Midweek New Music Roundup :: February 12th - 19th

[hitokage]

For the purposes of this blog, Thursday totally still counts as midweek ... even though odds are it's going to be Friday by the time you read this. Sigh. It's ... been a hell of a week, yeah? And they just keep getting wilder....

That said, this week there's almost 60 new videos to browse, covering everything from EDM to jazz to neoclassical to folk rock, with all the usual suspects along for the ride as well. We're a bit boy group heavy this week, with comebacks by everyone from Boyfriend (yes, that Boyfriend) to KickFlip (Your Honor, does it really count as a "comeback" when it's been less than a month oh god since their debut?), plus the debut of new group AWIN. Not to be left out, girl group comebacks include I:MOND and a new solo release from Jisoo, plus the pre-debut release from Starship's new group KiiKii. Looking for new hiphop? REDDY, JJAX, and soulmin all have new releases this week. R&B more your speed? Try As One or HOONS. And if rock is your preferred flavor, we've got new music from SoYe-On, Choo Seungyoup, and Youngcode, among many others. So grab a snack and/or your drink of preference while you decide whether you want to just run down the whole list or not.

Your special bonus mission, should you choose to accept it: find all the bonus Valentine's Day releases! To make it extra challenging, I won't even say how many there are! XD

Banner artist slot this week goes to ONF, with additional picks going to Chungha, As One, Boyfriend, ARrC, and XODIAC. Yes, I know, my biases are showing again. XD


Releases for the week of February 12th - 19th:
Chungha - Stress *
Punch - I Hope the Painful Memories Weren't Love *
Jackson Wang (GOT7) - High Alone *
SUDI - G.P.T (Give Personal True love) (feat. iMos)
Mo Sunmi - If you're shaken by the spring breeze, you're a flower (audio only)
SUDI - Neither Warm Nor Cold (feat. V.et, Hw)
YEWON - 흠뻑 (The Scandal of Chunhwa OST)
Olivia Marsh - Strategy *
Yerin - To Be Honest (This is a Campus Romance OST) (audio only)
Boyfriend - Time Limit (Japanese release) *
n.SSign - Let's do this (Study Group OST)
MINNIE ((G)-IDLE) - Valentine's Dream *
ILLIT - Almond Chocolate (Japanese release)
REDDY - Hunchback *
Scene See - whiskey *
Jungjin - Dear. (audio only)
ONE PACT - 100! *
PILLOW - butterflies in time
ONDO - Rainbow (audio only)
I:MOND - Wonderland *
Jisoo (BLACKPINK) - earthquake *
Bang Yedam - We Good *
Soh Subin - By your side (Melo Movie OST) *
SMTOWN - Thank You * +
MADEIN - Love, Afraid *
Lee Changsub (BTOB) - Feel the Groove *
PUNKBOY - RIP (feat. AVOKID, FDR) (audio only)
Eo Yejun, Yoo Juhyeong, Seo Yuna, Kim Jina, Song Hyeyeon, Kim Sarang - Curtain Call (audio only)
JJAX -To Us *
Wake - Baby i missing u (feat. Yung Chens) (audio only)
soulmin - Party is over (feat. Hae Eun, arkdory) (audio only)
AWIN - Hashtag (#Cheese) (debut) *
Arom - In my room
GyeongseoYeji - Why is love so hard for me * +
Lee Seungyoon When You Appeared (When the Stars Gossip OST) *
DK (December) - farewell
KiiKii - I DO ME (pre-debut)
mellow button - Until we reach tenderness (audio only)
SoYe-On - Monday *
Lydia - Cotton Candy (audio only)
Suzy - Come Back *
POW - Gimme Love *
donburi - Never let go (audio only)
Kim Chaewon - Dear My Wave
Snackiing - Bitter Coffee (audio only)
Youngcode - Forget the Night (feat. Tonliz) *
nnn - Sorry
Lee Seohwan, Lee Seryeong - A journey with you (audio only)
KickFlip - Knock Knock *
As One - Still My Baby (feat. Bumkey)
ONF - The Stranger *
ARrC - nu kidz *
XODIAC - TIME 2 SHINE *
Choo Seungyoup - Dirt *
Baek Yukyung - leave behind (audio only)
Bennie - Himalayas (audio only)
Conut - Ocean Forest * +
HOONS - Hurry +


key:
* content warning - see item below for specific warnings
+ comes with "disappearing" hardcoded subs

++note: listing cuts off at roughly 1am EST Wednesday - releases posted after that will be in next week's post (and anything I missed that posted before that point, assuming I catch it, will be in The Mea Culpa section, which isn't actually empty this week, but I haven't proofed those videos yet and I'm already running late enough as it is, so it's getting skipped.)++


note: despite the SUDI tracks being separated in the listing above (due to how this listing is compiled and proofed), I've pulled them back together below to make things easier.


Chungha - Stress https://youtu.be/OLK0iePvZeY
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing
note: I mean it's probably good advice in general, I'm just not really able to follow it right now


Punch - I Hope the Painful Memories Weren't Love https://youtu.be/OGB2xc8fuFs
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares
note: potential hanky warning, although the video may be weird enough to short-circuit that


Jackson Wang (GOT7) - High Alone https://youtu.be/f2ILvf-JKBY
genre: EDM
cw: smoking, shirtless Jackson, blood/injury, horror vibes, MCD
note: this feels rather like Jackson working through some things. One could very easily read this as a metaphor for idol life all right.


SUDI - G.P.T (Give Personal True love) (feat. iMos) https://youtu.be/CCEb9aXlXXs
genre: R&B
note: aww, this is a cute/neat lyric video concept

SUDI - Neither Warm Nor Cold (feat. V.et, Hw) https://youtu.be/eY74yytQk4w
genre: jazz
note: oh that's some Engrish at the start all right


Mo Sunmi - If you're shaken by the spring breeze, you're a flower (audio only) https://youtu.be/fbElMJFAN54
genre: Korean folk rock
note: an early instrumental break!


YEWON - 흠뻑 (The Scandal of Chunhwa OST) https://youtu.be/nYHiY6ijhgU
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


Olivia Marsh - Strategy https://youtu.be/fZ4HT9qflZo
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: oh those are some serious retro vibes all right. Really, Olivia, were you even born yet in 1998?


Yerin - To Be Honest (This is a Campus Romance OST) (audio only) https://youtu.be/9KrFjRxX8i8
genre: folk rock
note: English subs available in CC (a thing I'm only really noting here because it's unusual in an audio-only and the uploader made a point of mentioning it)


Boyfriend - Time Limit (Japanese release) https://youtu.be/DiLtjUIDzSU
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing
note: sorry, I'm just... I'm having a moment here....2nd gen group making a comeback? Yeah, I'm just... imma need a bit, go ahead and go on without me....


n.SSign - Let's do this (Study Group OST) https://youtu.be/OsQmTz0b8bs
genre: hiphop
note: video is about half clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


MINNIE ((G)-IDLE) - Valentine's Dream https://youtu.be/FyuPYjmPjrE
genre: R&B
cw: flashing


ILLIT - Almond Chocolate (Japanese release) https://youtu.be/qlgEadao-Sk
genre: dance pop


REDDY - Hunchback https://youtu.be/1UgckKE4AN0
genre: hiphop
cw: flashing


Scene See - whiskey https://youtu.be/akvTU8ETPLA
genre: jazz
cw: lens flares
note: of all the things I might have expected, feeling homesick for Chicago because of a Korean jazz artist was not on my list this week, and yet here we are! XD


Jungjin - Dear. (audio only) https://youtu.be/EVuF_oAJ1hg
genre: R&B


ONE PACT - 100! https://youtu.be/GdnHFGo0RCY
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, camera motion


PILLOW - butterflies in time https://youtu.be/THpqFbLlzKY
genre: R&B
note: don't shower with all your clothes on, it's a bad idea. I went back and forth on genre for this one before deciding the spoken word quality of the vocals wasn't rap-like enough to qualify for hiphop, so...


ONDO - Rainbow (audio only) https://youtu.be/_jUih36ORmU
genre: rock


I:MOND - Wonderland https://youtu.be/pzKXSWrqYeY
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares, water glare, implied supernatural elements
note: yeah, normally I'm a bit more specific when using the supernatural tag, but in this case, it's a bit more ... undefined? as far as what, specifically, is being invoked, so...


Jisoo (BLACKPINK) - earthquake https://youtu.be/2V6lvCUPT8I
genre: EDM
cw: flashing, surrealism


Bang Yedam - We Good https://youtu.be/1CVZIwyQdEg
genre: dance pop
cw: unsteady cam
note: Kitty! Just for a few seconds, but still...kitty! XD


Soh Subin - By your side (Melo Movie OST) https://youtu.be/FF7_YRh4Jyw
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: flashing, blood/injury
note: video is entirely stills from the drama with flashing transitions in between and a floating sparkle overlay effect, so while the chances of spoilers is likely quite reduced, it's not completely zero


SMTOWN - Thank You https://youtu.be/AEUoEnKq290
genre: R&B
cw: animated flashing, flashing effects, potential hanky warning
note: there's some deep cuts in the MV clips, giving me Big Feelings. EXO's Overdose, SHINee's 1of1, even older cuts...yeah, I'm in my feels all right.


MADEIN - Love, Afraid https://youtu.be/ORtAJM6epO4
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares, gun
note: If I didn't know better, I might think these girls were all under 16, the way they've been styled (yes, the maknae is only 17, not the point)


Lee Changsub (BTOB) - Feel the Groove https://youtu.be/tS1doiMBz4Y
genre: dance pop
cw: aggressively flashing stage lights
note: if you're feeling particularly sensitive to light, give this one a pass


PUNKBOY - RIP (feat. AVOKID, FDR) (audio only) https://youtu.be/7B_OPP09RWQ
genre: punk rock
note: oh look at me disagreeing with the uploader on genre again.... XD


Eo Yejun, Yoo Juhyeong, Seo Yuna, Kim Jina, Song Hyeyeon, Kim Sarang - Curtain Call (audio only) https://youtu.be/-tsgwwYf2tk
genre: R&B


JJAX -To Us https://youtu.be/2bDd0jFOQNo
genre: hiphop
cw: lens flares
note: a refreshing change in amongst the spate of diss tracks that have come out the last few months (so of course this week is mostly not-diss-tracks XD)


Wake - Baby i missing u (feat. Yung Chens) (audio only) https://youtu.be/O-PiIk-6MGA
genre: hiphop


soulmin - Party is over (feat. Hae Eun, arkdory) (audio only) https://youtu.be/HqlISlZklRQ
genre: hiphop
note: party is over but this is a very danceable party beat ;)


AWIN - Hashtag (#Cheese) (debut) https://youtu.be/keoI_Z2Zjok
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing


Arom - In my room https://youtu.be/syI5mPuKeaM
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: for a lyric video, they really did a horrible job making the lyrics, you know, legible


GyeongseoYeji - Why is love so hard for me https://youtu.be/NJkp34OS5kE
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares


Lee Seungyoon When You Appeared (When the Stars Gossip OST) https://youtu.be/VVg36nr3x50
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares, implied nudity
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


DK (December) - farewell https://youtu.be/rKSXJ81OhHU
genre: R&B


KiiKii - I DO ME (pre-debut) https://youtu.be/hAEfi_SKTEU
genre: dance pop
note: aww, all the cute baby farm animals, none of the smell! XD


mellow button - Until we reach tenderness (audio only) https://youtu.be/5dPuJ1I_ZlA
genre: neoclassical instrumental
note: another break in the genres~


SoYe-On - Monday https://youtu.be/ET5T57tTtxA
genre: rock
cw: flashing effects
note: so adorable! And oh look, I'm feeling homesick for a place I've never been again, sigh. The majority of the filters were fine/cutesy, but a couple were a bit harsh


Lydia - Cotton Candy (audio only) https://youtu.be/cmvBJvPQd7k
genre: R&B


Suzy - Come Back https://youtu.be/0x3gZRV_w3Q
genre: soft rock (ballad)
cw: flashes, drinking
note: most of the flashing is in the transitions between "now" and "archive" scenes. Also, the messiness of this apartment brings me joy. XD


POW - Gimme Love https://youtu.be/3tyQN78tkU4
genre: soft rock (ballad)
cw: flashing stage lights
note: I'm always going to love anything that gives us a backstage peak at what goes into the idol life


donburi - Never let go (audio only) https://youtu.be/CJ_U_5jSyBw
genre: soft rock (ballad)


Kim Chaewon - Dear My Wave https://youtu.be/mGtbaFgscwc
genre: rock
note: yes, good, give me those moments of ocean wave sounds. Oh, but now I'm homesick again.


Snackiing - Bitter Coffee (audio only) https://youtu.be/rwWEhnfbOy8
genre: folk rock


Youngcode - Forget the Night (feat. Tonliz) https://youtu.be/rZ4pqA2x92Q
genre: rock
cw: animated flashing effects
note: video is entirely animated but at least the lyrics are kept legible and timed pretty well?


nnn - Sorry https://youtu.be/sG4SZF4hMQ4
genre: rock
note: It's labelled as a visualizer, but, uh, nothing's visualizing. Which is fine, I guess, just... confusing


Lee Seohwan, Lee Seryeong - A journey with you (audio only) https://youtu.be/wCKBmeOXlpY
genre: folk rock


KickFlip - Knock Knock https://youtu.be/oSozapfclTI
genre: dance pop
cw: camera motion, background flashing
note: I know I'm not the most consistent on camera motion notes, but this one seriously threatened to give me motion sickness with all the jerky pulls in and out. That aside, it's a fun song at least! XD


As One - Still My Baby (feat. Bumkey) https://youtu.be/4aa-1ycSOlY
genre: R&B
note: ok this is an adorable framing device, what the heckin XD


ONF - The Stranger https://youtu.be/xEeROqUidGg
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: couldn't decide if this was a ghost case or an aliens case XD


ARrC - nu kidz https://youtu.be/BKOiJ6Cxoy8
genre: dance pop
cw: lens flares, flashing
note: stunts performed by professionals on closed sets, do not attempt at home! XD


XODIAC - TIME 2 SHINE https://youtu.be/nPoL3GwHrEQ
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares


Choo Seungyoup - Dirt https://youtu.be/4ozoFbGjOfg
genre: folk rock
cw: lens flares
note: oh yes, my acoustic guitar weakness, let me show you it. Trying to decide if he looks more like a Korean John Denver or a Korean John Lennon (it's the glasses)


Baek Yukyung - leave behind (audio only) https://youtu.be/GnzapPtGAFA
genre: folk rock (ballad)


Bennie - Himalayas (audio only) https://youtu.be/Jyqsx7KD1xk
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: just when I was starting to think it was going to be an instrumental only track.... Still think "ballad" is an unhelpful genre term on its own


Conut - Ocean Forest https://youtu.be/VjW4Xpy7xvM
genre: R&B
cw: animation jitter
note: video wins bonus points for having a kitty protagonist


HOONS - Hurry https://youtu.be/oE4rKOAo9nI
genre: R&B


hey look at that, you made it to the end! What were your favorites this week? Any surprises? Let's chat!




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