Seoulbeats

Stray Kids are consistent. As a casual listener, I can’t speak to their deep collection of b-sides. But I’ve constantly been struck by how of-a-kind their title tracks are. They are loud and largely rap-driven with pretty, but often abrupt, melodic interludes. They almost always center on self-hype (which given Stray Kids’ self-generated creativity and in...

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Sunmi, “Forever July”

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Picheolin (Dino), “Crazy Crazy”

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Rescene, “Pretty Girl”

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Yeonjun, “Ice Cream”

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Welcome to another edition of SB Week in Review. Here’s all the news you might have missed over the past week:

Some songs aren’t title track material, but that doesn’t mean they can’t become personal ear worms. That was my experience with these tracks. This small selection exemplifies a type of song that absolutely belongs as a B-side (often with simple structures and familiar messages) but that nevertheless has some sort of magic.

Some went on to become hits in their o...

As K-dramas entertain audiences worldwide, they also shape how viewers perceive Korean culture, even as they are influenced by evolving social trends and shifting mindsets. At the same time, not every workplace or gender dynamic shown on screen reflects everyday reality. Some dramas mirror changing Korean society, while others imagine the kinds of professional and persona...