In a year that started off pretty slow for new K-Pop releases, easily picked up this past week with the release of not one, not two, but three new albums/eps from three major names in the K-Pop world.
Le Sserafim kicked things off on Monday, February 19, with their new mini album ‘Easy.’ The album has already received criticism for referencing other artist’s music such as Doja Cat and SZA. The group has also received criticism for the ‘Easy’ music video, which is set in a church, which people have been calling inappropriate and disrespectful. Thats all I’ll say regarding that. You can form your own opinion after watching the music video.
The album though? I think it’s fine. There’s definitely a sense of familiarity to it, but that doesn’t make the album “bad”. It’s definitely not my favorite album to come out last week, and it’s probably not even my favorite Le Sserafim album, but there are definitely worst things you can listen to. I will say, ‘We got so much’ is a very good song that I recommend you listen to.
IU followed Le Sserafim on Tuesday, February 20, with her new EP ‘The Winning.’ Now when I say this is one of the best albums to come out recently, I mean it. ‘The Winning’ is my favorite album to come out in 2024 and it’s making its way up to be one of my favorite albums of all time. The album only has five songs, but that doesn’t make it less special. On January 24, IU released her new single ‘Love Wins All,’ which is featured in her new album. The music video for that song is a genuine cinematic masterpiece with its incredible storytelling and stellar performances from IU and BTS’s V.
All that said, ‘Love Wins All’ doesn’t overshadow any of the other songs on the album. The album opens with ‘Shopper’ which is such a fun and uplifting song and a wonderful way to start this phenomenal album. I would talk about the other tracks on this album, but I think it’s best that you just go listen to the album. IU’s unique vocals and thoughtful song lyrics elevate this album to be something totally unique that stands apart from other albums in the genre. It truly is one of my favorites.
Twice ended the week on February 23 with their newest album, ‘With YOU-th.’ For reference, I have never really been a big Twice fan. I listen to some of the songs every now and then, but I have had this new album on repeat for the last couple of days. I didn’t even know that Twice had a new album out, until Spotify recommended it to me. That’s how much of a fan I am. But I am genuinely surprised at how much I enjoy this new album. I have found other Twice albums to be a bit too familiar and repetitive, but ‘With YOU-th’ feels completely fresh and original.
Every song on this album feels different from the last, my personal favorite track being ‘New New.’ This is an album that I would expect to come out during the summer, and a part of me wishes that this did came out during the summer just because the album gives off heavy summer vibes. The music video for ‘I Got You’ also just screams summer.
This past week saw the release of three albums, each completely different from the last. It finally feels like the year has started and I can’t wait to see what other albums come out later this year. So go ahead and give these albums a listen and form your own opinion on which you this is the best.