Another idol group has been tossed into the dustbin of history. This one especially hurts. Happy trails, Nine Muses.

ITZY is the newest girl group on the block, and they bring some eye-opening pedigree to the saturated K-Pop idol market.

Throughout the run of this column, I’ve noted several Korean reality programs like K-Pop Star, Produce 101, and the like that revolve around making people famous. For every contestant that hits the big time—like Kang Daniel, Akdong Musician, and others—there are dozens more that don’t quite have that “it” quality to…

It’s the start of another week. Here’s a soothing indie track to get things started on the right foot.

No K-Pop band has ever had quite a comeback story like NU’EST has.

Sometimes, you need a break from the flashy, whiz-bang, (over)produced pomp and circumstance of mainstream K-Pop. I’ve covered a lot of indies in this column; and yet, I have a feeling no one will complain if I cover one more today.

Every decent-sized agency has a “forgotten” artist: someone under their label that doesn’t quite get the investment that their bigger and more popular labelmates might. SM Entertainment had TRAX and CSJH. YG has iKon. And, perhaps most infamously, JYP Entertainment had Miss A.

When I was sick as a kid, my mom would sometimes brew a pot of piping-hot yuzu tea, into which she would always squeeze in a dab of honey. Runny nose? Sore throat? General listlessness? Honey tea was the all-in-one cure.

I’m In Love was SECRET’s last Korean single before their premature disbandment last year. If they had to end—and in my opinion, they didn’t—I’m glad they went out with this one.

Let’s balance out yesterday’s intensely saccharine, one-dimensional pick with something from the opposite end of the spectrum. Straw’s music video is unsettling, thought-provoking, and defies simple explanation.

When a major agency debuts a new girl group and said group’s first music video is a love letter to video games, that makes my job a little easier.

The early years of Girls’ Generation contain more than their fair share of saccharine B-sides. Even among those, Kissing You stands out as one of their most unabashedly upbeat. Look at those lollipop mics!

Korea, and the world at large, seems to be going through a bit of a retro music boom these days, focusing on the 80s aesthetic with both original and cover releases. Stella Jang’s Beautiful is perhaps one of the best executions of this trend I’ve listened to yet.

Clazziquai Project is one of the leading band names in Korean electronic pop, with over a decade of activity spanning multiple full albums, remixes, and collaborations.

For their latest release, Day6 decided to go retro (yes!!) with hints of Japanese city pop (yes!!!!!).

I really need to start paying better attention to what SM Entertainment is doing with their STATION brand, because I totally slept on this amazing collaboration between John Legend and Red Velvet’s Wendy—for almost three months, it seems.

Do you need some inspiration to get off your lazy butt and do something productive? Here’s the perfect song for the occasion.

We’re in the thick of winter, so it only seems fitting to feature a track that embodies the season like few other songs do.

Younha is back! Snail Mail is only a single, but her fans—myself included—will take whatever we can get.

It’s still the holiday season, right? Right???