Music Highlights 3.8.21
So many good songs came out these past couple of weeks.
News ▹▹▹
Sungjin officially enlisted yesterday. He did it as a surprise and over Vlive while heading over to enlist. It was a surprise, although it wasn’t a surprise that it would be happening fairly soonish. Age-wise, he's close and it seemed like he was kind of gearing up to do it soonish. I had assumed it would be after the next comeback (that is still up in the air, but potentially April), but alas. It’s not the end of the world and it will go by fast, however, with Sungjin it is a little bit harder since he’s been out since last year because of anxiety issues. He did say that the album was done for his part.
Things have been a little tough in the International Spotify kpop lover world because of a dispute with KakaoM which resulted in Spotify losing streaming rights to a lot of songs that had been distributed through the company. It’s very clear why this is happening, KakaoM owns MelOn - the number one streaming platform in Korea. With Spotify’s recent arrival in Korea posing a bigger threat than any other company we are in this position. We talk a lot more about it in an upcoming episode on the podcast, and I’m honestly kind of done talking about it. What I will say is that I know it sucks for a lot of people (my only real big hits were Monsta X, NELL, and 4Minute), it’s not the end of the world. And I don’t understand why everyone has been directing their hate at Spotify when it’s obvious both are at fault. There are other platforms, and honestly, a lot of kpop on Spotify spent these past years coming on and off. Take it from someone who literally started getting into jrock before YouTube was a thing: it’ll be fine.
Fans of the jpop group, Perfume, will be happy to know that their special with Disney+ will be available internationally on the 12th.
One of the other things that I think a lot of fans don’t focus on enough is how each of the streaming services actually payout. None are better than actually purchasing the content, but SoundCloud recently put out an explanation of their pay structure and how they stand out. It’s really worth a look, especially if you are a fan of indie and lesser-known artists.
I know I keep posting these articles about Jae and they are technically the general type of content, but I think it’s so important to be discussing and talking about the stress of performing and how it affects mental health. The entertainment world is a place that not only creates these types of issues but simultaneously shuns them, and I think even the audience perceives it weird to think of how someone can be upfront and center and still have issues with anxiety. I think Jae did the right thing to go out and talk about things. Here’s his interview with Dazed.
Releases and Finds ▹▹▹
Releases have been picking up, and there was a lot. I didn’t even list all that I was into. Neon Bunny’s album is great. I also got into some older groups and have been exploring their discography.
-Jun. K ‘Hide and Seek 1995’
-roku ‘Tabacco"‘
-Tempalay “シンゴ"
-6 Day Layoff ‘Memory’
-King Gnu 泡
-Vincit ‘Wavy Flame’
-Park Jiwoo ‘Happiness or Sadness’
-Wonho ‘Lose’
-OLNL ‘Papi’
-CL ‘Wish You Were Here’
-Danggisio ‘Up to the Light’
-jujuland - Obsessed
-PIXY ‘Wings’
Upcoming ▹▹▹
WOW debut (8)
Jun. K EP This Is Not a Song (10)
Soyou single (11)
DPR Ian EP, MITO (12)
Band Nah single, ‘All the Time’ (12)
Purple Kiss debut (15)
Album Spotlight ▹▹▹
I usually post strictly indie in this section (or less known artists) but just for this week, I had to change things up and pick a DAY6 one in honor of Sungjin. Their Japanese album is by far my favorite album, and while it’s not super unknown comparatively it isn’t as hyped. If you have listened to it yet, I highly suggest you give it a try. Especially if you are into jrock. Some of the songs they lean a bit more into heavier rock, and it’s just good.