Midweek New Music Roundup :: February 4th - 11th

[hitokage]

What's this, a post actually appearing on Wednesday? Just barely in my time zone, but it counts. Go me. ww This week was brutal, both in terms of me struggling to get things done and in terms of me kicking things off the list. And still I kept some genslop flags. And restrained myself from going on yet another rant about the kids today continually copying ATEEZ like there's no original ideas left. I'm a tired jagu-pirate, guys, no wonder San/BBT put biting right into their choreo....

Stupid drama aside, while it's a relatively short list this week, we still manage a range of releases, from rock to pop to hiphop to EDM and more. There's a couple Japanese releases, some OSTs, the solo debut of Golden Child's Lee Daeyeol, plus some soft "goodbye for now"s for Monsta X's I.M and KANGDANIEL - may they both have a safe service! Whether you choose to go straight down the list or pick and choose, there's likely to be something of interest for all your Kpop needs this week.

Banner artist slots this week went to Mingi of ATEEZ (because of course) and Ten Lee (NCT) from his collab with Blue Pongtiwat. As per usual, you can find my other favorites of the week marked with a 💚!


Releases for the week of February 4th - 11th:
toyou. - Nowhere Clear (audio only)
hayawn - You & me (feat. Aden)
SKINZ - WHY U MAD 🔤 * 🚩 ❌
ZICO, Crush - Yin and Yang (FANXY CHILD ver) (feat. DEAN, PENOMECO) 🔤 * + ⚠️ ❌
Mozzy - Unheard 🌟
SUHO (EXO) - Butterflies in my heart (I am SOLO OST) 💚
THE SSYNDROME - Good Boy 🔤 *
Kwon Jinah - Late Night Talks (Terror Man OST) * +
MONSTA X - growing pains 🔤 * 💚
Woo Soohyeon - note to
PAXe - I should've done something hip (audio only)
Triceratops - No One Sleeps in Peace
KIRI - r 3 a l (feat. youngji) * ⚠️ 🚩
ZIDA-B - Be my music (feat. V.et) (audio only)
ATEEZ - Adrenaline 🔤 * ⚠️ 💚
Yang Heena - First love (audio only)
kenessi - Up all Night (audio only) 💚
WENDY (Red Velvet) - My Everything (No Tail to Tell OST) *
JOBEOMJIN - Life Is + * 💚
Kassy - Back to you again (Undercover Miss Hong OST) *
Symptomer - Fading Light (audio only)
NAYUBI - Hundredtimes (audio only)
Song I Han - The Miracle of Us (feat. Jeon Sang Keun) 💚
RIIZE - All of You (Japanese pre-release) * 💚
MADEIN - Super Obvious 🔤 *
Kim Heungguk - Life goes on in circles * ❌
Soo - Bloom (feat. Ahreum) (audio only)
Kang Yeyoung - My Only Note
Kim Jinhwan JAY (iKON) - Pull You In (Haunted Blade : Hunters OST)
Ellap - After 230 (audio only)
Yang Yoseop (HIGHLIGHT) - Fade Away *
Chungha - Save me * ⚠️ 🚩 💚
IVE - BANG BANG 🔤 * 🚩
KANGDANIEL - Stay *
Kang Dayoon - About3 (audio only)
TOM - Memories (audio only) 🚩
LEE DAEYEOL (Golden Child) - Where Stars Grow * 💚
Onestar - Our Memories Under the Stars +
Zambales Beast, Jakarta Freedom, Bangkok Soul Man - Alone (audio only)
Blue Pongtiwat - You Give Me Butterflies (feat. TEN (NCT)) 🔤 * 💚
toyou. - Aurora (audio only)
Chan Heo - Memories of us (audio only)
idntt - All I Need * 💚
LIT - Wanna know
Kim Yeji - Under Me (Honour OST) * ⚠️
nemori - Yohaku (Japanese release) (audio only)
Neidi - I/o * ❌


The Mea Culpa Section
remains empty for another week! go team!

key:
* content warning
+ includes “disappearing” hard subs
🔤 includes CC in English
⚠️ elevated content warning
🔞 age-restricted by YouTube
🚩 other warning
❌ did not complete
🌟 special note
💚 picks of the week

note: other than putting the two toyou. tracks together, this listing follows the same as above.

toyou. - Nowhere Clear (audio only) https://youtu.be/Udb48OucgoU
genre: R&B (instrumental)
note: starting the week with a lo-fi number, so I had to turn my headphones back down to counter the crackle, but of course, as always, ymmv.

toyou. - Aurora (audio only) https://youtu.be/vz9TXr2W6Fw
genre: R&B (instrumental)
note: another case of needing to turn my audio way down to keep from being overwhelmed by the lofi crackle.


hayawn - You & me (feat. Aden) https://youtu.be/-62-ZHq3Ys0
genre: R&B
note: a lyric video where the only movement is the lyrics, provided in both English and Korean


SKINZ - WHY U MAD 🔤 🚩 ❌ https://youtu.be/4arlM3zyWyA
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, camera motion
note: CC in Korean and English. Reminder that SKINZ are a virtual idol group - animated avatars for real human talents. Annoyingly, I am almost positive someone used genslop for the some of the backgrounds (the machines can't resist over-detailing) and now I'm mad cuz seriously, you're gonna pile on thievery after thievery right now? What a waste


ZICO, Crush - Yin and Yang (FANXY CHILD ver) (feat. DEAN, PENOMECO) ⚠️ ❌ https://youtu.be/oyXx7MDqZ-Q
genre: hiphop
cw: aggressive flashing
note: CC in English. The kaleidoscope flashing took me out, which sucks cuz I have a soft spot for all four of these men's music, but I had to nope out pretty quick, so content warnings may be incomplete


Mozzy - Unheard 🌟 https://youtu.be/qbMcSPmeLEc
genre: R&B
cw: clip cycling
note: ... plz do not tell me this whole 3min video is going to be the same 15 seconds looped again and again, dear christ chex... it is, isn't it? How disappointing. Look up an alternate version if you just want to listen to the song, cuz this "visualizer" is too annoying for words.


SUHO (EXO) - Butterflies in my heart (I am SOLO OST) 💚 https://youtu.be/5TsjmyIwHy8
genre: soft rock
cw: Suho's stupidly pretty face WITH GLASSES
note: video is half clips from the dating program, so take that as you will. The other half is, of course, Suho in a studio, WITH GLASSES, and it's horrible how precious he is.


THE SSYNDROME - Good Boy 🔤 https://youtu.be/6QmFwtS_oNU
genre: hard rock
cw: aggressive stark flashing, blood/injury, camera motion
note: CC in English. The gradual transition from the clean opening B&W to the final full-color grunge was so satisfying


Kwon Jinah - Late Night Talks (Terror Man OST) https://youtu.be/tA7pzCjfVfQ
genre: R&B (ballad)
cw: lens flares, animated flashing
note: lyrics hard coded, but tend to vanish into the animated segments. On the other hand, the song's entirely in English, so you may not care. 😜


MONSTA X - growing pains 🔤 💚 https://youtu.be/tUHmmMqV7pI
genre: pop-rock
cw: flashing, unsteady self-cam
note: CC in 6 tracks, including English. Ugh, this being the last we get of I.M until the end of his service is... I'm not crying, you're crying! 😭😭😭😭


Woo Soohyeon - note to https://youtu.be/VGn9ISN1vHw
genre: folk rock
note: shot extra wide, so may be best viewed on a larger-than-phone screen. Potential hanky warning for so much nostalgia packed into almost five minutes of video.


PAXe - I should've done something hip (audio only) https://youtu.be/1mH1Tqy-gyo
genre: jazz
note: experimental modern jazz


Triceratops - No One Sleeps in Peace https://youtu.be/74KGU41EITI
genre: rock
cw: men in ski masks
note: alt rock, punk rock, noise rock? idk, you decide - I only made it thru due to being highly distracted by yarn


KIRI - r 3 a l (feat. youngji) ⚠️ 🚩 https://youtu.be/_jI1AvF7r_Y
genre: dance pop
cw: aggressive flashing, suspected genslop
note: there's some serious unreality in here ... which, okay, yeah, that fits the lyrics, but also ... sigh. Maybe it's just the style, but...


ZIDA-B - Be my music (feat. V.et) (audio only) https://youtu.be/yapgQVAVGP4
genre: lyrical hiphop
note: it's an edge case, but we live by edge cases.


ATEEZ - Adrenaline 🔤 ⚠️ 💚 https://youtu.be/vqkfEUqjl6Y
genre: EDM
cw: aggressive flashing lights, canon-typical violence, Hongjoong's eyepatch, Seonghwa in glasses, the Yeosang Effect, the Mingi Effect, shirtless Wooyoung
note: CC in 10 tracks. At this point, I have to restrain myself from warning for each member's special ability, but the eyewear and the deep voices feel especially noteworthy? Plus, you know, Mingi's hips during dance breaks. Inkigayo remains my favorite staging for both this and NASA (seriously, do a YT search - Inkigayo ATEEZ - and enjoy the excellent if flashy stages). And then there's the remix version Hongjoong made: Adrenaline (NO1 ver) (cw: aggressive flashing), featuring CGI done by a human creator (it's not stupidly high-detailed and the lines connect in sensible ways)


Yang Heena - First love (audio only) https://youtu.be/hB1-4fZNctg
genre: trot (ballad)
note: potential hanky warning, but I'm putting it down here rather than as a CW so it doesn't feel lonely/silly all by itself


kenessi - Up all Night (audio only) 💚 https://youtu.be/z9iykhHnvi8
genre: R&B
note: some classic KRnB vibes and we're all in on it


WENDY (Red Velvet) - My Everything (No ail to Tell OST) https://youtu.be/Cj1DkOrjLDg
genre: adult contemporary
cw: lens flares, garden hose shenanigans, arson, hospital
note: video is primarily clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers.


JOBEOMJIN - Life Is 💚 https://youtu.be/WP-TDVP9boc
genre: folk rock
cw: background lens flares
note: between placement, color, and font, the hard subs are frequently quite useless. Otherwise very slice of life, with bonus acoustic guitar.


Kassy - Back to you again (Undercover Miss Hong OST) https://youtu.be/q88d9hGQ-g4
genre: adult contemporary
cw: lens flares
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. Someone sure is nosy....


Symptomer - Fading Light (audio only) https://youtu.be/a14lxzee-Mc
genre: rock
note: maybe even prog rock if one wanted to go that far...but electronica feels like a mismatch, so ignore the uploader's tag 😜


NAYUBI - Hundredtimes (audio only) https://youtu.be/KXYbw45sw8E
genre: dance pop
note: fairly bog standard girl group dance pop


Song I Han - The Miracle of Us (feat. Jeon Sang Keun) 💚 https://youtu.be/ZHkMOkD7bZU
genre: R&B
cw: flashing, unsteady cam, lens flares
note: ok, this may be some tooth-rotting sweetness of a father and son video, proceed at your own risk!


RIIZE - All of You (Japanese pre-release) 💚 https://youtu.be/jSXGQzpHkDc
genre: pop-rock
cw: Wonbin's stupidly pretty face
note: the only animation is the added snow effects... which doesn't stop them from being pretty boys.


MADEIN - Super Obvious 🔤 https://youtu.be/yE6yETkVI3Q
genre: dance pop
cw: lens flares, flashing, implied arson
note: CC in English and Japanese.


Kim Heungguk - Life goes on in circles ❌ https://youtu.be/5--XOW3cZ4I
genre: trot
cw: flashing (dark) artifacts
note: I put in an honest effort, but this combination of effects was making me sick, so... nope


Soo - Bloom (feat. Ahreum) (audio only) https://youtu.be/ST3fSzb8rIY
genre: R&B
note: another instance of me disagreeing with the uploader on genre 😅


Kang Yeyoung - My Only Note https://youtu.be/RxDlTzFofC4
genre: folk rock
note: simple guitar and vocals


Kim Jinhwan JAY (iKON) - Pull You In (Haunted Blade : Hunters OST) https://youtu.be/m_G1FqEJUro
genre: R&B
cw: unsteady cam, supernatural elements (ghost haunting, magic), flashing, implied nudity
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. I might have to see if I can find this silly thing.


Ellap - After 230 (audio only) https://youtu.be/hHu9kqxl1Ns
genre: R&B
note: smooth groove, danceable beat, I could almost picture a fun choreo for this


Yang Yoseop (HIGHLIGHT) - Fade Away https://youtu.be/pys0iujXJjQ
genre: R&B (ballad)
cw: lens flares, flashing "artifact" effects
note: I suppose some of those artifacts could be real if they really did do any shooting on celluloid...


Chungha - Save me ⚠️ 🚩 💚 https://youtu.be/JTFuuQg5Mhs
genre: R&B
cw: aggressive flashing, lens flares, supernatural elements (magic, supernatural beings), camera motion
note: can't rule out that some of this is genslop rather an human-made CGI and I hate that (it's the animals that tipped me off, sigh)


IVE - BANG BANG 🔤 🚩 https://youtu.be/9qkpcLK422o
genre: EDM
cw: surrealism, flashing, lens flares
note: CC in 6 tracks, including English. Cowboy meets EDM. But if big companies could STOP flirting with genslop, that would be excellent.


KANGDANIEL - Stay https://youtu.be/17ko9qZCxhA
genre: R&B
cw: flashing stage lights, pyrotechnics
note: a sweet "goodbye for now" present, shot in wide aspect.


Kang Dayoon - About3 (audio only) https://youtu.be/696AwjnwxsY
genre: R&B
note: another smooth groove, nice and relaxing


TOM - Memories (audio only) 🚩 https://youtu.be/tG6P_ORBAqQ
genre: rock
note: ... can I just ... pretend I didn't look at the cover art long enough to notice the playground equipment doesn't all make sense? Fucking hell...


LEE DAEYEOL (Golden Child) - Where Stars Grow (solo debut) 💚 https://youtu.be/wTeVeqqz1kI
genre: adult contemporary
cw: lens flares (soft), background flashing (CRT), surrealism (mild)
note: marking this as solo debut since this appears to be his first solo release, and a lovely first offering it is, too


Onestar - Our Memories Under the Stars https://youtu.be/8dUD8nSqIlM
genre: adult contemporary
note: feels a little odd to call them subs when they're in the middle of the screen... at least they don't vanish into the background of the video as much as they would if they'd been stuck at the usual place?


Zambales Beast, Jakarta Freedom, Bangkok Soul Man - Alone (audio only) https://youtu.be/Rb-Cl0J0KHE
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: not really what I was expecting from those stage names....


Blue Pongtiwat - You Give Me Butterflies (feat. TEN (NCT)) 🔤 💚 https://youtu.be/GBVlOJup4Ec
genre: dance pop
cw: supernatural elements (magic)
note: CC in 8 tracks, including English. What's this, Thai pop in the Kpop roundup? Blue gets a pass through due to this being a collab with NCT's Ten. We love hearing Ten sing in Thai. 🥰 And all right, I was surprised to see Blue doing music


Chan Heo - Memories of us (audio only) https://youtu.be/BuY2ercrpu4
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: very simple, vocals and piano


idntt - All I Need https://youtu.be/PwJJ-1PtJIE
genre: dance pop
cw: unsteady cam, flashing
note: another entry in the Why Are Boys collection. This is the sort of positive "boys being boys" we need more of


LIT - Wanna know https://youtu.be/TMAhl0GMgLY
genre: R&B
note: only motion is the bar EQ under the cover art


Kim Yeji - Under Me (Honour OST) ⚠️ https://youtu.be/W5Eqdw4H_vk
genre: rock
cw: character death/implied suicide, drugged character (non-con), hospital/medical, blood/injury
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. Elevated warning for the plot elements


nemori - Yohaku (Japanese release) (audio only) https://youtu.be/W5Eqdw4H_vk
genre: rock
note: sparse instrumental, feels almost singer/songwriter?


Neidi - I/o ❌ https://youtu.be/u5hkp-k0Sgs
genre: EDM
cw: aggressive flashing, smoking
note: I hate to end on a sour note, but the flashing was so bad so early that I had to nope out within seconds of the title, so CWs may be incomplete, proceed at your own risk


And that's all she wrote! What were your favorites of the week? Any surprises? Let's chat!



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