K-POP REPORT CARD Dead or alive? K-pop chooses both in September, October
K-pop girl group A2O LITE performs during a showcase for its debut single, “NEON,” at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 12. Yonhap
Editor’s note
K-pop report card is a bimonthly series that revisits the most talked-about releases of the months. Rather than ranking success by charts or streaming numbers, the focus here leans toward how these records sound, what they attempt to say and whether they actually leave an impression once the initial buzz fades. Disagreement is welcome. K-pop has always thrived on argument as much as through fandom.
Nobody expected September and October to be this much fun, at least for K-pop.
Over the same two months, one K-pop heavyweight confessed his belief that the genre had run its course, while another stormed back onto the scene with a shiny, wildly ambitious new project.
That's K-pop for you — just when you think you know which way the ball is bouncing, it ricochets somewhere else entirely.
In between, BLACKPINK members dropped solo singles back-to-back, three of the industry’s biggest names faced off on the same Monday, and a brand-new girl group topped Melon a day after its debut.
As always, these verdicts are just one critic's opinion, not a ruling. Please feel free to disagree, loudly if you must.
Kwon Eun-bi, “DEJAVU” (digital single) released Sept. 3
Verdict: Nearly there
Kwon Eun-bi's first release since switching agencies is a lovely gift for fans. It peels back the piercing high notes and flashy performances that usually steal the spotlight, letting you hear how softly she murmurs through each line and how pretty her tone really is.
The problem is that K-pop has far, far too many songs like this. I swear I’ve heard more than 5,000 songs that sound exactly the same over the past decade.
To the general listener, it will simply drift by. It has no real impact and nothing much to praise or pan.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa, “SaWaDiKa” (prerelease single) released Sept. 4
Verdict: Surprisingly good
I’d argue Lisa no longer quite fits in a K-pop column, but there’s no denying the aura she has built was born at YG, so in she goes.
Lisa sounds best with an honest, no-frills rap flow. She has proven it across countless BLACKPINK tracks and her solo cuts “MONEY,” “ROCKSTAR” and “New Woman,” and she proves it once again here.
I also love that she keeps shouting out where she comes from. Artists like this popping up in every corner of the globe make the world a more fun place to be.
BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, “CLICK” (prerelease single) released Sept. 4
Verdict: Worth replaying
There are at least a thousand songs like this on the market already, so why does this one work? Probably because so few singers sing and deliver lines with a tone like Jisoo's.
She seems to have found a pop track that fits the persona she has settled into, one that’s a little clumsy, maybe, but confident and upbeat all the same. It just puts you in a good mood.
EVAN, “DEATH OF ME” (EP) — Title track “Death of Me” released Sept. 7
Verdict: Surprisingly good
Was I the only one who assumed that leaving the group meant EVAN would make music wildly different from ENHYPEN’s?
Even setting aside the voice that carried the group for years, ENHYPEN’s DNA is all over this record, especially that gothic, vampiry synth organ running from the intro onward. Somehow that makes the R&B track hit a little sadder.
i-dle’s Soyeon, “What a Wonderful Life” (full album) — Lead track “I’m gonna TOESA (Narr. Kian84)” released Sept. 7
Verdict: Worth replaying
K-pop, like any art scene, has some self-replication problem, so simply chasing something that’s uniquely yours is already a huge plus.
Add a story every young office worker can relate to, a beat that's easy to sing along to and retro samples instantly familiar to Korean ears, and you’ve got a guaranteed hit.
Just picture being dragged from a soul-crushing company dinner to a private singing room and belting this at the top of your lungs. For Korea’s office workers, that alone is practically therapy.
BOYNEXTDOOR, “HOME: DELUXE” (repackaged album) — Lead track “ANIMAL” released Sept. 28
Verdict: Worth replaying
BOYNEXTDOOR already has its easy sing-along hit. Of the group's attempts to break away from that formula, this one suits them far better than the previous single "VIRAL," and the more you listen, the more cathartic it gets.
On first listen, the choppy lyrics, and then the barking, will have you wondering what on earth is going on. But isn’t the boy next door supposed to be a little annoying?
The beat switch that storms in right before the final chorus feels surprisingly sophisticated for a song called “ANIMAL.” It’s noise music that delivers just the right amount of release.
ALLDAY PROJECT, “CRASH” (EP) — Title track “CRASH” released Sept. 28
Verdict: Surprisingly good
Each member’s color comes through clearly in the track, which is exactly why the gaps in skill among them feel a bit conspicuous. Other than that, it’s an easy-listening party anthem.
After a fairly long break, one might expect the group to come out swinging. Instead, the loose, let’s-just-have-fun vibe actually suits ALLDAY PROJECT.
CLOSE YOUR EYES, “256th Note” (EP) — Lead track “Drop That!” released Sept. 30
Verdict: Nearly there
Bringing jazz, the art of improvisation, into K-pop, where every move is choreographed and everything goes according to plan, is in theory the perfect promo pitch. That’s why I had such high hopes when the prerelease single "Open Your Eyes" dropped.
But next to the quality of the backing track, the topline production is juvenile and predictable. The vocals of the members flirting freely with the melody are there, so why is this all we ended up with? All the ingredients were right there.
NCT WISH, “I SPY” (EP) — Title track “I SPY” released Oct. 12
Verdict: Worth replaying
Kids these days really don't do boring. For the first half, you get a futuristic, gender-neutral track with a Japanese flavor that plays to the members’ identity and a structure that doesn’t stray far from girl group grammar. Up to that point, the song stays in safe territory, doing what WISH does best — polished, up-tempo electropop.
But it only reveals its charm if you play it to the end. You stay for the bridge, where the tempo slows out of nowhere, and for that unmistakably NCT finish. If you know, you know.
ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Han-bin, “DEAD:ALIVE” (EP) — Lead track “UNDEAD” released Oct. 12
Verdict: Nearly there
Easing off a little would have made the track way more stylish, but even flying solo, Sung Han-bin goes full throttle the whole way. It sounds like old-school, high-energy INFINITE.
Would make a very decent gym track, though.
MEOVV, “GO HARD” (digital single) released Oct. 12
Verdict: Surprisingly good
The track borrows a range of musical elements, but the transitions between them are all that seamless. The intro, bridge and final chorus are the highlights, but sitting through the thumping club beat in between, already worn out, is a bit of a slog.
With a drink in hand and friends hyping you up, it’s music that would set you completely free. Otherwise, it's a pass.
A2O LITE, “NEON” (debut digital single) released Oct. 13 / A2O SOUL, “SUPERSTAR” (prerelease single) released Oct. 13
Verdict: Essential
Before getting to A2O, we have to talk about NCT. The way NCT has been run splits neatly into before and after the departure of Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM.
Since NCT’s “Golden Age,” there has been virtually no true multi-unit activity visible to the public. Unless you’re a close follower of NCT, the group has been run in a way that leaves you thinking of 127, DREAM and WISH as entirely separate acts.
Back after the noncompete clause barring him from domestic activity expired, Lee didn’t just slip effortlessly back into the place he once held in K-pop. He staked a claim to even more ground.
K-pop boy band A2O SOUL performs during a showcase for its debut prerelease single, “SUPERSTAR,” at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 12. Yonhap
Much of K-pop now runs on a kind of fantasy — monotonous one-word choruses, and acts billed as free-spirited rebels and creative artists who still outsource every song. A2O’s two groups, LITE in particular, succeeded by bringing the exact opposite.
They brought back the grueling training that turns trainees into literal human weapons, the very thing that lifted K-pop to where it is today. They paired it with harmonies and choreography built to showcase teamwork, and it sent the whole country into a frenzy.
“SUPERSTAR” drew a comparatively weaker response, which only makes me more curious about Lee’s blueprint for a boy group. Will A2O SOUL reclaim the spot NCT left behind, or try something entirely different?
NMIXX, “Strange Muse” (EP) — Lead track “Birthday Wish” released Oct. 19
Verdict: Essential
What makes NMIXX’s music compelling is that it never feels predictable, even within the formula of “good music.” Striking that balance seems incredibly hard; plenty of groups, even their own labelmates, can’t pull it off. NMIXX has now done it three times in a row.
It also earns top marks for going a step beyond simply being good music to conjure a particular feeling, a particular moment.
It’s moving, too, that the MIXX-POP elements, the group's unique concept of blending different genres into a single track, stand out more than on the last release. It’s a sign the group hasn’t traded its identity for mass appeal.
BABYMONSTER, “DESERVE” (digital single) released Oct. 23
Verdict: Worth replaying
However you slice it, this is undoubtedly a YG song.
The chorus, where they belt the lyrics on a single repeated note, feels a bit monotonous and is a letdown. Everything else, from the build-up into the chorus to the explosive finish, is great.
For ears worn out by autotune, it’s about time we got more singles like this one, bringing back band sounds and live instruments and stirring up such a range of sentiments.
IVE, “Looks Can Kill” (EP) — Title track “Looks Can Kill” released Oct. 26
Verdict: Surprisingly good
You know it, I know it, and it’s been obvious for years — IVE has cornered the market on the "princess of K-pop" image and reigns on that image alone, no special vocal showcase or performance banger required.
Listening to this felt like eating kimchi jjigae (stew) at a kimchi jjigae joint famous across the nation. They’ve simmered up a song that fits the members’ attitude and mindset as snugly as it meets public demand.
ILLIT, “BREAK EVEN” (EP) — Lead track “You’re Under Arrest” released Oct. 26
Verdict: Overhyped
Truth be told, my verdict on this song and its play count on my playlist are two vastly different things. For sheer addictiveness, it’s the best release of October, so I’m torn between top marks and bottom marks. Today, I’m not feeling all that generous.
Since "It's ME," ILLIT has picked catchy electro tracks as its title songs while hiding the real gems among the B-sides. I think that strategy earns the group a lot of public flak. I’d confidently urge anyone to give “Super in Love” or “Pop” a listen. The album spans genres so well — so why make “You’re Under Arrest” its face?
RIIZE, “Insomnia” (digital single) released Oct. 26
Verdict: Worth replaying
A sophisticated take on nostalgia. It proves otherwise to anyone who remembers RIIZE only as performers. RIIZE has a remarkably wide range, and a classy one at that.