Midweek New Music Roundup :: March 11th - 18th

[hitokage]

Thursday still counts as midweek, dangnabit. Especially when I ended up having to do most of this review on Wednesday due to Life Stuff. This week was something of a struggle in more ways than one. I've said it before, I'll say it again, but I'm really sick of seeing genslop in these videos (though there's one where the flag isn't for genslop) and I'm about to throw the banhammer at a couple more artists if they won't stop it.

That aside ... despite the length of the listing, this was a fairly short week. Much of the listing was more chore than joy, unfortunately for me. Maybe you'll fair better? It is also very much weighted towards the men in the room, hence the double male banner. That said, they managed to hit most of the big subgenres - EDM, various types of rock, R&B, dance pop, hiphop, even jazz. Browse the listing in which ever way makes the most sense to you or alt-F your way through your favorite genre type~

Banner artist slots this week went to AB6IX and Hoshi (SEVENTEEN), with additional (few) picks marked with green hearts.

Releases for the week of March 11th - 18th:
Woo Yerin - the lost thread *
Baby DONT Cry - Shapeshifter (pre-release) 🔤 *
AtHeart - Butterfly Doors 🔤 *
In A Minute - Broken Doll *
YENA - Catch Catch 🔤 *
V01D - Tug of War *
SKINZ - Poison Ivy * 🚩
YOUNHA - Skybound *
mellow button - The Day the Ending Was Never Said (audio only)
Kinn - PRIVACY
The Worms - Melancholy Noodle Song
Kimseohyeon - 뒷모습 *
Dominico - Running Out (audio only)
P1Harmony - UNIQUE 🔤 * 💚 🚩
M.O.N.T - Keep It Slow
ODD YOUTH - Babyface *
BBB - KK *
Slyme Young - hahaha (feat. ICANTSTAND) (audio only)
Hyun.O - I Wanna Be with You (Always Meet Again OST) *
JUDE - The Prodigal Son *
shaltt - denial (audio only)
Symptomer - The Guest (audio only)
Doyoung (NCT) - What A Love (Boyfriend on Demand OST) * + 💚
Blue Smile - Highlight *
SOLE - Hidden Words (Still Shining OST) *
JUKJAE - Warmth, Where Memory Rests (Phantom Lawyer OST)
INDEGOAID - LIKE THIS *
Cha Noeul - HELLO (feat. HISPLAN) (debut) (audio only)
HOSHI (Seventeen) - Baby, Honey 🔤 * 💚
O.WHEN - Love Spark (Still Shining OST) *
Youngjun - Beautiful days with you (In Your Radiant Season OST) *
S2IT - What I Want (debut) *
CHEONG ROCK - Da Capo (audio only)
Park Ju Eun - Let's Smile Together (feat. Seo Yewon) (audio only)
LEE DUCKKOO - My poor Muse (audio only)
N.TOP - Shining Star (Japanese release) *
Ryu Minhee - Alone Goodbye + *
2NB - Cocktail Love *
peterpan - Luce Me (feat. Sojin, TOVE) * 🚩
Kurani - pit-a-pat
Pearl Haze - SEVEN (audio only)
EDELIAN - DRAMATIC (w/ Geunwoo) * ⚠️ ❌
HYNN - 멈추지마요 (The Practical Guide to Love OST) *
DD! - Meet Me At Forever * ❌
NXMERCY - BURN THE BLUE (debut) 🚩 ❌
AB6IX - BOTTOMS UP 🔤 * 💚
ChoCo1, ChoCo2 - FRENZY *
Jungsuk - Left Unsaid, Never Delivered *
ALL(H)OURS - DEAD MAN WALKING * ⚠️
&TEAM - 桜色Yell (pre-release) 💚
Kang Heesoo - Goodbye, My Deeply Loved One + * ❌
ORIKA - Parasomnia (audio only)
oWHo - Furious Chaeyeon Jeong *
Lim Jisoo - Rise (Climax OST) * ⚠️ 🚩
Dindin, Cho Hyunyoung - ALWAYS YOU *
toyou. - Sunday Morning (audio only)
SUN KIM - Neo Seoul 💚
HAVY - When Memories Find Me *


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: a reminder that one flag (Lim Jisoo's Rise) is not for genslop

Woo Yerin - the lost thread https://youtu.be/5Gbnh_oaIDY
genre: soft rock
cw: lens flares, unsteady cam (mid)
note: interesting choice of setting for sure


Baby DONT Cry - Shapeshifter (pre-release) 🔤 https://youtu.be/ejbFkYmX7kg
genre: dance pop
cw: surrealism, full body fur suits (nondescript creature), flashing
note: CC in 6 tracks, including English. Well, that ... was surreal all right. Pretty sure I'm not the target audience for this group...


AtHeart - Butterfly Doors 🔤 https://youtu.be/ioK78YucIjc
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: CC in English and Korean. The song itself is so sickeningly sweet, the destruction feels a bit ... weird? Something.


In A Minute - Broken Doll https://youtu.be/8_6UqnEjSU0
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares, blood/injury, fireworks/pyrotechnics
note: Surprising use of baby pink. And of course, thanks to the last MV, I keep thinking they're singing "I'll be your door" instead of the actual lyric, "I'll be your doll"


YENA - Catch Catch https://youtu.be/NOiyDlWl534
genre: EDM
cw: surrealism, flashing, supernatural elements (magic/shapeshifting)
note: CC in 6 tracks, including English. Wait, is she a rabbit or a fox? Or just whatever she feels like? Cuz, uh, that's not what bunny tails generally look like? Then again, as long as we're going full Trickster....


V01D - Tug of War https://youtu.be/cjfRLp2GYAU
genre: soft rock (ballad)
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: post-apocalyptic vibes for a sad love song? yeah, sure, why not...


SKINZ - Poison Ivy 🚩 https://youtu.be/l0CY5KkJGvc
genre: dance pop
cw: supernatural elements (magic), flashing
note: I've tried being patient, but this is probably going to be the last time I include them because they keep using genslop for their environments and I'm not okay with that.


YOUNHA - Skybound https://youtu.be/2cH6SbxC4YQ
genre: rock
cw: lens flares
note: continuing on from last week's MVs apparently. Most of the video is her performance, but that's still framed by the ongoing girlhood story


mellow button - The Day the Ending Was Never Said (audio only) https://youtu.be/1hRcmB8OYCQ
genre: neoclassical instrumental
note: and now for something completely different! A bit of rest in your journey, whether taken here or elsewhere.


Kinn - PRIVACY https://youtu.be/3nEKRtxx69g
genre: R&B
note: I tend to go back and forth on whether to include lyric videos and visualizers. This week I'm being a bit more inclusive, so here we are. Only motion is the lyric scrawl and an interestingly placed EQ visualizer.


The Worms - Melancholy Noodle Song https://youtu.be/FhDyiqD7MEQ
genre: folk
note: ... well now I want noodles in black bean sauce.. The temptation to call this polka is almost overwhelming (it's the umpah-umpah).


Kimseohyeon - 뒷모습 https://youtu.be/Kj0E2yTWPns
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares
note: potential hanky warning?


Dominico - Running Out (audio only) https://youtu.be/xjGPqGHpQvw
genre: hiphop
note: from the more lyrical end of the pool. Like I almost reclassed this as R&B....


P1Harmony - UNIQUE 🔤 💚 🚩 https://youtu.be/m18dRRu9-V4
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, supernatural elements (magic), blood/injury
note: CC in 11 tracks, including English. Sorry, blond!Keeho has slain me again. And then there's the wings that, uh, are forcing me to put a potential use of genslop flag on the play. Goddammit.


M.O.N.T - Keep It Slow https://youtu.be/uCfhl1g-Ndw
genre: R&B
note: genre whiplash what? Dark and slow and I'm okay with that.


ODD YOUTH - Babyface https://youtu.be/udxp8JPC0No
genre: dance pop
cw: surrealism, flashing, zombies(??), drinking (social), genre-appropriate violence
note: had to double check and yeah, this song feels very ... odd to give to a group whose eldest member is barely 21 (and likely had NOT had her birthday yet at the time of recording/shooting).


BBB - KK https://youtu.be/5liqPtmCsUk
genre: EDM
cw: animated flashing
note: the visualizer is inoffensive enough, but damn is the song annoying as fuck. If it had been any longer, I would've quit it around the halfway mark, probably


Slyme Young - hahaha (feat. ICANTSTAND) https://youtu.be/7gLGxPADn2k
genre: hiphop
note: cover art might have been shot at whichever theme park has a Hogwarts experience. I only bring it up cuz as an audio-only, the cover art is all that's on the video.


Hyun.O - I Wanna Be with You (Always Meet Again OST) https://youtu.be/PHH6cN68WHQ
genre: R&B (ballad)
cw: lens flares
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. Looks like a very cute BL drama, complete with Dramatic Falling


JUDE - The Prodigal Son https://youtu.be/NJb6A6UOyzg
genre: folk rock
cw: lens flares
note: there's a potential for this to be Christian rock, but there's enough room for plausible deniability for me to let it pass


shaltt - denial (audio only) https://youtu.be/n36v6D0_Dwg
genre: R&B
note: fairly mellow but forgetable


Symptomer - The Guest (audio only) https://youtu.be/rud4h53tyzY
genre: rock
note: I hate the cover art. Might even loathe it. The song is fine, but I had to tab away from that image in order to listen to it. 😅


Doyoung (NCT) - What A Love (Boyfriend on Demand OST) https://youtu.be/xhz8pUx0Jj0
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, hospital/medical, fireworks/pyrotechnics
note: video is roughly half clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. It took me most of the video to realize that the nearly illegible bisexual text in the far left is actually the lyrics, so, uh, that's ... something. In my defense, Doyoung is entirely distracting, especially when he's actually on the screen. Serve well and stay safe, puppy-bunny!


Blue Smile - Highlight https://youtu.be/hee8Y7x18gw
genre: alt rock
cw: lens flares, unsteady (self-)cam
note: oh look, another video shot in Japan giving me homesick feels. How completely ridiculous.


SOLE - Hidden Words (Still Shining OST) https://youtu.be/9RpTm5DJL_g
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, water glare, the vagaries of teenaged romance
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. CC is only in Korean, but auto-translate kicked on ... and then made a mess, so, uh, maybe don't worry about that


JUKJAE - Warmth, Where Memory Rests (Phantom Lawyer OST) https://youtu.be/2Zwr4v1iwQM
genre: folk rock
cw: camera flashes, funeral/MCD, drinking (antisocial)
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers.


INDEGOAID - LIKE THIS ⚠️ https://youtu.be/mL6FKqFr9r4
genre: hiphop
cw: aggressive flashing, video "artifacts"
note: video comes off as a low-budget affair, which makes most of the flashing tolerable, but there's enough of the worse kind to elevate warning


Cha Noeul - HELLO (feat. HISPLAN) (debut) (audio only) https://youtu.be/yGFZ51I6Yts
genre: R&B
note: disagreeing with the uploader, with a side note that the artist sounds like he's, at most, 12. And since this is his first release, I could find nothing to support or refute this.


HOSHI (Seventeen) - Baby, Honey 🔤 💚 https://youtu.be/ScdULYbnjOs
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing graphics, lens flares
note: CC in 17 tracks (hah!), including English. Aish, pink-haired Hoshi is a complete menace. Welcome to Missing Hoshi Hour, complete with flowers.


O.WHEN - Love Spark (Still Shining OST) https://youtu.be/GvN52tq8UYc
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, water glare
note: CC is only in Korean, but auto-translate kicked on, for what that is worth. Video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. All cuteness this time, unlike the previous OST from this drama.


Youngjun - Beautiful days with you (In Your Radiant Season OST) https://youtu.be/cvQ7l1S3M20
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, flashing (camera)
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers.


S2IT - What I Want (debut) https://youtu.be/61MUBevD2KM
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares, unsteady cam, supernatural elements (ouija)
note: In some kind of first, I had to turn up my headphones on this one. Standard girl group safe debut


CHEONG ROCK - Da Capo (audio only) https://youtu.be/BRqP232P9wM
genre: rock
note: ...went in one ear and right out the other, sorry to say (ok, not that sorry)


Park Ju Eun - Let's Smile Together (feat. Seo Yewon) (audio only) https://youtu.be/TfJHuBVYJKg
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
note: not the most notable song, but pretty fur babies on the cover?


LEE DUCKKOO - My poor Muse (audio only) https://youtu.be/lQBDl2hokuk
genre: jazz
note: yet again ignoring the uploader's genre tag (folk?? seriously?????) because jazz piano.


N.TOP - Shining Star (Japanese release) https://youtu.be/cKtvaCOCxpQ
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares, fireworks/pyrotechnics
note: Just what I don't need, more tiny babies. That's some chaotic destruction all right. 😅


Ryu Minhee - Alone Goodbye https://youtu.be/u67mmzkFNTY
genre: R&B
cw: background stobing (mild)
note: tiny hardcoded subs that vanish into the background video a little too easily, sigh.


2NB - Cocktail Love https://youtu.be/K3DP-lvAdlU
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares
note: Flirts with an Afro-Caribbean beat in places, but doesn't fully commit, so the more general R&B it is.


peterpan - Luce Me (feat. Sojin, TOVE) 🚩 https://youtu.be/I0wc-iKxkfE
genre: EDM
cw: flashing, full face mask, mirrorball, color distortion, bare feet
note: is this basically an extended cosmetics commercial with genslop elements? SIGH


Kurani - pit-a-pat https://youtu.be/-9SULq4s-to
genre: alt rock
note: fun and cute and not at all something I would expect to have headbanging in it, but sure, why not


Pearl Haze - SEVEN (audio only) https://youtu.be/CeSkqZEEbbE
genre: pop rock
note: look at me disagreeing on genre tag yet again (is this a record? who knows)


EDELIAN - DRAMATIC (w/ Geunwoo) ⚠️ ❌ https://youtu.be/LA3oIiUjQK0
genre: R&B
cw: aggressive animated flashing, Tarot
note: only made it about halfway thru before I had to nope out from the flashes, sigh, so CWs may be incomplete.


HYNN - 멈추지마요 (The Practical Guide to Love OST) https://youtu.be/_WDhLMNAukc
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, religious imagery (Catholic)
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers.


DD! - Meet Me At Forever ❌ https://youtu.be/sdzhjHgxOEQ
genre: R&B
cw: low-res false color/color shift
note: the effect makes the video feel like they shot it once, then put it on a screen and shot it again from there and it's distracting and hurting my eyes and oh yeah, the lyrics don't stand out all that well, which, my guys, you had one job on this lyric video.... Since I didn't finish it, CWs may be incomplete


NXMERCY - BURN THE BLUE (debut) 🚩 ❌ https://youtu.be/gZt_jJh1vUI
genre: dance pop
cw: GENSLOP
note: oh my fucking gods... another virtual idol group and oh look, genslop for the environments. WHYYYYYYYY Cut and run early, CWs may be incomplete


AB6IX - BOTTOMS UP 🔤 💚 https://youtu.be/pZxrtHizb98
genre: R&B
cw: flashing, lens flares
note: CC in English and Korean. Going to take a bit to get used to them as a four man group, but it kinda feels like that might be the point in this. Shit happens, you gotta just keep rolling and make the most of it.


ChoCo1, ChoCo2 - FRENZY https://youtu.be/37TLe2SSaKk
genre: dance pop
cw: alarms, arson, surrealism, full head masks, surreal violence
note: nothing about this video makes sense


Jungsuk - Left Unsaid, Never Delivered https://youtu.be/4x_kApl7T18
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: drinking (antisocial), intimate partner violence (bidirectional)
note: song produced by DOKO. Potential hanky warning.


ALL(H)OURS - DEAD MAN WALKING ⚠️ https://youtu.be/U3ZsL-IaXFY
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, roaches, shirtless male, full face masks (various), blood/gore, implied killing, supernatural elements (creatures (assort'd), hellfire (implied))
note: that's some unfortunate shirt allergies those boys are suffering from... I need to watch it a few more times, for science. Elevated warning for the gushing guillotine scene


&TEAM - 桜色Yell (pre-release) 💚 https://youtu.be/WBNQDSCaU-s
genre: R&B
note: labelling this as a pre-release, since that seems to be what we're dealing with, given the team's tagging. Live clip, so just pretty boys sitting and singing and being all soft in Japanese. Very spring-like, very pretty


Kang Heesoo - Goodbye, My Deeply Loved One ❌ https://youtu.be/3MaG86tRd3k
genre: soft rock
cw: unsteady cam
note: hardcoded lyrics in the screen-right middle that vanish into the backing video that is ... incredibly unstable, especially for recording a performance by a vocalist who's not really moving, oh my gods, why, they have video stabilizers for a reason! Couldn't finish, the bad camera work was too distracting


ORIKA - Parasomnia (audio only) https://youtu.be/Xs_Oi8pxRlI
genre: EDM
note: hyperpop? Kinda feels like it


oWHo - Furious Chaeyeon Jeong https://youtu.be/pz3mDo6lK3A
genre: hard rock
cw: ripple dissolve, unsteady cam, comic book wipes, bloody clown jump scare
note: I spy, with my little eye, Doraemon. Didn't need the Pennywise-from-hell, but here we are. Sorry not sorry for spoiling that surprise.


Lim Jisoo - Rise (Climax OST) ⚠️ 🚩 https://youtu.be/EL1LKt3zF3Y
genre: R&B
cw: smoking, blood/injury, drinking/drunkenness (social), implied underworld activities, genre-typical violence, implied sexual violence
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers. Elevated warning for high violence, red flag for the implied sexual violence.


Dindin, Cho Hyunyoung - ALWAYS YOU https://youtu.be/rA-Q3Cov1vE
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: flashing
note: soft duet in tight harmony. Sounds like it was directed by Dindin, too, but don't hold me to that.


toyou. - Sunday Morning (audio only)
genre: instrumental jazz
note: turned down my headphones again, but I think this one was just set louder. Bright piano for a cheerful interlude whenever, wherever


SUN KIM - Neo Seoul 💚 https://youtu.be/1EbN-YizNac
genre: instrumental jazz
note: simple performance video for a song as bright as the sun, even with the grey of the daylight outside their space.


HAVY - When Memories Find Me https://youtu.be/5Sq36lRgkOI
genre: adult contemporary (ballad)
cw: lens flares, water glare, grief/mourning
note: viewers choice what happened to their relationship


SURPRISE BONUS!

Charlie Puth - Home (feat. Utada Hikaru) 💚 https://youtu.be/yiii-U7sbyQ
genre: R&B
note: Korean on-screen lyric version, included because Utada was one of my first loves back when I was a wee baby jagu (ok, college age, meaning we were both in our 20s) and without Utada, I never would've gotten into Jpop or flowed from there to Jrock, Visual Kei, and Kpop


And that's the listing for the week! What were your favorites? Any surprises? Let's chat!


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