Rundown: JENNIE, CHUNG HA, JISOO, ONE PACT, LUN8, EVNNE, LUN8, I:MOND

I guess it’s not that K-pop has been necessarily bad in 2025, it’s just that there’s been a lot of fringy, solid, and/or interesting but flawed stuff more than immediate standouts.

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EVNNE – “HOT MESS”

Very solid with a bright energy that has a bit of edge to it, plus a chanted chorus that seems begging (literally, probably) to be used in memes and what not.

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CHUNG HA – “STRESS”

Feels like she got the message from the “I’m Ready“ reception that people wanted club bangers from her, but this sorta flattens that sound, and the melodies are rather nondescript. Still, the production is easy enough to dance along with, and continuing down this road is definitely the right path, IMO.

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JISOO (BLACKPINK) – “Earthquake”

I actually like JISOO quite a bit, she’s a lot of fun as a personality. That said, a lot of the mainstream reactions to “Flower” and now this have made me think I’m getting a different audio entirely or something. Well, whatever people enjoy, I guess.

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ONE PACT – “100!”

Sort of a decent K-pop facsimile of funky 80s pop, though after hearing Jay Chang on a recent cover, I can’t help but feel this was painfully safe and they could’ve absolutely pushed it a bit.

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I:MOND – “Wonderland”

Posting cause I respect their decision to continue on as indies with a self-funded and self-produced comeback.

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LUN8 – “Butterfly”

The member and sound shifts can’t be helping them establish solid footing, but I thought their “last “Super Power” comeback was quite nice and had potential. They sound mostly good here as well, but this kind of meandering, emotional track isn’t my wheelhouse and the production isn’t executed well enough to intrigue me.

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JENNIE (BLACKPINK) (Feat. Doechii) – “ExtraL”

I know one common criticism about BLACKPINK‘s solos is that they’ve relied heavily on their collab partners, but I generally haven’t minded much. On “ExtraL“, though, the gap couldn’t be more apparent, and the only thing I was left thinking as a listener is I’d love to hear a Doechii-only version. She makes it worth listening to, but as for JENNIE, I think stuff like “Love Hangover” is probably much more her wheelhouse at this point.

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Should have some other stuff coming down the pipeline soon.