OMG there wasn’t supposed to be so much time in between the July and August articles… And now I’m even more behind now that it’s October π . I’ll say more about my absence at the end of the article, but for now, let’s get into it!
Yves – Soap (feat. PinkPantheress)
“Soap” is sooo good. Addicting like “Viola”. I, like many Orbits (LOONA fans) have wanted PinkPantheress to collab with Yves so I’m incredibly happy it happened pretty quickly. Her addition to the song works fantastically. It’s so smooth you almost miss it. The rest of Soft Error is great.
It feels like it picks up where we last left off with I Did/I Did:Bloom (the deluxe version). At this point I’m never not going to be excited about what Yves is going to do next. There’s more experimentation with her sound on this album as well. “Study” is pretty much a House instrumental song. “Aibo (feat. Bratty)” has a more Alternative pop sound to it. So if you’ve enjoyed any of Miss Yves’s previous releases, you’ll love what you hear here.
Queenz Eye – Feel the Vibe
A fun summer song. I wish I liked the other two songs on this mini as much as I love “Feel the Vibe,” but that’s okay. The LUNAX Remix makes up for that.
SUMMER CAKE – Bake
She’s back at it again with a banger! I love “Bake”. I love the visualizer for it. I was waiting for a cake reference in one of her songs. And the decision to really lean into it and go fully sexy with it was chef’s kiss, pun intended.
RE:WIND – RE:MINISCE
I actually got an email from Allele Entertainment back in July about RE:WIND and their upcoming debut. First of all, their name, so clever. They’ve now debuted with an excellent album. RE:MINISCE has a mix of early 2000s R&B and Pop. “Forever“, their debut song, reminds me a bit of something Backstreet Boys would release. “Little Too Late”, the title track, sets the tone perfectly. You get a bit of drama, but it’s something you can dance to. I would have had a hard time picking a lead single from this album. It’s all so good.
“Heart, Break, Repeat” is my current favorite song off the album. Y’all know I love me a midtempo R&B track. With the group consisting of all Asian Americans, every song has a good mix of English and Korean (like Kpop groups now), but I think them being American and actually spending a lot of time with the English language works to their benefit.
The album as a whole has a nice nostalgic vibe to it, and I can’t wait to hear more. *Adds to fave albums of 2025 list*
CORTIS – GO
Dare I say one of the catchiest songs released this year? The moment I heard “Go” on TikTok (of course) before it released fully, I knew I’d be obessed with it. Plus the choreo is perfect. It truly was designed around having a dance challenge that wasn’t shoehorned in last minute. “FaSHioN” is my next favorite track, but “Go” is easily my favorite CORTIS song at the moment. I think “FaSHioN” would go crazy live.
I like the diverse sounds on COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. I like a debut that has a specific sound in mind and it’s cohesive (like RE:WIND) but I also like a smorgasbord. “JoyRide” is the closest thing to a ballad you’re going to get on the album, and I like it. It slows things down just enough to fit in with the rest of the album, but it’s not so left field it feels awkward.
idntt – <uneverment>
Idk if it’s the NCTzen green blood in me, but “BOYtude” hits so hard. I was immediately hooked. idntt also has a lot of Y2K vibes as well; that seems to be the direction 5th Gen groups (and soloist) are going in, which is…interesting.
I actually checked out “BOYtude” before “Go” and the rest of what CORTIS had. I think it’s interesting how many parallels there are visually and musically between the two groups, but I do think it’s just the industry jumping on the same trends at the same time.
That being said, I feel like I’ll be more of an idntt girl long term. But who knows. Groups change things up all the time.
KEY – HUNTER
Speaking of SM Ent, HUNTER was surprisingly a hit for me. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I do. I miss R&B Key, but I do love a House/Dance!Key moment. HUNTER feels like a complete cycle and conclusion to what Key’s been releasing over the last couple of years as a soloist.
I kept thinking about how much he’s grown as a soloist and how he knows what he’s doing. He feels like he’s in his element and there’s a confidence that I can’t help but to smile and be proud of.
I think “HUNTER” is also my favorite Key music video. This was so entertaining, and I don’t remember being so invested in the plot for his videos like this.
AMPERS&ONE – LOUD & PROUD
AMPERS&ONE is a group I keep forgetting I like, lol. “That’s That” slaps, then “Seesaw” is the following track on the album? Nasty work. They weren’t playin with that album title. This is such a fun album. Perfect for getting hyped up, pregame, party starter, etc.
Junhee – Supernova
Ah yeah, Junhee (A.C.E) solo π’π’π’π’π’. I like “Supernova” a lot. I wasn’t sure what sound he was going to choose for his solo music, but I’m happy there’s something groovy.
Since his full album was released in September, I’ll talk about it more in the September faves. But I love the music video for “Supernova”. I’m a sucker for a suit and tie/gown situation. He looked spectacular, and so did the love interest actress.
JOY – Scent Of Green
From JOY with Love sounds similar to Hello in that there’s a specific upbeat, joyous sweetness to them both. I should have listened to Hello all the way through before writing this section, lol. But similar to Key, Joy knows the sound she wants her solo music to be like, and that’s the direction she’s going to continue in.
“Scent of Green” is my favorite song off the album. “La Vie En Bleu” being my second favorite and “Love Splash” rounding out the top three.
I feel like I enjoyed From JOY with Love as a whole more than Hello, but then again, it’s been a while since I’ve heard Hello all the way through.
Kep1er – BUBBLE GUM
Kep1er is in their baddie era for this album. “Bubble Gum” is fine, but it’s my least favorite song on the album. I’m happy we got a Korean version of “Yum“. That’s a banger. This album is my least favorite Kep1er album to date. But there are still some positives here.
Chanyeol – Happy Accident (feat. SOLE)
Good news, there’s a song off Chanyeol’s solo that I like that I wasn’t expecting to. Bad news, it’s the only one from the album I saved, lol. Good news, that means there must be others sprinkled through his solo discography that I like as well. Bad news, that means I gotta go back and listen through everything to check, lmao.
I guess I really like songs with him and a female vocalist. There’s a chill, indie vibe going on in “Happy Accident” that I really like. It almost reminds me of “Because of You” by Minho and Ningning, but with much less R&B.
Stray Kids – Ghost
My favorite song from KARMA!!! I love “Ghost” so much. I need more SKZ songs like this. Unfortunately, I didn’t like KARMA much musically. “Ceremony” is another banger title track, but the rest of the album was just lackluster for me.
I was so disappointed, but I’m not too surprised. This has been an ongoing trend with me and Stray Kids for over a year now. 5-Star (2023) was the last album they released that had 8/12 songs I loved on it. Every album since at most has had 4 songs I liked, but on average it’s about 2 songs, and KARMA continues that record πͺ. I fear I’m in my casual Stay era π¬.
Crush – FANG
Now how did I miss Crush had a WHOLE ASS ALBUM out? And him being in his House/Club bag??? Love to see it. The rest of FANG slaps, of course. One of the easiest albums to add to my faves of 2025. Just listen to it; you’ll love it.
And that’s all for August! I have been working on writing for my book, and I’ve been doing other hobbies. I just haven’t been interested in working on writing for ATK. I’ve been watching a lot of Kpop commentary videos on TikTok and I’ve been active on Twitter. But I just haven’t been interested in making any content for ATK.
I’m super burnt out from it. I do have ideas, plenty of ideas; I just haven’t had the motivation. It’s been nice just being a casual fan and listening to the artists I want, when I want, without the weight of having to create something. I’ve talked off and on about ATK feeling like a job at times and that taking away a lot of the fun with it. So I need to evaluate what I want to do with ATK moving forward because I’ve really hit a wall with it π .
But I will have the September faves out soon. Follow me on Twitter for updates on the blog and concert stuff. It’s my main social media at this point. Recently, I made threads about my TXT and Kai (EXO) concerts. I get the most traction on Twitter, so I don’t even bother with Insta anymore, lol. I’m debating putting videos on TikTok. I think I’ll have the September article up Friday (10/3) at the earlist, maybe 10/6 (Monday).
Until then,
Take care!
Ashπ«