There doesn’t seem to be as many songs released for the first part of this week. But don’t worry, there has been some great releases, from mellow and chill songs, great vocals and a few classic summertime tunes all thrown in for good measure.

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 31 May – 3 June 2018.

Leo (VIXX) – Dream
Released: 31 May

Leo is well known for having an amazing set of pipes when it comes to singing, having starred on countless musicals and being one of the lead singers of the boy group VIXX. It was only a matter of time before Leo released his own solo song. Although it starts off slow, the beat comes in and gradually picks up speed from a slow ballad to an orchestral pop song. Vocally, there are some moments where you can hear Leo is straining his voice, but it actually fits with the vibe of the song. Glad to see that Leo finally has some courage to release his own solo work and it would be great to see him grow with his vocal skills to even bigger and better songs in the future.

WJMK – Strong
Released: 1 June

With summer knocking on our doors, it’s also that time of the year when girl groups debut their high pop, bright colours, and fun songs. WJMK are no different. Packed full of great looking girls, ultra-bright colours, an excessively catchy song and easy to follow choreography, this release is certain to be a hit for summer 2018. Vocally there is a great overall range to the girls’ voices, from your average pop singing to the rapping and controlled strengths to each of them. Certainl, one of those songs to brighten up your day.

Vino – Yellow Light (FEAT. PDAY)
Released: 1 June

If you like the cafe culture styled music, filled with great acoustic backing music and strong vocals that seem like spoken words telling a story, then you will love this release by Vino. Yellow Song has calm, daydream settings that would go perfectly as a backing song as you read a book and drink that black coffee, just like in the K-dramas. Mixing strong vocals and rapping together to create a modern uplifting and soulful song, it’s definitely one to hit the play button to and perfect for the month of June. It does feel that Vino is the more artistic performer, so we would love to see a music video for this release.

Bella, Hyeseong (Elris) – Single Heart
Released: 2 June

If anyone has been watching the K-drama Rich Man, Poor Woman which features EXO’s Suho, then you will instantly recognise this single release as one of the key songs that gets all different types of emotions flowing. Upbeat, fun, and a perfect summertime song for cheering yourself up, this features the vocals of Bella and Hyeseong from the girl group Elris. Vocally the tone is high-pitched and slightly squeaky in places, but it certainly radiates a story of love, which is exactly what the song’s lyrics are about.

Babylon – Memories
Released: 2 June

Keeping with the theme of K-drama soundtracks, but taking things to a more serious tone, Babylon has released a single for the drama Lawless Lawyer, which features a music video that shows different scenes of love, loss and trauma of the main characters. Vocally Babylon never fails to enthral us, his skills when singing allows him to woo the listener into wanting to hear even more from him. Controlled and calm with a slightly retro vibe, the song is an instant hit and we can’t wait to see what else he has to offer in the future.

Maktub – Honey Night (FEAT. Tommy Kim, Lee Raun)
Released: 2 June

Mixing a Latino underlay with a retro soul, dance, pop and Korean R&B sounds like an extremely big task, but Maktub has done all this and provided quality vocals on top to create his own unique sound and style. The music video is simple, colourful and artistic, running backwards to form a continuous shot, bringing something different to the table. This release is certainly one of our favourites of the week.

Kobel – Don’t Hit My Line
Released: 2 June

Effortless singing is hard to pull off, especially if you try yourself to speak to a tune or tone, but Kobel has these skills and is able to turn from hip-hop rapper to using his vocals like he is reading a poem. It’s actually insane to hear and although this isn’t the strongest song released this week, he certainly deserves to get noticed as an upcoming artist. The rhythm is consistent and easy to follow, the flow of words are smooth and there’s no edgy interruptions.

Olltii – Cypherpath (FEAT. Huckleberry P, H2ADIN)
Released: 3 June

You can’t say legendary Korean rappers without mentioning Olltii, and with his new release he has once again solidified his position as one of the rappers who has grown in leaps and bounds since his debut. The backing track and the music video has a certain Eminem and D12 vibe. One of the great things about the K-hip-hop scene right now is strong collaborations, so seeing Olltii working with Huckleberry P and H2ADIN just strengthens the impact the song has. Certainly an eye opener for a cypher, and it shows each performers strengths and styles really well. If you hadn’t already guessed, we really like this song.

As there have been a lot of releases this week, be sure to check back for the second instalment of K-music week in review, which will look at releases from 4 – 6 June 2018.

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