September’s been a strange month for the world of K–pop, marked by bleak AI endeavors, unprecedented label controversies, and genre veterans coming back into the fold. In terms of actual releases, though, not many huge splashes were made, with a litany of disappointing comebacks and a few outstanding ones. In this quick roundup, I’ll be going over some of the best and the worst that Korean pop had to offer in September.
Loossemble — TTYL
Swiftly back after just five months, the LOONA offshoot Loossemble has come out with its third EP, TTYL, in the first same–year comeback for any LOONA–related group since 2020 in an already saturated year for their fans. Thankfully, the quick turnaround yields not a rushed project but a return to form after their April release, One Of A Kind. The title track, “TTYL”, is comfortably one of the stickiest pop anthems of the year, with hammering percussion and an autotuned chorus engineered to be catchy. And while there’s a deeper conversation to be had surrounding butchered English slang in K–pop, Hyeju’s pre–chorus line “you baddie, rizz me tonight” is so memorably stupid it works to the track’s favor.
Beyond the title track, TTYL’s “Cotton Candy” and “Confessions” mirror each other’s lively melodies and are performed by different subunits within the group. Of the two, “Cotton Candy” is the more engaging tune, but I’m appreciative of the member splits regardless—Yeojin performs in both songs, as a possible nod to her lack of inclusion in any prior LOONA subunit.
“Hocus Pocus” is another major hit, with bouncy new jack swing instrumentation, cheering ad–libs, and crazed pining lyrics. The following track, “Secret Diary,” features bold English lyrics by R&B artist Jae Stephens (whose new EP, SELLOUT, is fantastic, by the way) over an orchestral trap beat. It’s a fitting finish to a project all about love, which lands among the best of LOONA’s output since splitting from Blockberry Creative.
MADEIN — RISE
MADEIN, previously known as LIMELIGHT before taking in extra members from the Kep1er exodus and Produce 101 Japan, released their debut EP RISE early this month, and they’re quickly shaping up to be a group to look out for. “UNO”’s atmospheric, stutter house–inspired chorus is intensely refreshing, “DADARIDA”’s booming future bass takes a classic house left turn, and “DOPAMINE”’s laid–back rhythm is ballasted by thoroughly adventurous synth textures. It’s a genuine delight of an EP, which makes “UNO”’s music video, with its nauseating reliance on generative AI, all the more confounding.
MEOVV — “MEOW”
It’s tiresome how much the conversation of inauthenticity in K–pop has come up in the last few years, and no one is as consistent in reopening it as YG Entertainment (and now its associate company, The Black Label). While “MEOW,” the debut single of The Black Label’s first girl group MEOVV, isn’t quite as imitative of previous YG groups as BABYMONSTER’s “SHEESH” was, its dated execution of the “hip hop girl crush” concept, which producer Teddy Park has worn out for his entire career, is doing zero favors for anyone in 2024. “MEOW” is as stylistically monotonous and lyrically stale as I’ve come to expect. These are young teens swept up in an oppressive industry. Why should I buy into any of their “badass” personas with shoehorned rap verses?
It’s still a catchy tune, and the vocal chops in the Brazilian funk–inspired dance break surprised me, but for the sake of mainstream K–pop and the identities of the idols themselves, I beg, please stop trying to make BLACKPINK 2 happen.
Tzuyu — abouTZU
Following in the footsteps of Nayeon and Jihyo, TWICE’s Tzuyu launched her first solo project, abouTZU, earlier this month, and it presents some of the most generic dance–pop and disco of 2024 so far. It’s a shame considering JYP Entertainment’s track record with the group, but everything about its execution is obscenely safe.
The lead single “Run Away” isn’t awful, featuring earworm–y references to ABBA–era disco, but that’s the best I can say about it—its uninteresting melody overstays its welcome and is made especially worse without an accompanying bridge. “Heartbreak In Heaven” is upbeat enough but similarly sauceless, with the only notable moment being a hilariously scant feature from BTOB’s PENIEL. The next track, “Lazy Baby” with rapper pH–1, is surely the best of the bunch, standing out for its remarkably energizing brass production, piano riffs, and shouted chorus: “What you gonna do? Nothing! When you gonna do it? Not yet!”
The rest of the EP dips back into dullness, though: “Losing Sleep” is, impressively, one of the driest emulations of Afrobeats in K–pop, “One Love” is anthemic arena–pop dunked in cheese, and “Fly” is a ballad soaring in its own emotive weightlessness. Even with its few highs, abouTZU is deeply uninteresting, regressing into well–trodden cliches and failing to do justice to Tzuyu’s vocal talent. In an exceptional year for TWICE, with February’s With YOU–th, June’s Nayeon solo NA, and July’s DIVE, this is unfortunately their first significant letdown.
nævis — “Done”
SM Entertainment has teased nævis as an entirely fictional sidekick character within aespa’s lore since the girl group’s inception, and after four years, they’ve finally seen fit to give this “AI artist” a solo release with the single “Done.” The label’s former CEO, Lee Sung–soo, warned us about nævis back in 2023, describing her as “an artist born by mobilizing skills for natural movements, a newly created voice, and real time communication.”
The result? A tech demo dressed as entertainment, every bit as cursed as you’d expect. Even as an “effort” of deconstructed club–inspired alt pop, this falls weak and flat, offering an unappealing mix of lifeless vocals with vaguely futuristic synths. It isn’t worth anybody’s time, and especially not SM Entertainment’s.
QWER — Algorithm’s Blossom
QWER, a girl group comprised entirely of already well–established online personalities, is back with their second EP, Algorithm’s Blossom, after April’s semi–sensational MANITO, and it’s more of the same of their gamer–slash–rockstar concept. The first and last tracks harken back to ‘90s video game fanfare interludes, the shining, piano–driven “My Name is Malguem” is the most J–pop–sounding piece in their short discography, and the lead single “FAKE IDOL” is an explosive ode to the “rockstar” life, recontextualized for idol culture.
The clear highlight here is “run! run! run!,” written and composed by prolific producer SUMIN, with bright, groovy synth–funk instrumentation and charmingly light vocals. It almost wears SUMIN’s influence too heavily, as this track could easily slot into her most recent (and wonderful) album MINISERIES 2. Its contrast to the rest of Algorithm’s Blossom hints toward an unsustainable future for the pop rock gimmick, but that absolutely isn’t the song’s fault.
Despite its definite peaks, Algorithm’s Blossom is ultimately a merely respectable effort, with its pop–rock attire only losing color over time. Although it’s accomplished with clear care and focus, the songs’ generally repetitive sound leaves me hoping QWER will pivot off it soon.
