K-Music Week In Review: TVXQ, Samuel, Stray Kids and more!

K-Music Week In Review: TVXQ, Samuel, Stray Kids and more!

0 comments 📅29 March 2018, 13:12

With so many releases happening each week, we have split our weekly review into two articles to make things more convenient. Our Weekly K-music Review posts are here to give you a helping hand and a quick look back at the notable releases from Korean artists in a weekly format. This article looks at releases and comebacks from 26 – 28 March.


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SHINHWA – All Your Dreams (2018)
Released: 26 March

Celebrating their 20th anniversary, legendary old-school K-pop idols SHINHWA have re-released their song All your Dreams which was originally released back in 2000. Although slightly more modern in sound and music video style, the lyrics, music and video are still exactly the same as they were 18 years ago. It’s really exciting to see SHINHWA coming back, and even more so with a remake. We are not disappointed.

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Stray Kids – District 9
Released: 26 March

With the debut of this new boy group being hyped up to no end, producing amazing full-length teaser videos and sound clips, the final outcome of the video was a slight letdown. Although this may just be the beginning of a long concept story, we felt that more could have been done. As for the song, the backing track is a familiar one with many boy groups aiming for that masculine and bad-boy sound. Vocally the group are talented, without a doubt, but it felt like something was missing. Nevertheless, over time this group can grow to be a pretty big thing.

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Monsta X – Jealousy
Released: 26 March

We would be lying if we didn’t say we were looking forward to this release. We have anticipated it for a while and are thankful for the change in music style. Forever changing their ways, once again Monsta X have grown into a new genre and explored the connection between different music styles – from EDM, hip-hop, pop and even some rock thrown in there for some good measure. With the group’s upcoming European tour, we are certain that the performance of this song will send fans into a screaming frenzy.

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Echae Kang – Goodbye
Released: 26 March

Looking at the slightly different side of the Korean music industry, Goodbye by Edae Kang has the reminiscent sound of Enya but also an indie undertone. Using her skills with classical music, violin and piano, mixing them all with some beautiful and powerful vocals, the song is truly unique. Akin to that of a Ghibli soundtrack, the song has a real feeling of spring and happy endings, with a playfulness that connects the listener to their youth. An absolutely stunning song, with great composition and a very cute and fun music video too. Have a listen to this release and be prepared to go on a journey of your youthful imagination.

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Reddy – Thanksgiving (FEAT. Paloalto, Huckleberry P)
Released: 27 March

Representing K-hip-hop, Reddy is a name many have heard of thanks to his collaborations with a lot of rappers from K-idol groups. It’s great that we get to hear his own single, and with the help of Paloalto and Huckleberry P, the song is an instant hit. The song flows smoothly, with rapping vocals creating a different vibe with different tones and speeds. The backing music and video are very simple, which allows the listener to fully concentrate on the lyrics. It’s more serious than many recent rap songs, and as much as it has its own feeling and vibe, the song fits well with the K-hip-hop artist of today.

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GoGang – Midnight Blue
Released: 27 March

Taking the indie scene by storm, GoGang is able to convey such raw emotions through vocals that can send shivers down your spine and make your hair stand on end. The video reminds us of Baz Luhrmann’s movie Romeo + Juliet, both with its use of colour and reference to the fish tank scene in particular. It truly compliments the feelings behind the music. With the use of electric guitars, a smooth piano and a slight drum beat at certain points, the song feels like a rollercoaster of emotions – like meeting your first love. A beautiful song for everyone.

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Naul – Feel Like
Released: 28 March

Naul has always been the king of smooth. With jazzy undertones and a retro vibe, this release has us swooning at our windowsills as the rain falls outside. Smooth, sophisticated, controlled and emotional are just a few words to describe this song. Naul has the most amazing vocals in the K-pop industry, and over time he has been able to solidify a certain genre of music that stays modern yet nods in the direction of retro. Its just nice to hear a different style of music being released when rap, EDM and pop songs are hitting the charts. This new genre of music is what keeps Naul at the forefront of the music industry. An absolutely beautiful song.

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Hoya – All Eyes On Me
Released: 28 March

Since leaving Infinite, Hoya has been on a journey to solidify his position as a solo artist. With his release of All Eyes On Me, we can’t help but think there is something lacking. Vocally he hasn’t changed, and although we know he has skills in his dancing (as you can see in the music video), there is still something missing as a whole. The song lacks any personality, and kind of falls in between the cracks from picking a genre. Visually the video is pretty, and clever camera angles help with the fantastic choreography. This could just be first time jitters, but it isn’t as strong as his previous release Angel.

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TVXQ – The Chance Of Love
Released: 28 March

When we saw that TVXQ was going to be making a comeback, we were extremely excited as they are truly the kings of K-pop. Again we expected a pop song much like their previous work and were ready to accept that. However, in a musical twist, this is not what we were expecting. With a Latin American swing jazz-pop song, Changmin and Yunho show a new side to their musical ability, with defined vocals which once again compliment each other. The choreography is sharp and on point, with the music video perfectly showcasing their comeback with style. The wait was worth it, but we can’t wait to see what else the members have to show us in the future.

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Samuel – One (FEAT. Jung Ilhoon)
Released: 28 March

Anyone who tells you that they didn’t dance along to this song is lying. Samuel has grown both physically and musically to provide an enjoyable and pleasing music video with some amazing visuals and choreography, as well as an extremely catchy and fun song. With a collaborated rap from BTOB’s Jung Ilhoon, the song is an eclectic mix of EDM, dance, rap, and pop. It’s a great combination. A word of warning though, should you listen to the song once, you will need to either listen to it again or risk humming and dancing to the song in your head. Although we are enjoying watching Samuel grow from strength to strength, we really feel he has outdone himself with this release. Absolutely brilliant!

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Once again this week has had some amazing releases, and sadly we couldn’t add them all to the list. So a few special mentions go to Band Baraen with their release of Grave, a melancholic song that features a powerful yet soft collaboration of a rock band with classical music, and beautiful feminine vocals which tell a sad story full of emotion.

Yonyon, Taichi Mukai has released the song Period, which mixes Korean R&B with the indie scene. They are a duo that are completely under-rated and definitely need more love with their mix of Japanese and Korean language. 

Barrett Marshall’s release Stupid (FEAT. Veil) has a dreamy early morning, just woken up, kind of feeling. Soft, light and filled with the chirps of birds, this song has a retro undertone to a modern daydream world.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the first article for this week’s K-music Review and be sure to join us in the future for more K-music Week In reviews.

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