#EDM 2018

[babbimetal]

NEW OUTFITS NEW OUTFITS NEW OUTFITS NEW OUTFITS AHHH NEW ERA IS COMING UP QUICK

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: May 18, 2018

Lyrics:

I got big plans, but none of them feel like mine (yeah)

And I miss days where I used to feel like me (you know)

'Cause I've been trapped in all the freedom

Throw my heart up at the ceiling

I take another drink, so I can kill the voice of reason

I got big plans, but none of them feel like mine (too much is too much)

You know

Uh, been fighting my demons, but they ain't fighting fair

But I keep saying, "Everything's alright, I swear"

All alone in a dark space, ain't no light in there

What's fucked up is I might actually like it there

Pouring everything on this paper my pen is on

Feel like I'm breaking in places they put the pressure on

I'm the one in my circle they all depending on

To do it though, I need these drugs I've become dependent on

Someone tried to confront me, now we don't get along

In my business, they tripping on what I'm sipping on

They can't reach the pedestal that my head is on

But truthfully, I've been breaking down, just finally letting on

Oh, I'm in the middle of a breakdown, baby (uh, you know)

I need you, I need you (I got you)

Oh, I'm in the middle of a storm now, baby

I need you, I need you to come over (I got you)

Tell me this'll be over (uh)

Over soon now (yeah)

Oh, I'm in the middle of a breakdown, baby

I need you (I got you), I need you right

Uh, crowded space, but I feel alone

Eyes on me, all the time, in the judgement zone

Somewhere on the road, fucked up, but I'm missing home

No rest for the wicked, where could I put a pillow on

Anywhere, feel misunderstood, they try to patronize

They judging my ways, but won't empathize

You couldn't walk in my shoes, I'm not telling lies

Since 21, I've been running a whole enterprise

Provide for too many people, I can't jeopardize

But I've been breaking in half to two separate lives

Mr. Hyde just died looking into Jekyll's eyes

I start becoming somebody I can't recognize

Oh, I'm in the middle of a breakdown, baby (uh, you know)

I need you, I need you (I need you too)

Oh, I'm in the middle of a storm now, baby

I need you, I need you to come over (I got you)

Tell me this'll be over (uh)

Over soon now (yeah)

Oh, I'm in the middle of a breakdown, baby

I need you (aye), I need you right (whoo, uh)

Oh, I, I need you (I got you)

Oh, I, I need you (I got you)

To come over, tell me this'll be over

Over soon now (yeah)

Oh, I'm in the middle of a breakdown, baby

I need you, I need you right (I got you)

Songwriter:

I got big plans, but none of them feel like mine (you know)

And I miss days where I used to feel like me

Jay Stolar / Gerald Gillum / Caroline Pennell / Dakari Gwitira / Martin Hardie Coogan / Sean Cameron Meier / Demetria Lovato

SongFacts:

👉📖

[p1325]

#fanvidfeed #pogo #remix #theincredibles #theincredibles2 #pixar #edm #smuffy #pixar #disney100 #viddingisart 

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Song: The Incredibles 2 Remix

 Artist: Smuffy

[sin-aesthetic-music]

2019 was a hell of a year

So glad I went to rehab haha and so glad I dedicated myself to my music so heavily, spending every night in the studio till sunrise

Rest in peace Luca, you were a hell of a gal, and I'm glad we got to spend so many good times together.

[snonkerdoodlefizzy221b]

NAH FR

Kinda jealous of people who like pop music. Their favourite artists release a new album every few months and they keep obsessing over it meanwhile we electronic music listeners just get a song every few weeks and that too is a 25% chance that we'll like it coz edm listeners are too picky for music

[black-dresses-band-fan]

A Guide to Black Dresses (Band)

Who are Black Dresses?

Black Dresses is a Canadian musical band, formed by two women, Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, who are both artists on their own.

The band was formed in 2017, following their first ever single - Paper Planes (cover of MIA). 

Devi and Ada started the Black Dresses project when they were friends, however they're currently in a relationship and implied to be married to each other.

They started the Black Dresses project, as a form of venting, and did not expect to blow up in the slightest. However, following the release of their debut album - WASTEISOLATION, they gained attention of the internet. With their unique sound palette, dark and vulnerable content of the lyrics, and general surrounding of enigmatic no-name artists, they started to quickly follow with underground cult following. 

Gaining much praise, getting a score of 9 out of 10 from Anthony Fantano, and especially, becoming viral over the song "IN MY MOUTH".

Unfortunely the band diss-banded after harassment that Devi received from the internet users after they found her online presence and internet footprint. Both Ada and Devi didn't really like the attention they gathered. So in 2020, they stopped making new material. But did in fact release old unreleased stuff all up to 2022.

In 2023 they announced working on their 7th album and making new music. Releasing more singles and uploading little snippets on them working. Confirming that way that they're a band once again.

The musical style

Black Dresses musical style is based on mixing a lot of genres. As an underground artists, Black Dresses are influenced by a lot of lesser known styles and genres coming from the outsider world of music. 

You cannot really explain their sound in simple words, but i'll try. Their genre is often described as "Noise Pop", but they're much more than that.

I'll try to describe their general sound, but i will go into more details following the guide's part about each individual album.

Most of all, Black Dresses are an electronic band, they do use real life instruments, mostly guitars and drums, but it's mostly electronical elements.

Black Dresses mixes elements of Pop, Industrial, Noise, EDM, Rock, and are mostly described as extremely experimental.

To lesser extent they also use hip-hop, ambience, metal, glitch, synth, and screamo.

Their vocals are rather amateur, which shouldn't really scare you, as it just adds to the charm. They're also notable for their usage of screaming vocals.

Themes of Black Dresses 

TRIGGER WARNING: CSA, Abuse.

The main themes of Black Dresses music are:

Mental suffering,

Living with mental ilness - such like depression or severe anxiety,

Coping with trauma - mostly from their childhood, and the sexual abuse they went trough from the hands of adults in their life.

Healing from those experiences, seeing hope in the future.

And environmentalism - raising awareness about the issues of global warming and pollution.

But there's ofcourse many more songs that don't follow these themes. 

Black Dresses often get accused of being "edgy", however you shouldn't perceive them like that. Their music is full of real struggles that both Devi and Ada are going trough. They do NOT romanticize or fetishize the themes of their music, nor they sugarcoat it or exaggerate it. 

Not to mention their music is full of hope for better tomorrow and wanting to improve, giving it all a positive message.

Release guide

2018 - WASTEISOLATION: Their debut album, definitely the darkest in terms of themes. Essential for every fan of the band, the best place to start. Mostly lighter in sound, doesn't incorporate as much noise as following releases.

Really accessible for newcommers.

2018 - HELL IS REAL EP: A 5 five song EP making a bridge between WASTEISOLATION and THANK YOU. It's a bit moodier than the previous project, but also it's a place where Black Dresses started to use more screaming vocals and noise elements.

2019 - THANK YOU: Second album, much more surreal in the sound palette, much noiser and more electronic. Black Dresses at this point got a little less personal in their lyricism.

2019 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2019: A sequel to their first ever project together, DREAMS COME TRUE 2017 which i'll mention later. It follows 3 WASTEISOLATION songs re-made and re-worked. As well as one brand new song.

2019 - LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES: Black Dresses (succesful) attempt at poppier sound. Much less crowded instrumentals and simpler, catchier beats. Doesn't belittle their noise elements and screaming ofcourse! 

2020 - Peacefull as Hell: Black Dresses most popular album after WASTEISOLATION, got an extremely positive review from Fantano and semi-blow up on the internet. A fan favourite.

Black Dresses production got more professional. 

The sound is much lighter and goes into the direction of electronic pop rock.

2021 - Forever in Your Heart: Black Dresses heaviest project to date. Ada and Devi at their most industrial and metal. A lot of screaming and noise. Another fan favourite.

2022 - Forget Your Own Face: Their latest album, as for the time of writing this guide. Their most disorganised project (which was intentional), full of distortions and noise and screams. It was a surprise release and is made from re-made unreleased material going as back as 2019. It contains some of fan favourite songs.

Other notable work:

2017 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2017: First ever released collaboration between Ada and Devi, a short 4 song EP.

2017 - LETHAL POISON FOR THE SYSTEM: A 3 song EP in collaboration with 99Jakes and Laura Les - a member of 100 GECS. Includes first single Under Black Dresses name.

2018 - CRUSH: Single, a cover of Tessa Violet.

2020 - 745 Sticky Remix: Black Dresses remix of 100 Gecs song that ended up on the official 100 Gecs remix album.

2023 - Shines: Single, a collaboration between the band Purity Ring and Black Dresses.

Merch and how to support them

Black Dresses ocassionally releases their albums on cassettes, however they were all limited and are currently unavaible. No official CDs or Vinyls were ever made.

You can buy at any time Black Dresses hoodies or T-shirts on https://black-dresses-merch-store.creator-spring.com/

(Ada also sells her merch on that)

You can buy their albums over Black Dresses bandcamp, or support them directly trough Patreon.

You can also contact Devi or Black Dresses trough an e-mail and show your support with words!

black.squares.media@gmail.com

blackdresses666@gmail.com

 (Please do not send this e-mail to anybody who could harass them) 

That's all, i hope you'll have a wonderful time listening to our gals! :DD

Black Dresses Extended Universe Guide

What's that? You're interested in checking out Ada's and Devi's solo stuff? Well, it might be much more confusing or interesting than you think, in fact, it's a whole rabbit hole. So let me introduce you to, what i like to call, the "Black Dresses Extended Universe" (BDEU or simply BDU). 

BDU is a collective of every side-project, nickname under which one of the girls released music, or any other band that contains either Ada or Devi.

Ada Rook's side of EU

Let's start with Ada Rook, since there's a little bit less going around her.

Ada started releasing her music in 2015, following her first OST for her game (as she's a game dev), and her first EP in 2016 "void memory".

Ada used the nickname "rooksfeather" or simply "rook", however after the release of "Parasite" she started using her full name.

Ada's solo discography follows 8 EPs, 4 Soundtracks, and 6 albums. 7th one on the way 

Her musical style is similar to Black Dresses, but more into industrial and rock side of things. Her older music used much more ambience and was darker, moodier. Her recent style incorporates much more screaming and poppier sound. However, in case similar to Black Dresses, each album have it own distinct sound. 

She also released one album with an artist called Deathirl, "DEATH IN REAL LIFE" and it's extremely rare media, not even listed on RYM. However reuploads of it exists.

She have one Alter-ego, called "Crisis Sigil" Under which she's doing extreme grindcore. Crisis Sigil released 2 EPs and 1 Album.

Ada is also a part of 2 other bands beside of Black Dresses,

"rook&nomie" is a collaboration between Ada and ESPer99, they released 2 albums. Their style is much more poppier than anything else that Ada does.

"Angel Electronics" is a fresh new band formed by Ada and Ash Nerve. They're doing power electronic rock, and their sound is more joyful. They released 1 album so far.

Notable Ada Rook releases:

"Shed Blood" by Rook

"Parasite" by Rook,

"2,020 Knives" by Rook,

"UGLY DEATH" by Rook,

"Rookie's Bustle EP" by Rook,

"GOD CUM POLTERGEIST" by Crisis Sigil,

"ULTRA PARADISE" by Angel Electronics,

"Superego Royal Jelly" by rook&nomie

Devi McCallion's side of EU

Wow, we are in for a heck of a ride... Oh well,

Devi started releasing her music since the age of 15, however most of it is probably lost media at this point. She's putting music out on her own label - Blacksquares, Under many different alliases and side projects, i'll talk about each one later.

Devi's style is mostly indie pop, influenced by sub-genres like dream pop, synthpop, ElectroPop and simply underground pop.

Her music is often simplistic and cartoony, but it's hard to explain her signature style in words. 

But it's worth checking out.

Devi rarely releases anything Under her real life name, mostly singles. But she did release 2 albums Under her real name together with Katie Dey, mixing production of both girls. 

Devi used many different nicknames trough her career, such like Dizzy Girl, Devi April McCallion, Vriska Serket, Walking Patriarchy and The Little Fears, however all of these names aren't connected to any specific releases, as far as im aware (Devi's music is a huge Rabbit Hole, full of lost media and rare material).

It's also worth mentioning that she released a compilation of her unreleased material Under the name "Blacksquares", it's titled "LIFE IS HELL (ASMR)".

Okay, so now we are going to talk about each one of her musical projects. We'll start with 4 of the most essential ones, then the more obscure ones, and we'll finish it all with Devi's other bands beside Black Dresses.

1. EAT BABIES? - A name she really doesn't like to be assiocated with, so it's better to treat this project as a fun fact, rather than the core of her career. EAT BABIES? was her first ever project (that we are awere of) Under which she released 2 albums and 2 EPs. It was much more amateur than what she's used to do now. And she doesn't like to associate this project with herself due of the fact she was much different person back then. 

2. Mom - is her second most popular nickname. It was her primary stage name for a long time untill 2015 when she came out with "Girl Rituals".

Mom released 5 albums. And semi-blow up with a song titled "joyfulthought". Mom is a time when Devi really started to work on her pop sound and signature style. 

3. Cats Millionaire - the third most popular Devi project. Cats Millionaire was active from 2011 to 2013. Released 2 albums, 4 EPs and 2 mixtapes. 

Cats Millionaire is characteristic for overall theme of My Little Pony, since Devi used to be a brony. The lyrics and aesthetic are all about MLP. The sound was much more soothing and toned-down than most of Devi's releases.

4. Girls Rituals - Devi's current main allias and her most important project that's still active from 2015 to this day. Under that name Devi released most of her music, and she really perfected and evolved her pop sound with each and every release. Beside of many singles, she released 2 EPs (one with Ada, one with 4lung, however the second one is since deleted because of the 4lung allegations), 1 remix album, 1 instrumental album, and 5 albums. With "Reddishness" being Girls Rituals fan favourite release.

Now, Let's get over every other side project.

10 Chains - only one instrumental album have been released. It's noise/ambience.

Doro Doro Dono/More Bears- Just one single released each for two of these projects,

traptraptrap - 2009. one album released. Despite the name, it's her usual pop stuff.

Triangle Giant - named after one of Devi's bands, only one EP released. ElectroPop.

Yellow Bile - 3 EPs released. Usual pop stuff. One of the EPs are lost media.

Tiny Magnesium - Really obscure stage name for her usual pop sound. 2 short albums released.

Leader Misty - Pokemon themed 2008 project, one instrumental album.

Holographic Rainbow - Only the soundtrack to the discontinued web comic (of the same name) have been released.

Hexi Wing - name she used to release her self-spoken erotic fan-fiction. You're probably not interested in that 👀.

Now, last but not least, Devi's multiple bands before and after Black Dresses.

Dr. Massive and The Headwound Extravaganza - was a 2008 electronic band that released mostly covers of rock songs. Only one album have been released and the band is 100% discontinued right now. Devi was responsible for programming, drums and vocals. There also were

Mike Will Smith - percussion and vocals,

Allan Burke - synthesizer and vocals, 

Jonathan Oscar Cianni - programming, bass,

And Sensitive Bear - bass and vocals.

Unfortunely i couldn't find any info about the band members.

Giant Triangle - A band where Devi used to do vocals from 2008 to 2016, the band had a lot of members that went and go, but it seems their only official release is an 2020 EP. Usual electronic and pop.

The Various Endeavors? - a 2009 band who's appearently still active? They released one synth punk album, and a compilation of unreleased tracks in 2021. John Bevier and Tyler Bruce are in the band along-side Devi.

VCF Freq - A collaboration between Devi and Boy Pussy, they're doing minimal techno. They're Technically still active but their only 2020 EP dissapeared from any streamings. It's thankfully archived on Soulseek.

Anarchy 99 - A collaboration between Devi and So Drove, they're doing electronic pop rock. They're still active from 2020 and actually release new material consistantly. A couple of singles have been released and one album.

Notable Devi  McCallion releases:

'Self-titled" by Mom,

"3" by Mom,

"Fun Fun Fun" by Cats Millionaire,

"Reddishness" by Girls Rituals,

"Im Desperate" by Girls Rituals,

"CRAP SHIT" by Girls Rituals,

"Cow" by Girls Rituals,

"Rockstar Super Heat" by Anarchy 99,

And that's all there is to BDU ;)) have fun Discovering it! ❤️

[19871997]

NHL CAPTAINS TRIVIA !

OLDEST: Alex Ovechkin - WSH (39), drafted 2004 YOUNGEST: Rasmus Dahlin - BUF (24), drafted 2018 AVG. AGE: 31.5 AVG. DRAFT: 2010.7

LONGEST TENURED: Sidney Crosby - PIT (6354 days, named captain 31st May, 2007) SHORTEST TENURED: Jordan Eberle - SEA (14 days, named captain 8th October, 2024) AVG. TENURE: 1527 days

HIGHEST DRAFT POSITION: Rasmus Dahlin - BUF, Nico Hischier - NDJ, Auston Matthews - TOR, Connor McDavid - EDM, Sidney Crosby - PIT, Alex Ovechkin - WSH (1st overall) LOWEST DRAFT POSITION: Mark Stone - VGK (178th overall) AVG. DRAFT POSITION: 33rd

TALLEST: Victor Hedman - TBL (6'5) SHORTEST: Brad Marchand - BOS, Jared Spurgeon - MIN (5'9) AVG. HEIGHT: 6'1

HEAVIEST: Victor Hedman - TBL (245 lb) LIGHTEST: Jared Spurgeon - MIN (166 lb) AVG. WEIGHT: 205 lb

MOST THICK: Alex Ovechkin - WSH (3.17 lb/in) LEAST THICK: Nico Hischier - NJD (2.40 lb/in) AVG. THICKNESS: 2.79 lb/in

MOST GAMES PLAYED: Alex Ovechkin - WSH (1430) LEAST GAMES PLAYED: Quinn Hughes - VAN (370) AVG. GAMES PLAYED: 829

MOST POINTS: Sidney Crosby - PIT (1602) LEAST POINTS: Radko Gudas - ANA (182) AVG. POINTS: 624

MOST POINTS PER GAME: Connor McDavid - EDM (1.518) LEAST POINTS PER GAME: Radko Gudas - ANA (0.242) AVG. POINTS PER GAME: 0.750

Notes: Sean Couturier - PHI was named captain on Valentine's Day, 2024. Quinn Hughes was named captain on the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. Sidney Crosby is the only remaining player to have been named captain in the 2000s.

Source

[nuge]

after his first shutout since 2018

calvin pickard | EDM v. CHI | 01.25.2024

[butchered-icarian]

Alle tanzten mit dem Tod / Everybody danced with Death.

"Brothers, he who dies here dies in the radiance of the future, and we are entering a tomb all flooded with dawn."

or,

Enjolras & Death at the Barricade.

Commission was done by @pufferfishartblogorsth

Inspired by this performance of Martin Pasching (Enjolras) and Uwe Kroeger (Javert) at Les Mis Berlin 2004, reenacting their roles as Crown Prince Rudolf (Martin Pasching) and der Tod/Death (Uwe Kroeger) in Elisabeth das Musical.

Model for Enjolras is David Jakob (Enjolras in Les Mis Tecklenburg 2018) and Mark Seibert (der Tod in EdM, various productions)

Pose reference is this picture of Oliver Arno as der Tod and Thomas Hohler as Rudolf in EdM Antwerp 2009

[linasrant]

how to silence the voices in your head: a SKZ music review

The living always seems to resurface, and here I am sharing my latest obsession: the loud, unapologetic music from Stray Kids.

These boys are the reason I’m falling deeper into K-pop, and I’m here to tell you why. So, grab your headphones (and maybe a guitar), and let me show you why Stray Kids are easily one of the most sensational gen 4 K-pop groups.

First off, a little disclaimer: I come from a massive pop-punk background—cue my love for 5SOS and Fall Out Boy—but I started diving into K-pop recently with the release of Jungkook’s album "Golden" (shoutout to Jack Harlow and Latto for their incredible features).

But how did SKZ end up as my ultimate favorite?

At first, I wasn’t really into their music, it felt too noisy. But over time, it grew on me. As someone who loves running and cardio, their high-energy tracks are the perfect workout fuel, and now, I’m hooked. What makes their music stand out is how creative and unique it is, for example, "Back Door" uses actual knocking sounds, while "Domino" incorporates the domino effect into the instrumental. Those little details give their songs such a magical touch. Stray Kids fully embrace their “loud and noisy” identity, and their album NOEASY (NOISY) proves that this is the path they’re owning.

Their music videos? Insane. The anime-inspired, futuristic visuals are chaotic yet mesmerizing—a total sensory overload in the best way. For a “newer” K-pop group (they had their debut back in 2018), their genre-switching is impressive, but I have to say their rap-heavy tracks (We Go and Chk Chk Boom) and EDM anthems (MIROH and Road Not Taken) are my personal faves. Their producer/rapper unit, 3RACHA, is insanely talented, and it’s refreshing to see them write and produce their own music.

Special shoutout to my aussie boy Felix! His deep voice is otherworldly, and it adds so much texture and emotion to every song, it literally reverberates through my whole body every time i hear it.

If I had to pick a favorite song, it’d be "Drive" from their album SKZ-REPLAY. This album brings together all their b-sides in one place, and the lyricism is top-tier. Their rap lines are so well-constructed, and the lyrics that hit me the hardest come from the Maxident album, with the song "3RACHA":

"They always say the same excuses, while they're complaining, we're producing."

I deeply relate to this because I believe in hard work and shaping our own futures, (also, what a diss track my boys were COOKIN). I’m so grateful for the energy and creativity Stray Kids bring to the music industry, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

PS: Don’t forget to stream their new album GIANT. It’s packed with major pop-punk vibes and some incredible Christmas tracks. Stay safe, and see you next time! <3

[gaykey]

ok OK - this could be real controversial opinion

not to gatekeep, and not at all to say that newer fans opinions are not valid

however

it kinda rubs me the wrong way when i see shawols that discovered shinee 2018 and onwards talk about hard and how 'this isn't shinee'

because yes, you might have totally consumed every single piece of their music from their debut until present but

you weren't there for the fan recations

we've had this before

people thought 'why so serious?' didn't sound like shinee - too much rock, so noisy, too weird

people thought 'everybody' didn't sound like shinee - edm? electronic? too noisy, doesn't fit their image

'tell me what to do' was a bit of a controversial title track - too slow, how can they dance to this?, anti climactic

all this is par for the course with shinee

and i'm not saying it means you have to like hard, or any of these tracks, but, in my opinion, it is very much shinee. not necessarily in genre, but in intent.

it's what they do

[zot3-flopped]

I think the biggest issue for Liam is that from the very beginning of 1D he was at his ceiling. His skill set was the exact same at the end of 1D as it was on day one. Whereas Harry just got stratospherically better, and Zayn, Niall and even Louis all improved on where they started, Liam just maintained. His stability and competence were really needed at the beginning of the band, but he had already peaked.

So while Harry is superstar status, and Niall, Zayn and Louis have all had varying degrees of success, there was really nowhere for Liam to go. Combine that with mental health and substance abuse issues and he’s become the embarrassing brother in the family. Hanging on to the others success, floundering, speaking out of school in interviews, and basically looking like an idiot.

Liam has nowhere to go. If you watch early 1D, then compare it to the end, he is exactly the same. And I think he knows it, so we get the psychotic videos and the cringeworthy public appearances at old band mates concerts.

Very interesting theory.

If I'd been managing Liam's career I'd have capitalised on the success of Strip That Down by getting him to release an album of Ibiza pool party anthems in July 2017. EDM, rnb, hip hop lite, no cheesy ballads. There was still enough interest in all the 1d men in 2017 for it to sell okay, much better than LP1 anyway. Maybe 100k debut.

Liam should then have embarked on a tour of theatres just like Niall did. Instead, his career halted in 2018 and he descended into alcoholism.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Mention of riize made me want to pick your brain on the current state of kpop. I find the longevity of the 3rd gen boy group popularity fascinating, given how things were for the generations previous. What do you think might be behind the dearth of 4th gen bg kpop musics resonating with the korean public?

I don't live in korea, so I can't comment on the lived realities of music consumption in the country. Given your experiences and music expertise, I'd love to hear your thoughts! My understanding is that 4th gen bg music was not an easy listening experience and the public was turned off by the burning sun scandal??

***

“What do you think might be behind the dearth of 4th gen bg kpop musics resonating with the korean public”

BTS.

And the specific reasons why are linked to a couple other factors.

BTS is still pretty much a wall, even for 5th gen groups. K-pop generations typically last about 7 years, both tied to contracts and the typical life cycle of previous star idols at their peaks. For example, GDragon / BigBang was very popular from 2012 to 2018, for Girls Generation their peak years were 2009 to 2015. Both groups are active till today but even during their peaks, in 2015 and 2018, BTS was out charting both groups.

BTS is ~2 years into their hiatus and halfway through completing their military service and yet, nobody is anywhere near their critical acclaim and charting performance. Like, nowhere in the vicinity.

Like I keep saying, the biggest determinant for BTS’s success is their music. We know K-pop or ‘idol music’ in general is a somewhat niche space in Korea (Korea has its regular pop singers like Gaho, Junny, or Jimmy Brown who certainly aren’t traditional k-pop), but one reason BTS has had the widest appeal to the Korean gp is the quality of their music and lyrics. This is something I’ve talked about before so I won’t go into it lol, but on that note, it brings me to one of the factors I said was linked above.

That factor is song choice. A lot of 4th gen groups have never once not snorted the EDM garbage. You know the ones, the groups who have two hammers: dubstep and trap (EDM), and who see everything as a nail. And that’s before we get into the frankly atrocious writing. Some songs are great to jam out to mindlessly in the gym or the club, but there’s no real substance to it. In my opinion. I also think songs like that have limited (obvious) appeal for the Korean public (with time and exposure therapy they’ll learn to tolerate it).

I think it’s been clear for a long time that most 4th gen boy groups have had to rely on other tools besides music to build up their fanbases. But those kinds of tools result in an increase in dedicated fan girls, not gp support which is what BTS and most girl groups enjoy. And again, a big reason for that is song choice.

Which is why 5th gen boy groups are doing more actual consumable music (thank you NewJeans), groups like Riize, ZB1, TWS, and BOYNEXTDOOR, are making waves and charting higher than Stray Kids or Ateez ever have.

The one leg-up those 4th boy groups have though, is their performance credibility and experience. And that’s what’s going to lead to the resurgence of 4th gen boy groups this year. I actually expect 2024 to be the best year ever for 4th gen boy groups, a modest reversal to the trend so far of the girl groups far outperforming the boys. NewJeans will dwarf everyone else, but overall boy groups in 4th gen will close the gap compared to their peers, in 2024. Ateez and Enhypen (performance juggernauts), Stray Kids and TXT (solid soundscape), The Boyz and P1Harmony (for the really cool kids) will be groups to watch for.

This year is critical for most boy groups because it’s their last chance to gain significant ground with k-pop fan girls (including ARMYs), before BTS comes back.

Because once BTS returns, that wall goes back up reinforced and mutated… it’s going to be so crazy lol.

[maeumverse]

MAGIC GIRL (마법소녀, stylized as MAGiC☆GiRL) is a fictional, independent underground idol group. The group was formed in 2016 by members SHII and ERA while they were in high school. Later in the year, KOKO and MIYU joined the group through an online audition. They were active for two years before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2018. 

Inspired by similar underground idol groups in Japan, such as BiS and You'll Melt More!, the group aimed to promote themselves and their music through social media and live shows. They were mostly active through their YouTube channel and the members’ personal Instagrams. Their debut single, the EDM track IDOL☆BERSERKER was fully composed, written, and arranged by Shii and Era. In 2017, they began performing at small live venues. They built a reputation for themselves for their magical girl concept in which the members transformed from ordinary students into magical idols. They were also known for performing the same song over and over in a single show and forcing the audience to sing the chorus in a call and response manner until the group deemed it satisfactory. These performances would often run over their allotted time slots, and they were banned from multiple venues before 2018.

Though they released original music, the group's covers were better received with a few of their YouTube videos going viral. They were known for covering just about every popular cute kpop girl group song and the biggest hits from Japanese idol groups. Despite being out of sync and/or out of tune more often than not, their passion for performing helped them gain a small audience.

In 2018, Magic Girl announced their hiatus. Shii and Era were graduating high school, and they had decided it was time for them to move on. The group never officially disbanded, with the members often posting individually about their hopes for the group to reunite. Six years later, those hopes have yet to come true. Over time, the four members individually resurfaced in the entertainment industry. 

While in university, Shii and Era formed the producer duo RHYTHMAGIC. After putting out a few demo tracks and producing no more than two songs for a kpop group, they became the newest in-house producers of C ENTERTAINMENT in 2023. 

Koko participated in GIRLS PLANET 999 as an independent trainee. She ended in seventeenth place and later debuted in duo TIME FOR THE STARS, also under C Entertainment, in 2023. The duo released only one single before disbanding. Since then, she's returned to Japan and joined a few other underground idol groups under her birth name, NAUSICAA.

Miyu began to stream herself playing video games not long after the announcement of Magic Girl’s hiatus. She quickly expanded into just chatting streams and IRL streams and once, chess streams, which helped her gain a larger online following that easily eclipsed Magic Girl’s. Nothing more would be heard from her until her participation in the survival show DREAM QUEST in 2024.

MEMBERS

Shin ‘SHII’ Yedam / b. 1999, leader + center, red

Jang ‘ERA’ Haera / b. 1999, blue

Suzuki ‘KOKO’ Nausicaa / b. 1998, white

Yang ‘MIYU’ Chunja / b. 2001, purple

DISCOGRAPHY

IDOL☆BERSERKER (2016)

FAVORITE☆DAYS (2017)

PERFECT☆CHOICE (2018)

NOTABLE COVERS

CHEER UP ☆ originally by TWICE

TT ☆ originally by TWICE

SIGNAL ☆ originally by TWICE

GEE ☆ originally by SNSD

OH ☆ originally by SNSD

NO NO NO ☆ originally by APINK

HEAVY ROTATION ☆ originally by AKB48

CATCH YOU CATCH ME ☆ originally by GUMI

CONNECT ☆ originally by CLARIS

YUME NANTE ☆ originally by YOU’LL MELT MORE!

DEN DEN PASSION ☆ originally by DEMPAGUMI.INC

MOONLIGHT DENSETSU ☆ originally by DALI