- Based on albums released from January 30 to February 27, arranged in order of release date-

◆ Ive Mini 3rd Album [IVE EMPATHY]: FLU, You Wanna Cry

- The key to empathy is voice. ‘FLU’, which is fatal but makes you want to get entangled so badly, and ‘You Wanna Cry’, which comforts YongduYongmi with lyrics that are all about harmony, the power that makes you listen to the two songs until the end is vocals. The rich sound with delicate rhythm, and the voice placement and combination that break through it bring out the presence of both the individual members and the team.

◆ Song Ga-in Regular 4th Album [Gain;Moon]: It Passes

- This Too Shall Pass. Song Ga-in‘s combination of traditional Korean music singing style and country trot heightens the ‘excitement’. The twists and turns of life and hopes are appealingly sung, increasing immersion, and the shoulder-shaking arrangement breaks down the generational barrier.

◆ Chungha [Alivio]: Even Steven (Happy Ending)

- She is definitely everyone’s diva. Chungha‘s unique way of developing the song while maintaining the pace and keeping the listener’s breath alive brings out the flavor of ‘Even Steven’.

A song about a determination to make a new start, freed from the wounds and obsessions of the past. Chungha vividly sings the song, awakening inner strength, a sense of liberation, and confidence. Let‘s take a look at Chungha’s current state as a diva who knows how to imprint the theme of a song with just her vocals rather than her performance through ‘Even Steven’.

◆ ONF 2nd Full Album Part. 1 [ONF:MY IDENTITY] : Good Place

- Genre vivacious. The group ONF, who can digest any genre, showed the original charm of house with ‘Good Place’. Her chemistry with producer ’Hwang Beoji‘ Hwang Hyun was perfect this time as well.

From the sophisticated introduction that automatically makes you say ’This is it!‘ to the chorus that lightens the mood with a low note. Let‘s enjoy a moment of leisure at the beautifully colored ’Good Place‘, the soul music buddy.

◆ Zero Base One 5th Mini Album [BLUE PARADISE]: Cruel

- A good example of a unit. Who knew Zero Base One had such a rebellious side?

Seong Han Bin, Seok Matthew, and Kim Tae Rae came together for their first unit song since debut, ‘Cruel’, and transformed into rebellious mischievous boys, presenting a different kind of fun that we couldn’t see with Zero Base One. With an electric guitar riff that grabs your attention, a tight rhythm, and provocative vocals, they conceptually digested the rock genre.

◆ G-Dragon‘s 3rd full-length album [Übermensch]: IBELONGIIU, TAKE ME, BONAMANA, GYRO-DROP

- G-Dragon, ‘gut-filled’ musical prowess. It’s been 12 years since his 2nd full-length album [Coup d‘état] and 8 years since his mini-album [Kwon Ji Yong]. They say that mountains and rivers change in 10 years, but G-Dragon is not forgotten and has returned as [Superman (Übermensch)].

You can feel G-Dragon’s guts in his 3rd full-length album that opened the Nth chapter of his musical career. As always, he did the music he wanted to do and share. G-Dragon knows exactly what the public likes, so it would have been a good start even if he had released a new song in the style that was popular 10 years ago.

The album boasts a rich sound with a solid foundation of sensual beats and easily memorable yet unique melodies. You can enjoy it all, from foreign pop and current K-pop trends to G-Dragon-style pop (GD-POP).

The four recommended tracks among them are enough to satisfy the fandom and the public who have waited for his album for a long time, as well as listeners who were introduced to G-Dragon through the pre-released ‘Power’ ‘Home Sweet Home’.

Although there are many English lyrics that require interpretation and few songs that can be sung along to, it seems that the kimchi stew ‘TAKE ME’ that G-Dragon cooked and ‘IBELONGIIU’ that is topped with cheese will be able to ease that regret to some extent. ‘Bonamana’ continues the bleak atmosphere of ‘WINDOW‘(2013), the last in the Obsession series, while being more overtly and lewdly. ’GYRO-DROP‘ is a hip-hop song with rap and wordplay that leisurely flows as if [Superman] has become a bed on the clouds and is a song that ends the album on a light note.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.