September 2026 K-Pop Roundup
I started this project knowing very well that not all K-pop is to my specific taste; in fact, a lot of it still isn’t. And there have definitely been months when I’ve struggled to pick something for each of my self-assigned categories because nothing grabbed me and insisted. But in September I had the opposite problem: too many releases caught and held my attention. That’s what the “elsewhere” section at the end of these posts is for, though, so, onward!
Group
Close Your Eyes, “Open Your Eyes”
Release
Ryu Sujeong, all the colors that i am
Solo
Jeon Soyeon, “I’m Gonna TOESA”
Like I said, many things grabbed me this month, but “Open Your Eyes” did something more like put me in a relentless headlock. Barring NMIXX dropping a perfect track on their upcoming EP (definitely a possibility!) “Open Your Eyes” is a strong contender for my top k-pop release of 2026. Last year I wrote that CYE’s Eternalt was “one of the most artistically cohesive and consistent debut EPs I’ve encountered in K-pop” — and what’s really remarkable is that this is still true, despite how sonically striking “Open Your Eyes” and the rest of The 256th Note are. The thrilling injection of jazz and funk into this EP doesn’t change the group’s signature fundamentals: the clean, spacious production is still present, as are the singable group choruses and buoyant grooves.
Another masterfully conceived and executed release this month came from Ryu Sujeong, whose EP all the colors that i am is a hidden gem of lofi pop. Mixing short, conceptually concise tracks like “Lucky Charms” and “Birthday Cake” with more substantial (though still minimalist) songs like “Diamond” and “Shoulda Woulda Coulda,” Sujeong guides the listener through what feels like a mix of raw internal monologue and self-affirmation. She doesn’t have a powerhouse voice, but her ability to inflect her delivery with subtle, textually appropriate fry, whines, and cracks is compelling and makes the whole album feel even more intimate. And the closing track, “Friendly Fire,” with its watery electric guitars and distorted drums (and a tiny musical nod to “A Day in the Life,” I think?), hits the aughts indie-rocker in me just right.
I think I took Soyeon’s solo album What A Wonderful Life (끝내주는 인생 or literally “An Amazing Life” in Korean) a little for granted on my first listen. The closing tracks, “Would You Love Me” and “Goodbye Romance” charmed me, and I appreciated the stylistic diversity she was able to flex in the album’s middle stretch (including the hilarious “Hate Veggie Song,” which I feel in my soul), but the title track “I’m Gonna TOESA” didn’t quite connect. Until I watched the music video, and was reminded that Soyeon is an auteur. I’m not a crier, but there’s a moment after the bridge that gets me in the same place as this scene in Barbie — maybe I’m a basic bitch feminist, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t power in an empowered woman. So yeah, I tear up a little when Soyeon declares:
Even if the day comes when I regret it
I’ll just call it romance
I’ll become a romantic halmeoni*
And whenever I look back on this day I’ll remember
It was a romantic day
*older woman/grandmother
Elsewhere so much to say! Chungha surprised with a comeback single entirely in Spanish and English; ichillin’ j had a fun subunit debut; Kevin Moon from The Boyz went indie and solo with a very solid triple single; boy group trio In A Minute released a really excellent studio album and I discovered that their main vocalist, Juntae, has a 2nd-gen K-pop voice; K-pop’s first Deaf group, Big Ocean, brought disability rep AND sexy back; Y:SY (formerly of fromis_9) also delivered aughts indie vibes on her EP Goodies; Oneus got the full-group comeback they deserve with the hookup anthem “Say Yes”; and Lunedi (formerly known as gone-too-soon girl group Weeekly’s Monday) defied industry odds with her debut pop-rock EP.
