Bunni Pop's June faves: Featuring Stray Kids, ATEEZ, TNX and P1Harmony
Summer has officially arrived!
Summer has officially arrived, and June was certainly a busy month for music releases. If I’m being completely honest, it’s seriously so hard to narrow it all down into one list! Below, I’ll break down some of the content I’ve been consuming this month.
Stray Kids - 5-Star (studio album)
Stray Kids are superstars in their own right. They never fail to deliver hit after hit. The group’s latest studio album 5-Star continues with that trend.
The album is led by the single “S-Class”, a banger in its own right. The song itself is tied together with mishmash of styles that in theory shouldn’t work. There’s aggressive rapping, soft vocals and ‘90s hip hop in this track. If not for the skills of Stray Kids’s producing trio known as 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin and Han), it would sound janky as hell. But I found the fusing of different styles grabbing my attention throughout and I was fully engaged!
Other highlights on this album include “FNF”. “FNF” stands for Flora & Fauna. The group said on Twitter that the video is dedicated to "all nature and wildlife lost from the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires." It’s incredibly personal for members Bang Chan and Felix, who co-wrote the song. Both hail from Sydney, Australia, and say the song is about feelings of sadness, regret and longing.
Meanwhile, “Hall of Fame”, the EDM/hip hop song that kicks off the album, is another standout. It sets the tone for what’s to come with the rest of the album. Stray Kids have never sounded more composed and cohesive than with 5-Star.
5-Star marks Stray Kids’s third #1 debut on the Billboard 200, following their albums MAXIDENT and ODDINARY.
ATEEZ - THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW (album)
The boys of ATEEZ have been capturing my heart lately with their latest comeback single “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS).” Upon first listen, I was not completely sold on all the distortion in the production and vocals of this particular track. But then, I watched the music video and all the dance challenges. Soon enough, I was singing ‘Slow it down, make it BOUNCY…’ all day.
“Bouncy” is fun and SPICY! I love how each member of ATEEZ adds their own flair to the choreography of this song. One only needs to see how flexible San is to understand!
The rest of THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW is worth a listen as well. Another highlight is the song “Outlaw.” The raps go particular hard in this track, and the chorus is easily one of the best things I’ve ever heard. This song has lots of viral potential, and I hope they release it as a single as well.
P1Harmony - HARMONY: ALL IN (mini-album)
P1Harmony kickstarted the summer season with the release of their sixth mini-album HARMONY: ALL IN on June 8. Their lead single “JUMP” is a catchy dance track that will take you back to the stylings of some of your favourite '90s/Y2K boy bands.
The rest of HARMONY: ALL IN is worth a listen as well, and has been on rotation for me over the last four weeks. Some other highlights from the project include the self-love track “Love Me For Me”, where leader Keeho lets his vocals shine during the track’s bridge. The other track I’ve been loving a lot is the upbeat hip hop song “New Classic”, in which members Jongseob and Intak helped write.
June has been a big month for P1Harmony, and HARMONY: ALL IN marks the group’s biggest comeback to date. The band scored its first Billboard debut at #8 on the Top Album Sales Chart and #51 on the Top 200 Chart for HARMONY: ALL IN. This month, P1Harmony also announced it has signed with the major agency Creative Arts Agency (CAA).
THE NEW SIX (TNX) - ‘Kick It 4 Now’
This is a contender for song of the summer!
Since TNX made its debut last May, the group has been rising through the ranks with its versatility. The group's latest title track "Kick It 4 Now" is a clear tribute to the new jack swing movement with its music video's costuming and sets reminding viewers of a time when bands like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC topped the charts. 'Kick it 4 Now' has since amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. Plus, TNX's EP Boyhood captures the essence of memories, friendship and is a celebration of youth.
While competition in the K-pop boy band space is fierce, TNX has been able to stand out largely due to its mentors. As artists under P Nation, TNX work closely with hitmaker PSY. TNX has also worked with Penomeco — a member of the hip-hop crew Fanxy Child (alongside Crush, Zico, Dean, Millic and Staytuned). Penomeco has also been credited for helping compose many of the TNX's songs. Looking forward to see how this group grows in the future!
BTS - “Take Two”
For a group that’s been on hiatus for a year, BTS sure kept fans fed and appreciated throughout the month of June. While all seven members were not able to mark its 10th anniversary together (Jin and J-Hope are currently serving in the military), the boys banked and recorded all the content for fans to enjoy.
That includes the new single “Take Two” a gorgeous and heartfelt ballad that contains hidden messages and past references of their songs for fans. This song is incredibly comforting and feels like a warm hug to soothe your soul.
8TURN- ‘EXCEL’
While 8TURN only made its debut this past January, the group has been capturing attention for its youthful and edgy concepts. 8TURN released its second mini album UNCHARTED DRIFT on June 26th with the lead single “EXCEL.” And I might as well age myself here…the concept is taking me back to the glory days of watching Disney Channel back in the 2000s! It’s the electric guitar intro for me and the teen angst. This song is a lot of fun, and so is its accompanying music video. The boys of 8TURN sneak into a high school and cause all sorts of mayhem.
AND ONE TO WATCH: Bryan Chase
Korean rapper Bryan Chase releases his EP 2U today. The six song EP includes a mix of rap, pop and alternative hip hop and channels Bryan' Chase’s growth as an artist and person.
2U also has some big names attached to the project. The EP was composed and written entirely by Bryan Chase in collaboration with JUNIORCHEF.
24 and Teddy Park, known for many of Blackpink’s hits, also played major roles in the production of this album.
2U has been highly anticipated, especially after he served as guest collaborator on Taeyang’s recent track “Nightfall.”
2U is being released by THEBLACKLABEL which is home to artists Taeyang and Jeon Somi in conjunction with Interscope Records, where Bryan Chase is the only Korean rapper on the label.
Listen to Bunni Pop’s faves wherever you go:
Unfortunately, there were no in-person concerts for me this month. But because I was still on a high from seeing Suga live in concert, I went to watch the D-Day tour remotely three more times.
One was a delayed stream at the movie theatre, after I (serendipitously?!) attended my friend’s birthday venue one day early. Turns out it was a sign to see Suga once again! The other two times were in my living room in the whee hours of the morning this past weekend. The things fans do!
Watching the shows made me miss being in a room full of ARMY, because everyone is always so friendly even if you’ve gone to the show all alone. People hand out freebies, bracelets and photocards.
Suga also announced he is doing three more finale concerts at Seoul’s KPSO Dome on August 4, 5, 6. I won’t be able to attend in person because I’ve since made the decision to go to Lollapalooza during the same time. Thankfully, streaming options exist!
And if anyone’s going to Lollapalooza, hit me up! Would love to meet in person!
TOURS TOURS TOURS: LE SSERAFIM and Eric Nam are hitting the road
Two exciting tour announcements were made this week. Rookie girl group LE SSERAFIM will be embarking on its first-ever tour.
The group made the announcement with a logo motion teaser for “FLAME RISES”, which is an anagram of LE SSERAFIM. (“I’M FEARLESS” is another famous anagram for the group).
LE SSERFIM will be touring Seoul, Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Bangkok from August to October.
Meanwhile, Eric Nam will be hitting cities across North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand this fall and early 2024. Having missed his Toronto show in 2022 due to COVID, I am SO excited to finally get the chance to see him live.
On social media, Nam teased that he’ll be taking his upcoming album on the road with him.
“The most ambitious album of my life deserves an incredible tour with all of you,” he wrote.
FIFTY FIFTY in legal dispute with agency ATTRAKT
BREAKING THIS MORNING: The K-pop group behind the hit single “Cupid” are now in a legal dispute with their agency ATTRAKT.
The four members of the group said through their lawyer Wednesday that they have filed for an injunction to suspend the efficacy of their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT.
"The members were greatly disappointed and frustrated when the agency refused to pay attention to their voices, labeling their recent decision as an attempt by some outside forces to steal the group," said the lawyer, apparently referring to the group's decision to leave the agency. "The decision was made unanimously by the four members, acting independently and without any external intervention."
FIFTY FIFTY’s agency ATTRAKT announced this week that it is suing its former co-CEO Ahn Sung Il, also known as SIAHN.
Anh is the CEO of creative content development group The Givers.
In a statement, ATTRAKT said it has filed criminal complaints Ahn and three others for fraud, breach of duty and obstruction of business. The agency also allege Ahn committed “acts of fraud and obstruction of business including delaying the handover of work, deleting company email accounts, and deleting material related to past projects.”
“Furthermore, in the process of purchasing the song ‘Cupid’ from a foreign songwriter, The Givers did not provide ATTRAKT with information about the copyright purchase, and they secretly purchased the copyright in their or their company’s name without our knowledge,” the statement added.
These developments come after ATTRAKT announced last week it would be taking legal action against a then-unnamed outside party who had approached FIFTY FIFTY with the intention of making “poor judgment calls and sign contracts with them in violation of their valid publishing agreements with us.”
Warner Music Korea has since issued a statement denying the claims that it had attempted to poach members of FIFTY FIFTY, calling the allegations “groundless".
Meanwhile, FIFTY FIFTY will be releasing a new song called “Barbie Dreams" featuring American rapper Kali as part of the upcoming Barbie movie soundtrack.
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The FIFTY FIFTY situation is so messy. I feel so sad for them!