[Release Round Up] 01/11/2021-07/11/2021

Can you believe that it’s November already? It feels like only yesterday that we said goodbye to the summer sun. Yet here we are, getting ready to welcome winter (or in the early morning, wish it was elsewhere!). It might be dark when leaving the office at the end of the day, but the releases this week are enough to keep us positively cheerful. While this week has been very, very quiet in the KPop scene (potentially a break from a busy Halloween release period, and too soon before winter festivities), there’s some great songs that have been released nonetheless!

This Week’s Top Picks

Super Junior D&E – Zero

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but 10 years after the sub-unit’s first debut, Donghae and Eunhyuk are here to break that stereotype. Zero isn’t as strong and interesting as it’s predecessor, Growing Pains, but it’s a great new city-pop bop. The synth-groove is completely on trend with what is being played on the airwaves now, but it flirts with a somewhat sadder, melodramatic sound too – this in part due to the lyrics, which suggest a sense of loss and confusion, asking the listener not to give up on the singer. D&E show their potential in this track, highlighting that there’s still space for them in the KPop industry.

TO1 – No More X

An edgier, darker release than the somewhat cringe-worthy Son of Beast, No More X sounds like something that could have been picked up by peers such as KARD, NCT or Monsta X. The repetitive ‘dun dun dun dun dun’ hook really could have come from any of the aforementioned groups, and the entire shout-sing delivery screams generic. It’s not bad though. In fact, it’s rather good. It is catchy and can easily be played on loop – which is exactly what this up-and-coming group needs. However, they need to develop further from this and find their own sound.

2AM – Should’ve Known

The entire 2AM ‘Ballads’ album gives off OST/East 17 Stay Another Day energy. And we are very much here for that combination. It’s full of excellent vocal deliveries, emotions, strong belts and soft whispers. Not only that, but the song is perfectly ordered in the mini-album too, indicating how much thought has gone into the entire production. It is rare to find groups invested in how their albums flow from beginning to end, but it’s fantastic to see 2AM holding onto this concept. It’s been years since the group have reunited, and featuring Junho and Kim Sohyun in the music video is really the icing on top of this beautiful nostalgia cake. Great chorus, fantastic song. Give 2AM the 2021 comeback crown already.