Written by Jacob Flores and Allurabella Chandler, Staff Writers
Lede
New Pop and K-Pop Releases
THE SIN : VANISH by ENHYPEN
This new and extremely anticipated album within the K-pop community has already been highly streamed and nominated for awards. ENHYPEN’s newest album named, THE SIN : VANISH, has been praised by many since its release on January 16, 2026. Their recent success is clear to see as they have won numerous nominations at popular Korean award shows, had a huge first day sales number, selling over 1.65 million copies, and topped charts in numerous countries. Their title track, “Knife”, is the lead single and sets a darker tone for this comeback. This song has been reviewed as thrilling, fun, and mysterious with its mixture of hip-hop, trap beats, and intense energy. It also has a music video where the seven members of this boy band are vampires on the run. Another song on their new track, “Stealer”, has been heavily praised for its uniqueness in K-pop. Described as a Latin-infused and an extremely thrilling alternative dance song with catchy fan chants. One of the other songs on this album, called “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, is a short and affectionate track where the singer/narrator comforts their partner during their intense escape as vampires in the music video. “Sleep Tight”, being the last song on their album, was a slower R&B song co-written by two of their members, Lee Heeseung and Jake. This song was a more tender pause to their intense chase as vampires; it captures a moment of rest amid the chaos. One of the most underrated songs on this album, “Lost Island”, contains a lighter and almost romantic mood, which was praised for adding more variety to the album. To conclude this musical and fantastical journey, “No Way Back (feat. So!YoON!)” is a dramatic alternative rock-influenced track that explains the music video’s vampires’ realization that they are unable to return back to their old lives. Despite the heavy topic, it still is adrenaline inducing and holds the listener in tension amongst beautiful vocals. Overall this album is a smashing success due to a narrative storytelling and energetic yet tender beats, giving us one of the most unique-sounding albums in the k-pop industry.
Internet Girl by KATSEYE
This single was also highly anticipated since the girl group Katseye had been performing for a few months before the official release. It is a hyperpop song that plays with internet culture, using terms such as “click” and “take a screenshot”. Katseye first performed this hot single live during their Beautiful Chaos tour in late 2025 before officially releasing it on January 2, 2026. It exploded onto the scene entering the Billboard Hot 100 at the 29th spot, charting higher than any of their songs on that billboard so far. It also made big waves on Spotify’s streaming charts, including top 10 in the U.S., and reached high global numbers as well. Although this release has been successful, the amount of backlash has been extreme for the six member girl group. Some fans did love the catchy and playful tone of the song, but many said that it was an extremely annoying song and that it sounded better when it was performed live. Despite the large amount of backlash from both online fans and haters, it seems like the point of the song did not come across well; the message of the group’s apathy to their online perception went over many people’s heads when listening to it. “What’s the word, what’s the word, I’m the internet girl”, were famous lyrics from this song, whilst having multiple viral videos of each of the members on the screen in the background while performing live. Besides the critique this song has gotten from many, a lot of people do see the song as a playful, self-aware twist on life online. It both celebrates and pokes fun at what it means to be constantly visible and judged in the digital world.
Old Releases From 1960’s – 2000
White Trails by Chris Rainbow
If you were looking for an album that has been deemed a hidden gem, Chris Rainbow’s White Trails would be at the top of the list. Released January 1st, 1979, White Trails was Rainbow’s third studio album that mixes choral arrangements with progressive rock resulting in an enjoyable pop experience. With the first track, “Love You Eternally”, shoots the listener straight into a soothing vocal mix with the catchy guitar, drums, and back and forth panning showing that they are in for a treat. The second track, “Don’t Take the Night Away”, then adds mellow and jazzy chords to the mix, making for an overwhelmingly satisfying listening experience. “Songs Of The Earth” brings an acoustic guitar to the table and differs from every other song on the album by mainly focusing on vocal choruses throughout the song’s bridges. It also talks about the environment’s degradation with lyrics such as the “rhythm of life [being] rearranged” and the “miracle of life [is] undone” further focusing on the earth’s and nature’s importance. “Be Like a Woman” is the fourth track and most notably Rainbow’s most popular song in his catalog, and he takes the simple topic of romance and longing and combines it into a progressive rock fusion of emotions. Whether it be its funky chorus, acoustic guitar and saxophone, or the story telling and emotion driven into the lyrics, “Be Like a Woman” does not hesitate to impress anyone who listens. “Ring Ring”, the fifth track on the album, is a song about a man yearning for a woman to pick up the phone as he is far from home and he does not know when he is returning. This emotional undertone makes for an engaging build up that brings the catchy chorus to life with Rainbow’s vocals and vibrant rock n roll guitar. “White Trials”, the self-titled and seventh track of the album, brings a harmonic chorus that almost resembles something similar to The Beach Boys but turns it around into a Latin-esque arrangement. Finally, the last song on the album, “In Love with Love”, depicts the different stages of love and the truth it holds deep down; from the beautiful vocals filled with passion to the heartwarming piano instrumental, “In Love with Love” closes off the album with a tender feeling and gives the listener a sense of fulfillment as the track ends. Although Rainbow never truly got the recognition he deserved on his solo projects, he was well known for being a part of bands such as Camel and The Alan Parsons Project. He passed away on the 22nd of February in 2015 but will forever be remembered as one of music’s most underrated artists. If you are looking for an album that truly does not miss from start to finish, White Trails by Chris Rainbow is the album for you.
Katy Lied by Steely Dan
When two perfectionists have artists be put to the test, Steely Dan’s Katy Lied is the album that was created for pure fulfillment. Released on January 1st, 1975, under ABC Records,Katy Lied was the fourth and first studio album after Steely Dan stopped touring, to be heavily focused on recording with a variety of studio musicians. With Steely Dan being notorious for their blues rock, Katy Lied differentiates itself from the other albums with the main switch of genre being to a more Jazz-Pop fusion. The first track Black Friday, already demonstrating the smooth and almost bold take for its taste, from its vibrant layback piano to the sarcastic vocals by Donald Fegan, Black Friday starts off the album with a sort of “ Bang”. The second track of the album, Bad Sneakers, brings a gentle piano tone and clean jazzy tone to a song reminiscing a nostalgic past about wearing “ bad “, worn-out sneakers in New York, while being stuck in the shallow depths of Los Angeles. Rose Darling, the third track of the album, brings a jazzy upbeat tone to the table, mixing Donald Fegan and Micheal McDonald’s Vocals together to sing a song about the cynical, yet surprisingly sincere, look for fleeting romance. The album continues with tracks such as Everyone’s Gone To The Movies, Chain Lightning, Daddy Don’t Live In New York City No More, andAny World ( That I’m Welcome To), with each track differing in their own unique hidden message and meaning while also having the classic Steely Dan sophisticated jazz. Doctor Wu, the fifth track on the album, tells the story of an uneasy relationship between a patient and doctor, with “katy” being a reference to an addiction of substance and “ doctor wu” being the figure or managing the user’s habit. Your Gold Teeth II, the seventh track of the album, is a continuation of the song Your Gold Teeth from Steely Dan’s previous album, Countdown To Ecstasy, and creates a whole new and improved experience compared to the first, mixing Denny Dias’s classic bebop guitar solo, and Donald Fegan’s soothing vocals to create a true masterpiece. Closing off the album, Throw Back The Little Ones, sums up the albums true message and meaning into a single song with the moral meaning being a sort of metaphor, describing the pursuit of success of a hustle, while discarding the weak who are in the way. Katy Lied will forever be known as one of the best Jazz-Rock albums of all time, and Steely Dan’s moral dark messages of sarcasm being the perfect example of true genius. If you’re looking for an album that is truly a masterpiece from top to bottom, Katy Lied by Steely Dan is the album for you.
Falling In Love Again – David Gates
Known for the hits such as Goodbye Girl to Never Let Her Go, and his involvement as leader of the band Bread, David Gates released his last solo album Falling In Love Again on January 1st, 1979. Released under Elektra Records, Falling In Love Again was not a major success, but more the less a moderate success falling into the “ underrated category”, but never judge a book by its cover as this album puts the Soft Rock genre to the test. With the first track Can I Call You already showing the theme and tone Gates would bring to this album, with groovy guitar solos, soothing vocals and an astonishing chorus, making a simple song about longing love into a more sort of rock fusion experience. The album Continues with songs such as Where Does the Lovin’ Go, 20th Century Man, She Was So Young, Starship Ride, Chingo, and Sweet Desire, with each song having an experience in itself, whether it being their groovy beats or switching from a subtle to a more pop tone. Silky, the fifth track on the album, is by far the best example of David Gates’ vision to make a sort of Pop Rock experience while having the soft rock tone in the mix. From its simple rhythm, to the slicked back vocals and instruments,Silky brings almost a happy experience when listening to it, making a simple song about “a woman who is refined” and turning it into a moment of satisfaction. Falling In Love Again, the albums sixth and self titled track, brings the more Mellow Rock genre more than anything else, differing from the upbeat and pop tone, and tells the story of a man who is rediscovering intense passion for a long term partner. Finally for the closing track, The Rainbow Song speaks for itself, A simple song about “finding the groove of the rainbow song” when you’re lost or down, mixing a catchy rhythm with an acoustic guitar for the finisher. Although Falling In Love Again was never a “smashing hit success” , David Gates will forever be remembered as one of the best Soft Rock songwriters of all time. If you’re looking for an album that can lighten up the mood, Falling In Love Again by David Gates is the album for you.