's a hammer striking the wires which produces the sound, classifying the piano both as a percussion instrument and a stringed instrument. It's a gorgeous pairing, as the strings don't stay in the song for long, and instead let the piano open and close with enough space to let the m...

Release date: 2024 December 27 Album tracklist:  Beat that Drum Album runtime: 3 minutes  JinJin has kept himself busy this year, and I didn't know this one was happening until the algorithm dropped it in my lap. I'm just really impressed with everything he's been putting out this year. I will be wholly unsurprised if this also doesn't have a music video, but I don't care. At this point, I'm half temped to go back and do the others, even if I don't have a place for them. And he can do what he wants with these projects. I'll just be here to support it. The majority of the song, which is rounded up to get that three minutes runtime, has a lot of synth. It's very synthy. It's so synthy that the Institute is looking to retrieve their lost property (this is a Fallout 4 joke). The instrumentals here also could have come straight out of Cyberpunk 2077 , which is a high compliment from me as there were a couple of them that ended up in my Spotify Wrappe...

Release date: 2024 December 25 Album tracklist:  And spring Album runtime: 5 minutes  These voices are frankly incredible. They're one of my favorite full singing groups, because even though they only have four members, they utilize those members to their fullest, and the harmonizing is almost always incredible. I was almost sad about the fact that this was just a single, but then I remembered their maknae bass (who is a couple of weeks older than Baekho) is still in the army and won't be discharged until May, so it makes sense that they're limiting the amount of music they release without him.  The three types of instruments that make the most cinematic instrumentals when combined are percussion, piano, and strings. If we get woodwinds in there as well, then it's practically a perfect song as far as I'm concerned. Although the more I listen to this song, the more suspicious I'm getting about if I'm hearing woodwinds in one of the sections of the instrumenta...

Release date: 2025 March 06 Album track list: Heat it Up,  Dangerous , Way you are, Umbrella,  Sad Loop , Where U R, Dangerous (Inst.) Album runtime: 23 mi nutes  I was about to be disappointed that this was a single-track single, but then I realized they've been sparse on the releases since they returned from military service (I'm assuming based on the fact that they're a boy group and there's a four year gap). So two singles in the space of a year is better than nothing. They're busy. They've got things they're doing. At least they're still putting things out as a group so the fans don't completely panic. Also, I just really like that they're a second gen group and still releasing music fourteen later. Those are boy group goals. The instrumentals have some cute little upticks with the synth in places, little whoops that help to ease the poignancy of the piece. But otherwise, we've got a soft rock ballad here overflowing with emotion. It...

Release date: 2024 December 26 Album tracklist: 신아브로 (Gradually) , Bye My Only Universe, We Are Forever, Make Me Strong, Dear Little Star Album runtime: 18 minutes  I don't normally include the Korean titles because it's inconvenient for me when I'm on the computer but given that this one has no English lyrics at all, it feels disingenuous to have the English title only. The timing is also hilarious for me given that I just covered both a VIXX song as well as a remake of one of Ken's songs. The alignment of the stars brings me a little bit of joy, and I'm glad for it to have happened. It's cute. I'm patiently waiting to see when VIXX puts out a new album, but in the meantime, I'm happy to see what the members do individually.  I accidentally left the whole album on and wandered away from the device. But I have to say that there are some songs on here where he is flexing a phenomenal voice, and wow . Also, take a look at that runtime. Yes.  There are enou...

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 24 Album tracklist: Home Alone, Spring in the Winter Album runtime: 6 minutes  A new addition to the catalogue of solo Hui voices has been released, and I could not be happier. I can't think of a better K-Pop Christmas present than this. If nothing else, he has the kind of voice you could just fall in love with, but also I love how active he has been since most of his other members have left CUBE. This year he released his debut album with Hmmm BOP , which is one of my favorite releases of 2024, at the start, and then in the last four months, he's released three singles. As long as he isn't overworking himself, I'm happy for every opportunity to hear him do what he does best and sing. And also write the songs, which is where the rest of his credits are. The man is multi-talented. As is typical with his ballads, I'm struggling to focus past his voice to the instrumentals, which are piano dominant and strings assisted. I absolutely love it ...

Essentially, if there isn't a show this week, there probably won't be one next week as well. But, for the two that are still airing, I will faithfully record the wins for Stray Kids and G-Dragon. Also, Younite was on ASC, it was festive, and they were precious. I love all the Ace of Ace reunions that keep happening on After School Club. They just keep complimenting each other, and I love it. I also really loved their introductions. They were adorable. And as soon as it was time for the MC Challenge, I knew Aron was going to struggle with it, but even Taeyoung had a little bit of stuggle. Allen had it down very quickly.  Show Champion: N/A MCountdown: N/A Music Bank: Stray Kids "Walkin on Water" Show! Music Core: G-Dragon (BIGBANG) "Home Sweet Home" (note: he still hasn't performed this anywhere but the MAMAs) 12 Inkigayo: N/A ASC Performance: Younite "Taste"  (note: the MC challenge starts at 18:40, which was a lot later than normal) The Show:...

Release date: 2024 December 23 Album tracklist: from Album runtime: 3 minutes Well, here we are at their last song under Pledis. I hope wherever they end up next, they get to do what they want and have the opportunities they want. I wish them all the best. And I'm glad they got a last song. Taking a brief glance at the credits now that I know they have a producing duo in the group, that is a really long list of names in the writing credits. Did all the members have a hand in this? Also, and I wouldn't have noticed this if I hadn't done FLY HIGH as one of my Battle of the B-Sides posts, but that single was called "FROM." and this one is called "from". So that's a pretty cool connection. I was just kind of basking in the sound of the song through the first listen, but my ears perked up at the end upon hearing what sounds like a log drum. I'm likely reading too much into it, but it feels like a promise from the members. It doesn't feel like an ...

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 23 Album tracklist: Down for you Album runtime: 3 minutes I would just like everyone to know that when I watched Peak Time , I knew immediately  which group they were because the only Prince I know in K-Pop is in this group, and I'm very proud of how they did. Prince's reels also give me life, and I'm absolutely gleeful every time he posts a new one, but they're also the reason why I knew his group. I have since listened to some of their songs, and really, they're quite a good group. I don't know much about them as a group, but the music is generally good. I have a few of them in various playlists. We've got some nice mellow vibes from the group this time, but also featuring science fiction warbling occasionally as well as my favorite addition: the audience participation snapping. I know that OSTs in K-Dramas almost never feature already released music (though they can be found in the show, just not as part of the OST), but you ...

Release date: 2024 December 22 Album tracklist: The Late Regret , The Late Regret - Eng Version Album runtime: 9 minutes  New A.C.E song! I swear, they put out a single at least once a month and sometimes more like every three weeks or so. I'm not currently complaining about it, although I am beginning to be worried for them a little. I hope they're taking care of themselves because this is an unsustainable pace, but at the same time, even with that worry, I'm so excited every time, because I know what kind of voices those lunatics (said with all the love in the world, please refer to their recent attendance on After School Club  so you know what I mean if you're unfamiliar with their personalities) have. And this is almost four and a half minutes of their voices. Full group of potentially main vocalists.  I'm melting over this song. Even if you normally listen to it at the end, go listen first because you absolutely should not be sleeping on this song and I want yo...

Release date: 2024 December 21 Album tracklist:  Say that you're sorry Album runtime: 3 minutes     I picked Ciipher as the group to attach to him because it's the more recent one, and both Ciipher and 1THE9 are about equal in terms of monthly listeners and highest number of streamed songs on Spotify. He has left the group, but I haven't heard of some huge falling out, so I'll give him to Ciipher. If it turns out it was a falling out, then I suppose I will remove it or switch it to 1THE9.  The instrumentals to this song are softly chipper, like a hug. I'm squinting a little at the song title because it seems a little at odds with the loveliness, but generally, there's nothing explosively energetic or mournful or otherwise temperamental about them. I'll have to take a look at the lyrics. There are certainly parts of the song where the instrumentals back off to really let the vocals take center stage, but generally speaking, the instrumentals are the kind that...

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 ...

Release date: 2024 December 17 Album tracklist: Sweet Like Album runtime: 2 minutes  Ooh, I like that the members of the group are putting out music ahead of their group comeback. It's a good way to drum up interest and put the group back into the conversation without too much difficulty. Well, no more difficulty than actually preparing music, which is quite difficult. That makes both him and the leader who have released music recently, although to be fair, I may have missed one of the members. I don't know all their names yet. Also, that is a very uncomfy runtime. It's less than two and a half minutes. That is a lot of synth is to be had. It especially reminds me of early to mid 80s EDM at the very beginning before the drums and the beat start kicking in, as though I could find it in Stranger Things . The rest of the song, that connection isn't nearly as strong, but for a few measures at the opening, I could believe it. I find it a little interesting that this is the s...

Release date: 2024 December 11 Album tracklist: Foolproof Album runtime: 3 minutes  Okay, so! Irubin is part of the 95z along with SCoups, Gon, and Minhyun, and he's actually a week younger than the latter. He was on a couple of trainee survival shows the same year NU'EST was on theirs. Almost made the debut team on BOYS24 and was the first boy trainee to be TOP1 on MixNine (where we also had a bunch of future ATEEZ and Treasure members), ended the show as the third ranked so he made the debut team, but that never happened. I actually remember him. Obviously I was focused on ATEEZ when I watched it this summer, but I do remember him. He went by the name Rubin then, and he was really good. He did finally debut with the group 1TEAM, which unfortunately disbanded within two years, and then he became a tattoo artist. Irubin is multi-talented then, and part of me is curious about why he decided to come back to music almost four years later, but I hope he has better luck as a soloist...