Just A Little Fangirl Love

Release date: 2026 May 27 Album tracklist: OASIS Album runtime: 4 minutes  He also released an OST recently, but while I'm not positive about if that's an OST or not (if I can get caught up, I'll do it) but I know I didn't do this one. So, I'm going to rectify that. Obviously. Since you're reading this. = I really should dig into his discography a bit more to see how often rock shows up. This one has a pretty sick guitar solo there, near the end, and for most of the rest of the song, it almost has a little bit of a science fiction vibe to it. It's a little bit techno in spots, but in general, it's got an earnestness to it where it goesn't quite demand attention so much as stand in the center of the room and allow others to notice it. His voice however does not. The earnestness is strong in his voice, as his vibrato is and his vibrato is loud an din charge. There's also a softness here that I really appreciate. He's really got such a nice voic...

Release date: 2026 May 19 Album tracklist: IOI (Where My Girls At); Suddenly ; SPF 100+ (Summer Pop Fantasy); IF I; Then, Now and Forever; Goodbye With A Smile (Recorded in 2016) (Prod.Jinyoung) Album runtime: 20 minutes  Congrats on the music show even though this is super late! I also hear this may have gotten an All Kill? Congrats for that as well. And the quality of this survival show group had so many of them end up in other groups, including the two who did not participate in the reunion and comeback. I like how pleasant this is. It's remarkably Stranger Things in terms of the instrumental, but only because it's got a bit of that 80s techno flavoring rather than it being a full dish of it, like a curry potato salad rather than a bowl of curry, if that makes sense. There's a softness to the song in some places, especially there near the end, that is quite suitable for a reunion song, and I love that there's an entire section where it's just a guitar for the ins...

Release date: 2026 May 11 Album tracklist: Crescendo , Heavy Serenade , IDERSERVEIT, Different Girl, Superior, LOUD Album runtime: 16 minutes  Wow, I could have sworn that I'd done this one. Whoops. I've also been forced to go back to writing these on paper first and then typing them up because my brain is struggling with writing anything. For a song called "Heavy Serenade", this instrumental isn't very heavy. It's got moments where the guitar is certainly active and quite grindy, but for the most part, there's a softer, floaty echo quality to the song that reminds me a bit quicksand. It's funny. This reminds me both of A Fleeting Dream from Final Fantasy X and also the sound of the Reapers from Mass Effect . It's not a combination I thought I would be hearing.  They really have such pretty voices. Also, the mix feels a bit off, like the instrumental is really overpowering compared to the vocals, especially at the end. The same sort of floaty qua...

Release date: 2026 May 29 Album tracklist: WDA (Whole Different Animal) (feat. G-Dragon), LEMONADE , SHAKIN', Can't Help Myself, Camouflage, Bite, Switchblade (feat. Ty Dolla $ign), Roll, My Plan, 'Til We Die, LEMONADE (feat. Becky G) Album runtime: 33 minutes  I know he isn't actually at YG anymore, but a YG artist featured on an SM artist's track? Fascinating. It feels a little like a Universal movie monster (like Bela Lugosi's Dracula) showing up in Singin' in the Rain . Not going to lie. Not that I think of G-Dragon as a Universal movie monster, but that's an iconic staple of Universal Studios and Singin' in the Rain is one of MGM's more iconic musicals. Two heavyweights in their respective divisions, so to speak. Underneath that skittering beat is a very grindy sound that turns a bit neon cyberpunk. I know I've been a bit lukewarm about aespa's recent songs, but I honestly like the layering in the instrumental that's going on he...

Release date: 2026 May 22 Album tracklist: Pureflow, BOOMPALA , CELEBRATION , Creatures, iffy iffy, Need Your Company, Sonder, Saki (feat Aliya's Interlude), Irony, Trust Exercise, Liminal Space Album runtime: 27 minutes  Well, well, well, what do we have here? A HYBE group title track that's almost three minutes long. We haven't seen one of those in a while. Does that mean that we're finally moving back to the era of decently lengthed songs? Can I be tentatively excited? If this isn't an afrobeats song, well then I need to get better acquainted with the genre, though I hesitate to do any genre the disservice of being applied to an instrumental that fades into the background so strongly, it almost might as well not even be there. Almost three minutes of runtime wasted on a song that might as well be the fan I've got going. It's impressive because there is volume at the end and a sonic change of scenery, but it's too little too late. What this song probab...

Release date: 2026 May 26 Album tracklist: Curious , Aura, Sugar Rush, Bed, Happy & Album runtime: 15 minutes  I'm so close to being able to repair some of my laptop keys so I can properly type again (my s is currently just the rubber bit and I have to keep sticking it back on if I type too aggressively). As bittersweet as this debut is, I am happy that they get to re-debut this quickly. Okay, so these are the four members of ZEROBASEONE who left WAKEONE earlier this as well as a former member of EVNNE late last year. The other former member of EVNNE left YueHua Entertainment as well, which is why he isn't part of this group.  Starting off a cappella. That's interesting. There are a lot of interesting things happening in this instrumental. Honestly, this feels like it's about four or five different songs in a trench coat, and I'm here for it. It's actually really soothing for my brain, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. We've g...

Release date: 2026 May 28 Album tracklist: ALIVE, SHOW H.O.W, Told U So, TEA, My Vision, Skit.exe, Lost in Proof , ($.$), Close To Me, One Beat, Dive With Me Album runtime: 28 minutes  You know, it's not every day that a group debuts with a full album. It's also not every day that a group debuts with an album that has only a single song that is over three minutes long. And it's not the title track. No, the title track is barely over two-and-a-half minutes. Good news, though, the maknae turns nineteen later this year, so we don't have to worry about them needing to be on Underage Protocol. Yay! At least something was done well! The company they're at was co-founded by Wheesung (who had gotten a lot of big awards over the course of his career, and I may be tempted to do one of his songs as an Expanded Offerings), so even thought I'm more familiar with him in a connaître rather than a savoir sort of way, if the statement from the company that he was very involved i...

Release date: 2026 June 08 Album tracklist: 06070, VIRAL , ddok ddok ddok , ADIOS!, Upside Down, DIVE, Forever You, I Wonder Album runtime: 25 minutes  I am so far behind, everyone! Pre-release! Album comes out in a few days! This does not sound like a BOYNEXTDOOR song. Where is the fun? Where is the playful loud vibrancy inherent in their title tracks? Why is this song so serious? I had a lot of hope because having a doorbell effect was an interesting start to the song, and it was quickly dashed. There's one spot that perks my ears up every time I hear it, the spot with the background choir because oh, that's interesting, but it's not enough to save the rest of the song from the gray-scale that is this instrumental. There's a stretch of the song that reminds me of Red Light, Green Light by TFN , but that's basically the only place where the vocals approach the normal fun. I'm glad that they're getting to show versatility, and I'm equally glad that this...

Release date: 2026 May 22 Album tracklist: PERMISSION Album runtime: 3 minutes   So funny story, when I was typing this up, I accidentally called this song “Possession”. I heard once that Taemin’s songs are religious trauma as a song, and I have to say that the instrumental at the beginning of the song reminds me a lot of that. There’s ghostly wailing in the instrumental, and I love it. There's also kind of a funky, musical vibe to the instrumental, wherein the character is just slinking around the stage, bonus points if it's a villain or a morally grey character. There's a high level of drama inherent here, and while there isn't really a lot of variation technically, the song is very sticky because of the prevalence of the bass guitar. Kai and Taemin really do circle the same sounds for their songs, don't they? Hashtag, Best Friends Things. This is still very much a Taemin song, don't get me wrong, and while it's settled in that sing-song style during the c...

Release date: 2026 May 18 Album tracklist: Intro., TOP 5 , V for Vision, Customize, Exotic, Changes, Zero to Hundred Album runtime: 19 minutes   This is their first release after the contracts ended for some of them and we now have the new version of ZEROBASEONE. It’s not going to be fun for them to have to rearrange all of their songs for choreography and singing, but unlikely many of their MNET survival show group seniors, they didn’t disband by the end of their initial contract period, so we’re in a little bit of an unfamiliar territory with them in some ways. And I'm appalled at the title track run time. It's barely longer than the intro song. The instrumental is largely a collection of beats. We occasionally get an instrument that gives a little bit of a melody, but it’s not the basis of the instrumental. Which is fine. This feels a little 90s boy group in spots, and I’m cool with that, but I’m not currently over inspired about this instrumental, other than to note that we...

Release date: 2026 May 20 Album tracklist: ATE! Album runtime: 3 minutes   If you missed their debut back in December, then thank you for reading this one. This is SM’s new Japanese girl group, they were all over twenty at time of debut, and the song was fire, but SM needs to give them more money for their music videos. Welcome to the show.  Honestly, this feels like a mildler version of something that could have come from f(x) back in the day. This is very synthy and electronic, but there’s a vibrancy to it that feels bolder than either of their two most recent Korean girl groups, if that makes sense. There’s also something a little first-season-of- Buffy about the song that it feels like a fight scene. And there’s a dance break. I’m pleased. Normally I’d be crawling out of my skin a little bit over the amount of repetition with the “ate” line, but it’s not long enough to make me bored, and it’s interrupted by singing. The other thing is the “5-6-7” pause “we ate” line. I c...

Release date: 2026 May 18 Album tracklist: BAD, LIVE FAST DIE SLOW , WOULD YOU (feat. Tarzzan & Woochan), MOVIE, OPEN UP, LOVE LIKE THIS, YES, NOW G.O.A.T, 4U Album runtime: 26 minutes  It's been a hot minute since he released an album, right? I also need you to know that I now just randomly say "I am a good boy" because of this man. That runtime actually isn't as bad as it looks because the title track is over three minutes, the song with Tarzzan and Woochan (who are at the same company as him and I'm glad that he's taking the kids under his wings) is over three minutes, and the last track is over three minutes. It just happens that one of the songs is under two-minutes, which admittedly isn't great, but it's not the title track, so I don't care what the b-sides are doing for time.  We've got a little bit of a skittering beat going on here, which is not entirely unexpected, but it's more of a disco skitter than a hip-hop skitter, but I...

Release date: 2026 May 19 Album tracklist: Make It Up To You Album runtime: 3 minutes  I get so happy every single time that they release something, and it looks like we're going back to our debut strategy of singles, then bundling into a mini album. At least, I hope that's what the plan is. It's a good plan for now.  Ballad! Almost a ballad! Okay. I'm calm about this. That was a nice little fake-out they gave us, and I'd be more upset about it, but the song is comfortingly solid in a way that I enjoy a lot. There's nothing particularly grating about the song because the drums never quite go fully into skittering beat territory, though they are in the vicinity without committing. It's amazing the difference in a song when you change the instrumental.  This is such a cute song. It's an apology, yeah. But it's very cute and I think they're speaking French at one point. I'll be checking the lyrics later to confirm that. But there's a decent ...

Release date: 2026 May 18 Album tracklist:  WYLD , Storm, Hypnotic, I'm a Dancing Cactus, Mermaid, 404 Euphoria, Skiii, Hot, Feeling Myself, Run Album runtime: 28 minutes  Let's do a soloist now. Hello, friend! (And he games with JR, so I am legally required to love him). I imagine that it's been a little difficult for you being the leader of NCT. Hopefully things go a bit more smoothly from now on, flower path and all of that. Ooh! It's a full album! My interest has been piqued, although only two of the ten are over three minutes. One of them is exactly three minutes, but that's not exactly over.  This is a solid base of an instrumental, and it largely stays out of the way for the vocals. I don't have a lot to say about it because it's perfectly, functionally, supportive. It's got a good flow and some interesting halts and reversals, don't get me wrong, but it's easily dismissible.  Y'all know I like lower male voices. He gives us that with ...

Release date: 2026 May 04 Album tracklist: Pretty Pink Socks , People Talk , Awesome, Seoul Album runtime: 12 minutes   Do I have other songs I need to be doing? Always. Is this just a b-side? Yup. But they did just debut and that means they need all the attention that they can get, so with my small contribution, here we are. They are in the CIX/EPEX lineage, in case you missed my review of their debut song (link above), and we have an eighteen-year-old maknae. All is quiet on the western front, everyone. And this one is over three minutes, so I'm happy about this as well. Does this start a cappella? That's what we call a "Bold Choice". It's a very minimal instrumental through most of the song, but then it kicks up into more familiar territory. The interesting thing is that the instrumental doesn't feel like it matches the vocals very well on a structural level, which creates a dichotomy that forces you to pay attention because it doesn't do what it's ...

Release date: 2026 May 19 Album tracklist: Ghost Rider, OKay , Graffiti, Trophy, Outsider Album runtime: 14 minutes They just turned three a couple of months ago, and they're already on their seventh mini album. The kids are very busy, and on top of that, we have been getting prepped for this song for over a month now. And if we look at the album title, we're in a new era for them. I'm excited. I'm so excited. I cannot wait. I'm still looking for another title track that I love as much as Witch, but my expectations are realistically lower. Will we get our first win? Fingers crossed. I just want them to get that first win. I know how important it is no matter their other achievements, and if this were a story, having that first win be at the start of a new era would be thematically appropriate. I'm not super enthused about the runtime, but the title track is over three minutes, technically. Barely. So I'm fine with whatever else is going on.  I love it when w...

Release date: 2026 May 11 Album tracklist: Crescendo, Heavy Serenade , IDERSERVEIT, Different Girl, Superior, LOUD Album runtime: 16 minutes  Well, the album is out and I'm doing the pre-release first. It's fine. Again, it's a weird mental thing where because I've spent so much time with this group lately because of an Expanded Offerings post, I feel like I've already done this, even though for NMIXX it's been literal years since Tank was released. But I'm not overly worried because I'm going to be heading to Vegas this weekend, where I'll be confined with many kpop songs to cover and hours to spend them on. Ugh, two-and-a-half minutes. I'm so tired of this.  There's a particular grindy, clangy quality to the instrumental that has a flair for the dramatic to prevent the song from being too far on the side of noise. It's got kind of a heavy-handed rhythm to it, but the speed, despite the skittering beat we've got through part of the s...

Release date: 2026 May 13 Album tracklist: WXW (Wish With W) Album runtime: 3 minutes  The only real downside to doing The Expanded Offerings, as I've now decided to call the Greatest Hits and Battle of the B-Sides posts collectively, this close to when a group releases a new song, my brain often gets tricked into thinking I've already reviewed it because it's been so involved with the group.  That's an aggressive electric guitar right there at the start. It almost immediately mellows out, but it doesn't change that the song throws open the double doors to the room you're in. There's something oddly, early 2000s Disney Channel artist about the instrumental (and the melody too but that's for the vocals section). Early Hilary Duff and Kelly Clarkson. There's a good rhythm to this, a lot of which I'm attributing to the three-and-a-half minute runtime because it's got the room to have space and changes and all the things you expect from a song. T...

Release date: 2026 May 11 Album tracklist:  Feel It , Feel It (inst.) Album runtime: 6 minutes  I'm pretty sure this man needs no actual introduction because it's Rain. Pre-release? Not a clue. If it is, I'll tag it as such later. We're starting off with a surprising and strong use of a stereo system. That start pinballed a little, and I love it. I also love the prominent use of the brass instruments here. The drop at the very end is a little sudden, but it lingers long enough ease you back down instead of opening a hole underneath your feet into an endless abyss. I appreciate it when songs take care of the listener like that. But as much as I like the instrumental, it doesn't quite feel complete, but I'd bet it's because it's missing the vocals. There we go. There's the missing piece. That's actually really strong of the song to require both instrumental and vocals to need each other to have a complete sounding song. The vocal gymnastics this ma...

Release date: 2026 May 13 Album tracklist: Us Album runtime: 3 minutes  Digital single, incoming! Odds are decent that this one will eventually be included with whatever their next mini album is (or maybe an upcoming full album? They're due for one) Since their rebrand from Nowadays, I've been enjoying their music a lot more. But this one, this one I'm going to like. I have a very strong feeling that I'm going to like it. One, it's member written with three of them being the sole lyricists and one of those three also working on the composition. Two, it's for the fans, and if there's anything I'm a huge sucker for, it's songs that sound like they could have come out of a musical based on a French book. But also, it's fan songs. I love fan songs so much. And this is a full three-and-a-half minutes.  When this song softens, it really softens. The electric guitar gets a lot of time and attention to propel the song, which it needs to provide that stro...