[delayed] Midweek New Music Roundup :: September 4th - 11th

[hitokage]

Obviously this post is quite a bit delayed, but I didn't want to just give up like last week and make my own life harder by making the catch up that much worse, so here we are. I did still restrain myself to just the listing as it would have been had I actually been on schedule this week, so there's that? The list for the past week is back to the more normal length, too, and heavily weighted towards rock bands somehow. Between ONEWE, LUCY, Xdinary Heroes, Up Star, EXO's Chanyeol, and so, so many more, there's a wide spread of rock songs this week. And no shortage of dance pop either, between the debut of MEOVV, comebacks from NCT Wish and BOYNEXTDOOR, and EXO's Baekhyun's first comeback on his new sub label. Plus a Kpopera offering from Son Taejin, new hip hop from AQUINAS, and of course the anticipated collab between Megan Thee Stallion and BTS's RM. Whatever your tastes, there's likely something for everyone.

Banner artist slot this week went to xikers, with additional nods going to Nerd Connection, AQUINAS, Xdinary Heroes, and MEOVV, though it really was tough to choose. What are your favorites this week? Anyone surprise you? Let's chat about it!


Releases for the week of September 4th - 11th:
Lee Solomon - A fine day *
ISHA - Illusion *
ONEWE - OFF ROAD *
LUCY - Complex *
Lee Mujin x SOLE - She Is (My Lovely Sam Soon 2024 OST) *
YERIN - Wavy *
J-TONG - Sorry *
GEMINI - Miles Away (feat. GIRIBOY, KWACA) *
KINO (Pentagon) - Dancing On The Road *
So Soobin - Let's Love
RIIZE - Lucky (Good Luck Trolls ver) *
L5ST - Only One (debut) *
Hion - Star
Mar Vista - Start Me Up (feat. Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens)) *
Chanyeol (EXO) - Back Again *
Nerd Connection - Freddy *
Choi Ingyeong - silly
Nerd Connection - Psychiatric Hospital *
Kim Youngdae - Unrequited Love (Perfect Family OST) *
Nerd Connection - Playing Shadow *
Libiovi - Subway Smile (audio only)
To The Door - Let's Go (audio only)
Tzuyu (Twice) - Run Away *
xikers - WITCH *
Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM (BTS)) *
AQUINAS - It Doesn't Matter (Remix ver) *
LeeSoRa - October Lover (feat. Roy Kim)
Baekhyun (EXO) - Pineapple Slice *
MEOVV - Meow (debut) *
Samuel Soo - Sandwich (feat. Jeongin)
Standing Egg - forest
DANGGISIO - Save Me (audio only)
BOYNEXTDOOR - Nice Guy *
Son Taejin - White Night
Xdinary Heroes - INSTEAD! (feat YB Yoon Dohyun)
NCT Wish - Dunk Shot *
Anngyeunjaebee - nice guy syndrome *
Naevis - Done (debut) *
Kim Jaehwan - Falling into you (No Gain No Love OST) *
KCM - 伝えたくて *
KCM - 今も愛してる人がいるんだ *
Up Star - White dwarf (feat. Vincent (Crack shot)) *

* content warning applies - see specific entry below for details

++ I had to kind of just guess where I thought I remembered the cut off was by the time I got to finishing my review, as I continually add new MVs to the proofing playlist, so releases from the last couple of days were already piling up at the bottom of the list. If I guessed wrong, well, the list will pick up where I left off on next Wednesday.++


Lee Solomon - A fine day https://youtu.be/dGOHfDAJptg
genre: soft rock
cw: drinking
note: it's a questionable friend that lets you get that stinking drunk, but it's a good friend that makes sure you actually survive your stupid drinking choices


ISHA - Illusion https://youtu.be/0f5ncH1uQ8U
genre: soft rock
cw: horror movie plot, smoking
note: I can't be any more specific with the warnings than that without giving it away, so....


ONEWE - OFF ROAD https://youtu.be/kQnFUpLEYFM
genre: rock
cw: flashing/strobing lights
note: still in love with the black keytar. And that guitar solo is chef's kiss


LUCY - Complex https://youtu.be/DhIos84QHHk
genre: rock
cw: animated flashing
note: the whole video is animated. Lyrics speak to dysphoria and low self-esteem around physical looks, so take care.


Lee Mujin x SOLE - She Is (My Lovely Sam Soon 2024 OST) https://youtu.be/C0XTWm6-PL0
genre: R&B
cw: implied love triangle, blood/injury
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


YERIN - Wavy https://youtu.be/oS056kLdx6Q
genre: dance pop
cw: supernatural elements (magic), flashing
note: magic shop AU anyone? XD


J-TONG - Sorry https://youtu.be/8n-lkZlbYPs
genre: soft rock
cw: aggressive flashing
note: the more aggressive the flashing gets, the more potentially unsettling the dancing


GEMINI - Miles Away (feat. GIRIBOY, KWACA) https://youtu.be/Ic5aGv-_Gi0
genre: R&B
cw: flashing
note: featuring artists are Sirs Not Appearing In This MV XD


KINO (Pentagon) - Dancing On The Road https://youtu.be/lDP4efAlHoI
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, pyrotechnics
note: features supervised stunts done by experts, do not try at home XD


So Soobin - Let's Love https://youtu.be/Bj4nGSi8r0c
genre: R&B
note: finally something in the listing that doesn't require a content warning, just a soft and sweet song with a soft and low-key video


RIIZE - Lucky (Good Luck Trolls ver) https://youtu.be/LkMB9RcE6Ww
genre: dance pop
cw: animated flashing, trollification
note: the members have been troll-ified and I'm... not sure how to feel about it XD Disturbed. I am disturbed by this. The things I watch for y'all (okay, it's RIIZE, I would've watched it anyway...though maybe not all the way to the end)


L5ST - Only One (debut) https://youtu.be/ORRJcIhLxQU
genre: dance rock
cw: flashing
note: New boy group alert! The first five members have all debuted previously while very little has been released so far about the two newest members (who were literally added to the group in just the last couple of weeks).


Hion - Star https://youtu.be/VftXFZEy2CY
genre: R&B
note: includes mostly unreadable hardcoded Korean subs, le sigh.


Mar Vista - Start Me Up (feat. Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens)) https://youtu.be/nauS1nOk8Tg
genre: EDM
cw: animated flashing
note: whole video is animated in a low-pixel fake-retro style.


Chanyeol (EXO) - Back Again https://youtu.be/bZLpoXVV4X4
genre: pop-rock
cw: flashing, blood/injury, superhero elements
note: Loey what did you do?? XD I keep thinking if I watch it again, I'll figure it out, but so far no dice. Pissed off a bunch of guys, clearly, but other than that.... XD


Nerd Connection - Freddy https://youtu.be/-u2DDjZH31A
genre: rock
cw: literally unsafe working, lens flares
note: horrible mop technique, questionable on the window washing, not how you're supposed to move the cart, and don't get me started on how many times I got scolded for both ear buds in at the same time. XD


Choi Ingyeong - silly https://youtu.be/3OAbflpSSPw
genre: R&B
note: just a quiet video about doing laundry


Nerd Connection - Psychiatric Hospital https://youtu.be/3eFh2SBM67M
genre: rock
cw: mental health topics, warm stage spots pointed at the camera
note: with that song title, the content warning feels a little well yeah, but still. Connected to previously linked "Freddy" by the post-credits scene


Kim Youngdae - Unrequited Love (Perfect Family OST) https://youtu.be/Kc836y90WY8
genre: R&B
cw: blood/injury, violence, implied character death
note: video is entirely clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


Nerd Connection - Playing Shadow https://youtu.be/Eks3nPP9VAU
genre: rock
cw: cold stage spots pointed at the camera
note: oh that wah-wah guitar....


Libiovi - Subway Smile (audio only) https://youtu.be/XeK4-wN-2jo
genre: R&B


To The Door - Let's Go (audio only) https://youtu.be/unvsVN5WkBU
genre: folk rock
note: modified the source genre tag to negate any confusion between folk rock and folk/traditional music, since English does like to use the same word for both. :p


Tzuyu (Twice) - Run Away https://youtu.be/IIrCrGAX03Y
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, lens flares, supernatural elements (magic)


xikers - WITCH https://youtu.be/Se6lN0a4-28
genre: dance pop
cw: aggressive flashing, supernatural elements (magic, spirit fire), creepy kids aesthetic
note: an excellent spoopy season release from Kpop's resident dokkaebi team. I do enjoy a sneaky word play, too, so of course this one hooked me.


Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM (BTS)) https://youtu.be/TpYTyAaTRts
genre: hip hop
cw: flashing, animated flashing
note: Is it Kpop? Well no, of course not, but RM gets it a collab pass through. Video is half animation, which is how RM appears (presumably his track was laid ages ago).


AQUINAS - It Doesn't Matter (Remix ver) https://youtu.be/_z6MLaaYE_4
genre: hip hop
cw: aggressive flashing, full face masks, camera jitter
note: there were points where the flashing and jitter combined made this one almost hard to watch, so if you're feeling especially sensitive to light, take care.


LeeSoRa - October Lover (feat. Roy Kim) https://youtu.be/N1tFaa3XTFs
genre: soft rock
note: video is a series of still images, mostly focused on the sky and nature, though some city shots sneak in here and there. Among my personal favorites are the ocean shots, even if they make me feel a little homesick.


Baekhyun (EXO) - Pineapple Slice https://youtu.be/begBX38vbjI
genre: dance pop
cw: supernatural elements (non-traditional vampirism, magic), lens flares, flashing
note: I'm such a hopeless slut for men dancing in water, especially in heels.


MEOVV - Meow (debut) https://youtu.be/jpLHg-AsQV0
genre: dance pop
cw: camera flashing, dancers in full fur suits (sasquatches?)
note: I know it's absolutely an accidental coincidence, but the fact that this came out in this moment about talking about eating cats..... XD


Samuel Soo - Sandwich (feat. Jeongin) https://youtu.be/Tn2dqg4b_vk
genre: R&B
cw: animated jitter, smoking, surrealism
note: oh this video was completely not my cup of tea


Standing Egg - forest https://youtu.be/DXFzenMLB-k
genre: soft rock
note: includes at times difficult-to-impossible to read hardcoded subs, sigh, but at least they took the time to offer an English translation for international fans? The environment we're strolling through is almost as soothing as the song.


DANGGISIO - Save Me (audio only) https://youtu.be/qGiTTsw21CE
genre: metal
note: I would almost call this hair metal, but that seems a bit... something, so we'll just go with the top level genre type


BOYNEXTDOOR - Nice Guy https://youtu.be/HJlc_tFkB3M
genre: dance pop
cw: flashing, camera cuts
note: Puppy alert! This could so easily have gone into the toxic Nice Guy trope, I'm so happy it's too dorky for that. Also, puppies. And wanton destruction. Not to be confused with wonton destruction, though I trust they could do that, too. XD


Son Taejin - White Night https://youtu.be/-zJM5odtSeQ
genre: kpopera
note: I was going to label this jazz, especially with that piano opening, but that vocal style is all opera.


Xdinary Heroes - INSTEAD! (feat YB Yoon Dohyun) https://youtu.be/ZCXkOGH6azI
genre: metal
cw: aggressive flashing, animated violence
note: oh...oh my... oh yes ... though the flashing does get super bad at times, so be mindful


NCT Wish - Dunk Shot https://youtu.be/4vgac97VlCE
genre: dance pop
cw: lens flares
note: [insert sportsball comment here] XD


Anngyeunjaebee - nice guy syndrome https://youtu.be/t5O9Ai8D8wA
genre: R&B
cw: drinking, fuzzy filter. flashing club lights
note: Oh look, the Nice Guy trope trap ... but my Korean isn't anywhere near enough to tell me which way the trap closes on this one. Though if I had to guess based just on the visuals of the MV, probably to the toxic side.


Naevis - Done (debut) https://youtu.be/2ZdVzQRkS4c
genre: pop
cw: flashing effects
note: for those not familiar with aespa ... naevis is connected to them, a virtual idol (meaning a real artist behind a CGI avatar) that's part of their virtual lore world. Some MY are even speculating that naevis's voice is a combination of the girls, but so far that's just speculation.


Kim Jaehwan - Falling into you (No Gain No Love OST) https://youtu.be/7H9bMZvGTAM
genre: R&B
cw: smoking, lens flare, violence, blood/injury, flashing lights
note: video is clips from the drama, so may contain spoilers


KCM - 伝えたくて https://youtu.be/BPMwAJfTcdY
genre: pop ballad
cw: flashing, lens flare , implied MCD
note: I feel like I've seen this video before (vids stick in my memory more than songs), but considering I'm way late with posting this already, I'm out of time to research it.


KCM - 今も愛してる人がいるんだ https://youtu.be/76CLtTnnYX4
genre: R&B
cw: lens flares


Up Star - White dwarf (feat. Vincent (Crack shot)) https://youtu.be/FIrakb8_Tio
genre: rock
cw: flashing, camera jitter, video "artifacts"
note: headless guitars always feel weird to me, but hey, whatever works for the artist.



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