Weekly K-Pop Faves: June 13-19
After last week’s domination by EXO, the K-pop scene remained a bit sleepy this week with only a few songs coming out over the past few days. But that’s fine- our writer’s still were able to pick out a few new releases that all K-pop fans should be aware of.
DIA “On The Road” Released 14 June
DIA’s “My Friend’s Boyfriend” was a seriously underrated gem of last year. Thankfully with help from “Produce 101” and member Chaeyeon, the group gaining traction on the charts. To capitalize on this they released “On The Road.” “On The Road” is reminiscent of GFriend’s cute energetic sound and look. It’s hard to properly criticize DIA for this similarity, given that it’s expected for copies of popular artists and GFriend aren’t even the originators of this sound. What DIA do bring to this sound is a distinct sense of humour in that weird opening to the video. Maybe it’s not supposed to be funny, but it is. I also love the vocal rhythms in the chorus and the rap.
–Joe
Also on KultScene: Podcast Guide For Fans of All Things Korean Pop Culture c
Younha “Get It?” feat. HA:TFELT and Cheetah
If you’re a fan of retro alt-rock and girl power, then here you are. The fierce trio put together this synth pop attack on men who break their hearts. And it’s glorious. This take-no-shit single (and video) is playful in its aggressiveness and sounds like something straight out of the ‘80s. While an atypical sound for Younha, the styles of each of the three artists meld together as they demand mercy- Younha’s sweet tone contrast with the sultrier style of HA:TFELT (Wonder Girls’ Yeeun, who sports amazing purple hair in the video) and Cheetah’s tongue-in-cheek rap. (That said, I’m a huge fan of Younha’s former musical sound so I’m still a tiny bit saddened by the extreme shift.) The allusions to con artists and literary characters are something more K-pop songs definitely need. Hopefully this trio will reunite for similarly-styled songs because this was wonderful.
Also, I want to give a shout out to Bada’s special 20th anniversary release, “Flower” feat. Kanto.
–Tamar
What was your fave K-pop song this week? Share your picks and thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.