June 2026 K-Pop Roundup
Solo
Kim So-hee, “Slow It Down”
Group
Fifty Fifty, “Took It Too Far”
Release
STAYC, 2:Love
There were many quite decent singles and EPs from soloists in June, but the one that stuck out most to me was the delightful “Slow It Down” from Kim So-hee, who has been hustling on the fringes of the k-pop industry for a decade now. Her career started with a promising run on the hit survival show Produce 101, which led to her debut with the spin-off project group IBI. She then joined new agency n.CH’s quirky girl group Nature in 2019, but that group’s fanbase remained small, niche, and mostly confined to Japan, which was especially disappointing considering k-pop’s explosion in the global west at the time. They silently – and then not so silently – disbanded in 2022 (and then again in 2024), and So-hee went on to form the trot duo Atlantis Kitsune with Japanese singer Kanou Miyou. But they only released one single in summer 2024, and then…silence. So the fact that So-hee, now in her early 30s (ancient in k-pop terms!) kept going and released this little gem of an EP in 2026 – I’m just so impressed. 화이팅, So-hee!
I absolutely love the title track (“Like a Bubble”) of this latest EP from Fifty Fifty, but the b-side “Took It Too Far” tickles my specific brain a bit more directly, so I’m choosing to highlight it here. A well-executed “anti-chorus” seems to always hit for me, and this one has such delicious builds and drops and such effectively delivered vocals. After a controversial and rocky start it feels like Fifty Fifty has managed to reset with panache – and I credit that to the skill and hard work of these five young women.
Honestly it’s hilarious of HighUp to call 2:Love a “single album.” There are four full tracks, which is more than some k-pop “EP”s (if you want a five-track minimum for some reason, throw in a remix and call it a day!). And all four songs are a well-deserved return to form for STAYC, who had an unbelievable string of bangers in the first two years of their career but have recently been…inconsistent. Their skill as performers hasn’t flagged, though, so it’s always satisfying when they’re given material worthy of their abilities. The title track is exactly the sort of pop confection that they execute best, and the b-sides are even better. Personally I’m drawn to “Where You At,” which opens with a bright, attention-catching string sample, the kind of thing I am powerless to resist.
Elsewhere: Shinee’s comeback is perfect, actually; the new Riize EP is cute and fun; I remain devastated that RBW could only muster up a single track for the Mamamoo reunion but at least it’s good; the wait for Classy’s return was worth it; the Vernon/The8 subunit is both not at all my usual thing and very charming and well-executed; I continue to be intrigued by nugu girl group Uspeer; Dodree’s first comeback is also perfect, actually; BOYNEXTDOOR’s first full album is a goddamn delight, as expected; Ateez’s latest is consistent with their discography but works better for me than anything else they’ve put out (with the punny exception of “Work”); and ONF’s post-label-breakup EP is excellent through and through and the lead single “Open the Door” is a perfect sequel to their career high “Bye My Monster” (2024).
