There are loads of comebacks in November. I think I just have to accept the fact that K-Pop always has loads of releases each month. It’s tiring as a multifan but it’s a lot easier to keep track of with these monthly reviews I’m doing. Plus, I’ve listened to loads of groups I never would have listened to by doing these monthly reviews. I discover a new artist every month which is fun.

EXO – Don’t Mess Up My Tempo

About: Currently consists of 9 members. The group debuted on April 8, 2012 with an original lineup of 12 members under SM Entertainment.

Members: Suho, Xiumin, Lay, Baekyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun.

Fun Fact(s): Kris, Tao, and Luhan are the members of the group that left. They currently all have successful singing and acting careers in China. Suho speaks basic English and Lay is currently fluent in English, Chinese, and Korean. Lay is the last Chinese member of the group. The subunit EXO-CBX includes members Chen, Baekyun, and Xiumin. Many EXO members are also actors.

Tempo* – The first time I heard this song I wasn’t sure what to think. It sounds a lot like something Bruno Mars would put out. Don’t get me wrong, Bruno Mars is cool and all but it made me disappointed. I listened to it a few more times and ended up falling in love with it. My favorite moments of the song are Sehun getting lines, Chen’s “I can’t believe” at the beginning, and the harmonizing towards the end. I really like this song but it’s best when watching their performance rather than just the song itself. 3.5/5

Sign – I wasn’t sure what to think about this at first either. But then the beat changed up and Chen (i think) started singing and the song leveled up. This is a great B-Side track. 4/5

Oh La La La – EXO‘s B-Side tracks are always stellar. This is one of my favorites from this album. I might even like it more than ‘Tempo’. This is a slower song but it’s sensual and laced with heavenly locals and a slow beat. Their voices carry this song instead of the other way around. 4.5/5

Gravity – This song has a very futuristic but also oldish feel to it. It’s hard to explain but I’d maybe compare it to their song ‘Lucky One’. They’re still very different though. 4/5

With You – The first slow song of the album. It’s great, as expected. Not a favorite, but still great. 3.5/5

24/7 – I LOVE this song. That’s all. 4.5/5

Bad Dream – This is a great song, but it’s also the type of song I would find myself skipping. I love this song but it’s just one of the songs I wouldn’t go back to listen to a lot. 3.5/5

Damage – This has the charisma and ‘bad boy’ vibe that the teaser photos and teaser video promised but wasn’t delivered in ‘Tempo’. I do see why this wasn’t the title track. This is either B-Side track quality or what you’d expect from their older songs. It’s still a good song, of course, but it’s not AMAZING. 3.5/5

Smile On My Face – This song. THIS SONG. It’s really good. Really good. This song gives me CHILLS. 4.5/5

Oasis – This song captured my attention from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the end. The singing, the beat, everything is amazing about this song. 4.5/5

Tempo (Chinese Ver.) – I can’t tell but I hope Lay took part in this version. He was in the ‘Tempo’ music video but I don’t think he got actual lines. 3.5/5

Overall – I wasn’t originally going to review this comeback but every song on this album is amazing. The year-long wait was definitely worth it. I wanted more lines from Xiumin 😦 since this will be his last comeback before he has to enlist in the military but at least Sehun got more lines. 4 Stars

**side note: current member lay and old member kris wu both also released their own solo albums. they’re chinese so it doesn’t classify as k-pop but both of the albums are great. lay has each song of his album in chinese and english versions and kris mixes english and chinese in his rap

Twice – Yes or Yes

About: Consists of 9 members and debuted on October 20, 2015 through the survival show Sixteen under JYP Entertainment. Fans are called Once.

Members: Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu.

Fun Fact(s): Many of the members have had cameos in other JYPE music videos before their debut. Momo, Sana, and Mina are Japanese. Tzuyu is Taiwanese.

Yes or Yes* – Although this song is still cutesy, it works. Twice makes cutesy work. It’s more than just their concept, it’s their identity as a group. I personally see this song as a step up for them. In the music video they look more mature and their dancing is actually quite complex-looking. The song shows their vocals off. I think this is a great title track. It sounds fresh and like their sound is developing more. 4/5

Say You Love Me – I listened to more of their sidetracks ever since I realized that their sidetracks are good during my review of Twice‘s comeback a few months ago. This is a good example of their sidetracks. There’s more personality and versatility in these songs than what you see in their titles. This one wasn’t one of my favorites BUT it’s good for a sidetrack. 3.5/5

LALALA – This is an easy song to listen to. It’s not complex and although it’s kinda fast it’s not intense. 3/5

Young & Wild – JYP groups have been experimenting with their sound a lot lately. Got7 and Day6 has been doing this and it’s been working out well for them. Twice has a lot of potential that still isn’t fully being utilized. This song is experimenting a lot as far as the instrumentals, change in singing tempo, and incorporation of rapping. I’m unsure what I think about it. 3.5/5

Sunset – I thought I’d like this more than I do… 3/5

After Moon – This song I like more. It’s slower and their vocals are given more showcase here. 3.5/5

BDZ (Korean Ver.) – I think this was the title track of their last Japanese comeback but I never listened to it so this will be completely new to me. I enjoy this song. It’s fun to listen to and it sounds like there’s a lot of energy behind it. 4/5

Overall – This was okay. I only liked 2-3 of the songs, unfortunately I also feel like this comeback came out of nowhere. They just had one a couple of months ago. They girls need to rest. 3.5 Stars

Wanna One – 1¹¹=1 (POWER OF DESTINY)

About: A group consisting of 11 members formed from the second season of ‘Produce 101’. The group debuted on August 7th, 2017, under YMC Entertainment and CJ E&M. They later moved over to Swing Entertainment, a management company exclusively for the group. Their contract lasts until December 2018. The fans are called Wannable.

Members: Jisung, Sungwoon, Minhyun, Seongwoo, Jaehwan, Daniel, Jihoon, Woojin, Jinyoung, Daehwi, and Kuanlin.

Fun Fact(s): Some of the members of Wanna One were originally from other groups and will continue promoting with those groups after Wanna One disbands. Sungwoon is from the group HOTSHOT. Minhyun is from Nu’est. Kuanlin is Taiwanese.

Destiny (Intro.) – This was a good intro. Powerful and such but it ended abruptly lol. 3/5

Spring Breeze* – I’ve only heard about three of their title tracks. They’re usually upbeat and the type you could dance to but this is their last comeback before they disband so it sounds more meaningful. But it’s got a bittersweet sound, not necessarily sad. 4/5

One’s Place* – This is a good song too. I don’t like it as much as the last one but it’s still good. 3.5/5

Flowerbomb* – This is good too. These title songs are all a bit slower because they have more meaning and substance. 3.5/5

One Love – I really like this song. It’s more my style than the last two. One part kinda reminds me of Seventeen which is probably why. 4/5

Deeper – This isn’t a complex song. It’s relatively simple like all of the songs have been so far. I like this theme. I like this song in particular a lot. 4/5

Hide and Seek – There’s not much I can really say on this song. I’ve liked all of them so far. 3.5/5

Awake! – I really enjoy this one. The beat, the singing, the rapping, it’s all perfect. 4/5

Pine Tree – This song is really soft. I actually forgot it was playing, it just melted in my ears. This isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s a beautiful song. 4/5

Beautiful, Pt. II – I’m pretty sure I’ve heard their song ‘Beautiful’ so I guess this is a continuation of that song? Either way I adore this song. It’s one of my favorites of the album. Maybe even my favorite? 4/5

Overall – This entire album was bittersweet. Although I never got into Wanna One as a group I did like a couple of their songs and they became really successful for a temporary group. I can’t wait for Nu’est to become a full group again and I hope the rest of the Wanna One members go on to become successful after this. 3.8 Stars

Jennie – SOLO

About: Singer and member of the girl group Blackpink.

Fun Fact(s): She was sent to study abroad at the age of 9 in New Zealand so she has a New Zealand accent when she speaks English. She made an appearance in G-Dragon’s music video for “That XX” as well as appearing in his song ‘Black’. She also appeared in fellow Big Bang member Seungri’s song “GG Be”.

SOLO* – This song surprised me. Jennie is a rapper and singer in Blackpink. Although I like Blackpink as a group, they’re still relatively new with only about 8 songs out so they have a lot of room for improvement. I got surprised when they released the news of Jennie getting her own solo song only two years and two comebacks since their debut. Nevertheless I thought this was a great song. You could tell this was her first solo song and there wasn’t much variety in it, but the beat was nice, her vocals and rapping was mostly steady, and it’s catchy. It should have been longer, though. 4/5 Stars

BTOB – Hour Moment

About: Consists of 7 members and they debuted on March 21, 2012 under CUBE Entertainment. Fandom name is Melody.

Members: Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub, Hyunsik, Peniel, Ilhoon, and Sungjae.

Fun Fact(s): Leader Eunkwang starred in musicals “Monte Cristo”, “Bachelor’s Vegetable Store”, “Hamlet”, “Goddess is Watching”, and “The Three Musketeers”. Minhyuk is the current leader since Eunkwang is enlisted in the military. Other members of the group have also starred in multiple musicals and dramas/movies.

Friend – I don’t think I talk about BTOB enough but I love them and how they have their sound and they don’t try and confirm to the sound that is “in”. They do slower, more meaningful songs but they’re not boring. I really liked this song. It’s obviously a song about friendship.  4/5

Like It – This is more upbeat but still chill. I just love all of their songs. It’s hard to explain. 4/5

Butterfly – I didn’t even notice when this song started haha. I like having another song called ‘Butterfly’ besides just the BTS song. They’re both great. This one is more slow and it’s something you can easily listen to while you read, unlike the BTS song which distracts you with the heavy vocals. 4/5

Climax – This song itself sounds like a climax. There’s a constant ‘rising action’ with the instrumentals in the background as well as the vocals themselves. Rapping is carefully placed throughout the song and when that happens there’s an intense (violin? viola?) and then it stops and the strong vocals kick in. I like when songs do this. It never gets boring. 4.5/5

Beautiful Pain* – I’ve listened to this 2-3 times already because it’s on a new K-Pop playlist on Apple Music. This is up there with ‘Missing You’ for me. 5/5

Beautiful Pain (Instrumental) – The song is less epic without the vocals (as you’d expect because duh) but of course it’s still amazing. Unlike other instrumentals that are still distracting when I need to focus hard on something, I can easily do something else while I listen to this. 4/5

Overall – I think this EP is what the gates of heaven sounds like hahaha. This is my second comeback with them and although I don’t know the group’s members that well I adore their music. 4.3 Stars

D-Crunch – M112 (4 Colors)

About: Also known as Diamond Crush, this groups contains 9 members. They debuted under All-S Company on August 6, 2018. The fandom name is DIANA.

Members: O.V, Hyunwook, Hyunho, Hyunoh, Hyunwoo, Minhyuk, Changyoung, Dylan, and Jeongseung.

Fun Fact(s): Hyunwook can speak English. Dylan was an exchange student in New Zealand.

I miss you – Solid song. Nothing *too* special but it’s not bad. 3/5

STEALER* – I like this one more than the last. I do still think that they can improve. I thought this song sounded long but that’s because it IS long. I can see myself listening to this multiple times. 4/5

I’m OK – This is a good one too. It sounds like something you’d listen to from a group that didn’t just recently debut. I’m surprised. 3.5/5

now – This one is great too. This is a solid song with a nice rap and vocals. 3.5/5

STEALER (Instrumental) – I think the reason this is such a great title track is due to the instrumental. It’s kinda like a mix between two other rookie group’s debut songs, ‘District 9’ by Stray Kids and ‘Pirate King’ by ATEEZ. It’s cool. 3/5

Overall – I think I can see myself becoming a fan of this group.They have a good style and this was good for their first EP. 3.4 Stars

EXID – I Love You

About: The group has 5 members. They debuted on February 16, 2012 under AB Entertainment. Their fandom name is LEGGO (or L.E.G.G.O).

Members: Solji, LE, Hani, Hyerin, and Jeonghwa.

Fun Fact(s): Solji was a former member of the group 2BN as an R&B singer. EXID‘s subunit Dasoni consists of members Solji and Hani. Hani speaks English and Chinese in addition to Korean. Former members Dami, Yuji, and Haeryung were in the disbanded group BESTie.

I Love You* – THIS IS A FULL BOP. I’ve only heard about 3 EXID songs and I’ve liked them but never listened to any of their other stuff. This song has me wanting more. I thought this was an album or EP but it’s just a single 4.5/5

I Love You (Instrumental) – This instrumental actually includes the “I love you like na na na na na na na na na na na na na” (yes i counted) which is about half of the song so it’s not much different than with the singing haha. 4/5

Overall – It was just a single with an instrumental version too so not much to say. I thought this was a full-fledged comeback with at least a few more songs cause this would have been the perfect opportunity for me to check out their side tracks BUT I did add some of their other stuff to my library to check out. 4.3 Stars

Gugudan – Act. 5 New Action

About: They debuted on June 28, 2016 under Jellyfish Entertainment with 8 members. Their fandom name is Dan-jjakn (Dear Friend).

Members: Hana, Mimi, Haebin, Nayoung, Sejeong, Sally, Soyee, and Mina.

Fun Fact(s): Hana can speak Korean, English, and Japanese. Sally is Chinese. Nayoung, Sejeong, and Mina make up the sub-unit SEMINA. Sejeong and Mina were members of the Produce 101-created group I.O.I.

Not That Type* – I’ve heard 1-2 of their songs but none of them have really stuck out or been anything I’d go back and listen to. This, however, was interesting. This isn’t really the type of thing I’d really listen to because it seems like one of those club/party/dance songs. BUT. This definitely wasn’t bad. I’m having a similar dilemma that I face with Blackpink songs. I’ll probably like it more if I listen to it again. 3.5/5

Be Myself – Nothing stood out to me about this besides the vocals. I think they’re great singers and they don’t have a super cutesy vibe. I like how girl groups are slowly but surely breaking out of that. Besides Twice I can’t really stand the cutesy concept. 3/5

Dear – I don’t listen to a lot of old K-Pop stuff very often, especially girl groups, but this sounds like something Girl’s Generation or Wonder Girls would have put out. I’m not saying it sounds like any of their songs cause I have barely heard anything from them but it does have a similar vibe. I like it. 3.5/5

Shotgun – Now THIS is interesting. Honestly this is one of my favorite songs I’ve listened to in this post so far. 4.5/5

Do It – This is amazing too wow. Where did this group come from? They came out of nowhere😅 4/5

Pastel Sweater – This is on the softer side. This song is like being wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket (or, sweater). I really like it. 4/5

Overall – I’m being completely honest when I say that I was surprised by this. I was preparing myself to not like most of these songs. Last month I got surprised by fromis_9 and now here I am surprised by Gugudan. 3.8 Stars

NU’EST W – WAKE,N

About: A sub-unit of the group Nu’est. Nu’est W consists of 4 members. They’re under Pledis Entertainment. Their fandom is L.O.Λ.E (Read as LOVE).

Members: JR, Baekho, Ren, and Aron.

Fun Fact(s): JR can speak Japanese the best, but all members are relatively fluent. Aron’s hometown is Los Angeles, USA. He speaks both English and Korean. JR, Baekho, and Ren were all participants of season 2 of ‘Produce 101’ (the show Wanna One was formed from) but they didn’t make the top 11.

L.I.E – This song starts with what sounds like a slow piano. If my memory doesn’t fail me, this is something Nu’est W does a lot. It works so well for their music style and their voices. The song stays relatively quiet and slow but the instrumentals change up and so do the way they use their voices. Their range is AMAZING. 4/5

HELP ME – I listened to this the other night with the music video. I didn’t think much of it. I did like it, don’t get me wrong, but the visuals distracted me haha. That happened with ‘Dejavu’ as well. Now that I’m listening to the song again without the music video, I notice a lot of the instrumentals, background vocals, harmonizing, and all of that fun stuff. 4.5/5

WI-FI (Aron Solo) – Something I really love about Nu’est W is that the members get their own solo songs in every album. This was a good one. Not one of my favorites from them but I still liked it. 3.5/5

I HATE YOU (JR Solo) – Nu’est W doesn’t have a lot of rapping in their songs so this song is an absolute gift. I always look forward to JR’s solos because of his rapping haha. This song has singing and rapping. There’s also a guitar solo? It’s obviously not a *real* guitar but it was unexpected. 4/5

YOU & I (Ren Solo) – Ren’s my favorite so I always like his solos before I even hear them lol. But, honestly, his voice is really soothing. Baekho is the group’s strongest vocalist but I personally prefer Ren’s voice. I loved this song. It’s a song I can write to and just pour out all of my emotions. It’s a good thinking song – if that makes any sense. 3.5/5

FEELS (Baekho Solo) – All of these songs are really creatively composed and put together. But this one sticks out. Of course Baekho’s voice sticks out, but I can’t ignore the brilliant instrumentals because although Baekho’s voice carries the song forward, the instrumentals make the song. 4/5

Overall – I enjoyed every song on this EP. I’m sad that this is the group’s last comeback but it’s bittersweet because now Minhyun will be back and NU’EST will be a full group again. I wanted one more song at the end to close off the EP but it’s an EP not a full album so I can’t really say anything bad about that. I can’t wait for NU’EST to have a comeback as a full group again. I started listening to their entire albums when Minhyun left so I haven’t been a part of an ot5 comeback yet. 3.9 Stars

**side note: i just realized that there IS another song at the end of the EP but it’s only on the CD 😦

This post was long but I promise, I halved the comebacks I’m reviewing for this month there’s just a lot😂. I hope you enjoyed this post nonetheless. I found a lot of great new songs and artists this month and this is only half of it so stay tuned for more, hopefully either later this week or early next week!

Is there any new music in November you’ve been loving? Have you listened to any of these songs? If so, what’s your favorite? Let me know!

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