Midweek New Music Roundup :: February 26th - March 5th

[hitokage]

The rules say it's still Wednesday until I go to bed, right? 😆 Hey work with me, it's been A Week again, yeah? And the cats are apparently extra determined this week to make sure everything takes 3-5 times as long as necessary. 😜 Why do I let them? Because kitties.

ANYway ... we've once again got a little bit of just about everything in the listing this week. Dance pop? Obviously, including the return of 2PM's Wooyoung and the debut of MAKESTAR's new boy group, NouerA. R&B? Always, with new drops from Wheein of MAMAMOO, Baekhyun (EXO) with Umi, and Onestar with Shin Yongjae. Looking for rock? Billlie brings the dance rock, Mongrim brings the folk rock, and The Redemptions bring the punk. Wanting the freshest hiphop? Check out Sticky Boyz, LISA (BLACKPINK), or Awich's collab with Jay Park, KR$NA, Masiwei and VannDa. Or browse the full listing in whichever way feels best to you, but with over 50 tracks this week, you may need a snack first.

Banner artist slot this week goes to Awich with VannDa and a very good elephant, because elephant (if I could have gotten a clean grab with all of them together, I would have, but in lieu of that, well, elephant). Additional picks go to Lim Youngmin, NouerA, 3Way, IGWI, Hwang Chiyeul, Wheein of MAMAMOO, Seungmin of Stray Kids, and EXO's Baekhyun with Umi. Which is maybe too many picks, but I'm horrible like that (seriously - it's barely into March and my Best of 2025 playlist is already over 60 songs).

Releases for the week of February 26th - March 5th:
Sojin - Close Your Eyes *
Lim Youngmin - On My Way *
OHNEW - Hear the echoes (Hidden Masterpiece Reborn OST) *
Viral Affair - Ghost (Thunderstruck Cop OST) *
NouerA - N.I.N (debut) *
Hoony Keys - A Letter (audio only)
Lenya Rit - A memory like you *
shinhyunjoon,jeoungjinho - When I Hold You In My Arms (2025) (feat/ Kim Junesun) *
6002 - The Beauty of Uncertainty *
3WAY - Mm-hmm *
Billlie - The Savior (Dead Mansion OST) (audio only)
Hwang Chiyeul - Regret *
IGWI - hero *
ONDA - If I back in times (audio only)
Sticky Boyz - 0330 Freestyle *
H7KD - YourAnswer (audio only)
LISA (BLACKPINK) - FUTW (Vixi solo ver) *
Wheein (MAMAMOO) - Butterfly
Juho - Hello and Goodbye
Awich, Jay Park, KR$NA, Masiwei & VannDa - Asian State of Mind
Zamgolbers - First farewell *
Lee Raon - Next to You (Buried Hearts OST) *
Hwang Minho - Mang Na Ni
GOZIP - thank you sun (audio only)
Hiding Day - Stories we shared while lying down *
YOUNG POSSE - Cold (feat. 10cm) *
ROCOBERRY - Forget-me-not
Seungmin (Stray Kids) - My Destiny (The potato lab OST) *
ORIKA - Sayonara Tune (audio only)
Lee Duckkoo - Falling back home (audio only)
Baekhyun, Umi, El Capitxn - Do What You Do +
Youme - Endless Fantasies *
Wooyoung (2PM) - R.O.S.E (Japanese release) *
Jung Hyesun - 흔적을 남기다 (audio only)
Lee Junghyun - My darling star *
GUREUMY - First Time (Riding Life OST) *
Bae Chulsoo - Ieodo Island (Parangdo Island) *
Mongrim - A broken flower has no words *
Nyork - Accompanied *
Woo Yerin - Red Rose *
South Carnival - Upcycle *
g0nny - Oh LOVE! (with fans)*
8TURN - LEGGO *
Onestar - Reason (feat. Shin Yongjae)
Isaac Hong - Steps Towards You *
The Redemptions - Be Numb Freak *
Ugoke !! Poupee Land - REALiZE (audio only)
GALACTIKA*, woobin, Junha - Cloud 9ine
Zenn, Henzi - Caffeine (audio only)
Kang Jihoon - a Missing Language (audio only)
G. Yoon - Shattered (feat. Imelda Lizal & J. None)
Yu arin - Magic key (audio only)


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

The Mea Culpa section is temporarily empty. We'll see how long that lasts....


Sojin - Close Your Eyes https://youtu.be/52-5QY46oXg
genre: adult contemporary
cw: drinking/drunkness, potential hanky warning
note: video is clips from the drama (which I vaguely recognize but not enough to remember what it's called to research it), so may contain spoilers


Lim Youngmin - On My Way https://youtu.be/nBTwz77IsM0
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing effects/transitions, flashing/strobing background lights
note: bet you a (virtual) cookie you can't just sit still through this one!


OHNEW - Hear the echoes (Hidden Masterpiece Reborn OST) https://youtu.be/DHpxcp6KAKY
genre: adult contemporary
cw: drinking
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


Viral Affair - Ghost (Thunderstruck Cop OST) https://youtu.be/XKaY4gqdzEQ
genre: rock
cw: police, referenced previous character death, lightning strike, drinking, violence
note: video is mostly clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. Half the warnings on this feel a bit no duh, but for the sake of completeness? Or something...


NouerA - N.I.N (New is Now) (debut) https://youtu.be/nfI7SX5n03c
genre: dance pop
cw: surrealism, flashing effects (multiple), camera motion
note: here's a mix of softer flashes and then high contrast flashing, so where that falls for you may make this better or worse. This group is the resultant product of survival show MAKEMATE1. We'll see if that works for or against them.


Hoony Keys - A Letter (audio only) https://youtu.be/LRr_sJiKc0U
genre: neoclassical instrumental
note: an early break with solo piano. Maybe come back to this when you need a palette cleanse? XD


Lenya Rit - A memory like you https://youtu.be/MUPI0rMogXE
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing transitions, supernatural elements (angel(ish) character)
note: well someone's been drawn for the male gaze all right


shinhyunjoon,jeoungjinho - When I Hold You In My Arms (2025) (feat/ Kim Junesun) https://youtu.be/e8EI1hNpjDE
genre: rock
cw: explosive fire, fire backdraft, blood/injury, implied character death
note: video is mostly clips from a drama whose title I couldn't even find (and I can only spend so long trying to dig up such things), so something new featuring a bunch of firefighters fighting nasty fire(s).


6002 - The Beauty of Uncertainty https://youtu.be/j0zhAwMMKEk
genre: rock
cw: flashing effects
note: the hard subs don't really ever entirely vanish, but it gets close. Still, an effort was made for a change and we appreciate it.


3WAY - Mm-hmm https://youtu.be/4vAX2vEZ1Io
genre: dance pop
cw: aggressive flashing, glitch effects
note: how many Matrix references can they fit into four minutes? I lost count.... XD Ok and I got distracted by the collars.


Billlie - The Savior (Dead Mansion OST) (audio only) https://youtu.be/IbNeMKLNyIQ
genre: dance rock
note: includes official English translation in CC


Hwang Chiyeul - Regret https://youtu.be/XCp968dCLB4
genre: rock
cw: lens flares, flashing
note: Somehow, I was really not expecting that voice from that face (it's the glasses. Maybe).


IGWI - hero https://youtu.be/1GuG0hJYrrI
genre: rock
cw: flashing, surrealism
note: It's weird and a bit wild and yet so full of joy, it's just what we need about now


ONDA - If I back in times (audio only) https://youtu.be/2RdhlG83DMY
genre: alt rock
note: I'm not sure what the title is supposed to mean, I just go with what I'm given. I know the uploader filed this as hiphop, but it feels more alt rock to me, given the amount of singing, so


Sticky Boyz - 0330 Freestyle https://youtu.be/SUXCwSt8KD8
genre: hiphop
cw: aggressive flashing
note: See, this is why I expect subs to censor the "bad" words even if the audio doesn't


H7KD - YourAnswer (audio only) https://youtu.be/PKlRve2rbQ8
genre: EDM


LISA (BLACKPINK) - FUTW (Vixi solo ver) https://youtu.be/r5VRqWkFpEQ
genre: hiphop
cw: blood/injury, flashing, drug use, f-bombs
note: the full title is FXCK UP THE WORLD, so the f-bombs should probably have been expected?


Wheein (MAMAMOO) - Butterfly https://youtu.be/0f82Gy4bzT8
genre: R&B
note: genre whiplash if you're going straight down, meep. But Wheein's voice is so pretty....


Juho - Hello and Goodbye https://youtu.be/NtTMK531U40
genre: soft rock (ballad)


Awich, Jay Park, KR$NA, Masiwei & VannDa - Asian State of Mind https://youtu.be/zCODla5q-ps
genre: hiphop
cw: aggressive flashing, violence
note: oh that's the good hiphop shit all right. An unexpected collab but I'm here for it.


Zamgolbers - First farewell https://youtu.be/XY-oGMlaQHM
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares, drinking/drunkenness
note: potential hanky warning!


Lee Raon - Next to You (Buried Hearts OST)https://youtu.be/hYesmHxooXE
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, implied nudity (shared bath)
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


Hwang Minho - Mang Na Ni https://youtu.be/n2t2LP73Bug
genre: trot
note: well damn, kid's got some PIPES on him. With a side hurray for a younger singer entering the genre, we're always supportive of that. Hwaiting, Hwang Minho!


GOZIP - thank you sun (audio only) https://youtu.be/Ni-qYcYO4qI
genre: EDM (instrumental)
note: again with me disagreeing on genre from the uploader, but a key component of hiphop is the lyrics -- without that, EDM makes more sense in opinion


Hiding Day - Stories we shared while lying down https://youtu.be/hlDLwqjN-WM
genre: rock
cw: flashing effects
note: the flashing white under/around white text was A Choice all right e_e The text is big enough to mostly compensate for it, but it does mean the timing really could've been better, sigh.


YOUNG POSSE - Cold (feat. 10cm) https://youtu.be/DoL05zBrmec
genre: alt rock
cw: flashing, violence, lens flare, bullying, implied character death
note: oh that was ... that was cold all right, damn. I can't even explain, you'll just have to watch to the end, but ooph. Not good. Call it a short form horror story


ROCOBERRY - Forget-me-not https://youtu.be/fgDEA-TVXOo
genre: soft rock
note: gee, I sure hope no one was supposed to be able to read that opening text 🙄 Or the later text, which is at least narrated. Why does this feel like a variation on a snow fairy story


Seungmin (Stray Kids) - My Destiny (The potato lab OST) https://youtu.be/pWE-wYWtNcU
genre: R&B
cw: blood/injury, ridiculous romcom tropes
note: video is mostly clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. At the very least, it contains clips of a soft puppy singing, so still be careful?


ORIKA - Sayonara Tune (audio only) https://youtu.be/H21Eocbp_-I
genre: EDM
note: sounds a bit like vocaloid, or at least something where the vocal layers have been put through some processes


Lee Duckkoo - Falling back home (audio only) https://youtu.be/qtpN-DXZEz0
genre: folk rock


Baekhyun, Umi, El Capitxn - Do What You Do https://youtu.be/u4x5kB9sm74
genre: R&B
note: lyric video, it says, and then it's a music video with hard subs. I'm not complaining, but I'm amused all right. Also having FEELINGS about all the moon imagery.


Youme - Endless Fantasies https://youtu.be/Jq8SqQ7a1WA
genre: rock (ballad)
cw: lens flares
note: this is giving me flashbacks to 80s hair metal ballads for some reason


Wooyoung (2PM) - R.O.S.E (Japanese release) https://youtu.be/cmPYt8462mw
genre: dance pop
cw: lens flares, implied (partial) nudity, supernatural elements (magic (various)), surrealism
note: Yes, loving this return of elder Kpop idols~ And how aware Wooyoung is that he's lost top seed on his name. 😉 I would die from happy if this meant we got a Wooyoung x Wooyoung dance challenge, though. 😆


Jung Hyesun - 흔적을 남기다 (audio only) https://youtu.be/FW8lhJdMmpQ
genre: folk rock (ballad)


Lee Junghyun - My darling star https://youtu.be/RMzeHtVBaa0
genre: trot (ballad)
cw: animated background flashing
note: some of the animation choices on the lyrics were... choices all right. It doesn't stop the lyrics from being legible, exactly, but it comes close a few times


GUREUMY - First Time (Riding Life OST) https://youtu.be/Pka2WQs14_0
genre: folk rock
cw: lens flares
note: oh man, that "oh shit, I'm going to be late" feeling is so relatable 😅


Bae Chulsoo - Ieodo Island (Parangdo Island) https://youtu.be/Lg-WilzwDWI
genre: rock
cw: animated flashing, surrealism
note: whole video is animated and the story a bit nuts, but in a fun way. I'm just going to ignore the rowing/sailing part of the animation because yeah. 😅


Mongrim - A broken flower has no words https://youtu.be/MMk-YkJvcw4
genre: folk rock
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: this is giving me some weird homesickness vibes for I'm not what reason (I'm weird, that's the reason). I don't know if it's the singer's voice, the acoustic guitar, the water shine...all of the above? Who knows....


Nyork - Accompanied https://youtu.be/Dh2au8JlGa8
genre: R&B
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: I really thought Lee Mujin was a singular sort of vocal sound, but here's someone else who uses a similar color style to his singing.


Woo Yerin - Red Rose https://youtu.be/ujm52OVVjbs
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing


South Carnival - Upcycle https://youtu.be/p73POPhHy4A
genre: rock
cw: ocean plastic waste
note: The use of whale song feels a bit on the nose. Especially when the opening shot featured a plastic bag that at first I thought was a jellyfish (which was also rather on the nose). Could have done better to not promote the falsehood that most ocean waste is from individual consumer end products - most ocean plastic is from fishing boats (nets, tangled lines, usw), but that's not as visually interesting grab after grab after grab.


g0nny - Oh LOVE! (with fans) https://youtu.be/v4O9xf0nJ94
genre: R&B
cw: flashing
note: the flashing happened once, towards the beginning, and then not again, but I don't want to take the warning off entirely, so...


8TURN - LEGGO https://youtu.be/li5H5D3Jd70
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing effects, general hooliganism, camera flashes
note: I kept expecting someone to pop up with some waffles and was sad that they never did. Perfect opportunity WASTED. 😜


Onestar - Reason (feat. Shin Yongjae) https://youtu.be/HJYg94a0nek
genre: R&B
note: another contender from the "who can sing the highest steady note" competition, male division?

Isaac Hong - Steps Towards You https://youtu.be/KT0BqJkP5fk
genre: R&B
cw: water glare, lens flares
note: oh no, note the takes off glasses to go from nerd to hottie trope


The Redemptions - Be Numb Freak https://youtu.be/vTiy16QCKKI
genre: punk rock
cw: lens flares, camera motion
note: there aren't enough harmonica players in rock anymore 😆


Ugoke !! Poupee Land - REALiZE (audio only) https://youtu.be/yP62DHupVsw
genre: rock
note: was trying to look up which Eden the band means and could not find an answer, frumple


GALACTIKA*, woobin, Junha - Cloud 9ine https://youtu.be/47LPx1MkkqI
genre: dance pop


Zenn, Henzi - Caffeine (audio only) https://youtu.be/WO6hWfbG6Jw
genre: hiphop
note: lyrical hiphop is still hiphop


Kang Jihoon - a Missing Language (audio only) https://youtu.be/lEoiGWDdHhI
genre: folk rock
note: another track that feels inexplicably nostalgic. I think I'm getting old. 😅


G. Yoon - Shattered (feat. Imelda Lizal & J. None) https://youtu.be/ki-BlJkaxj4
genre: jazz
note: been awhile since I pulled out the jazz tag, but it feels right


Yu arin - Magic key (audio only) https://youtu.be/o1UNWYllXHk
genre: EDM

Hey look at that, you made it to the end! What did you think? Any favorites? What about surprises (good or bad!)? Let's chat about it!



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