We hope our THP hive has been enjoying all the end-of-year content so far, from music rewinds to book rankings! Now, we hope you’re ready for the December K-Pop Hotspot, the final roundup of K-Pop comebacks and debuts of 2025!
Don’t let the end of the year keep you from updating your holiday playlists! There are plenty of new festive songs and records for you to spread the cheer. Have you been keeping up? Check out our comeback reviews for Stray Kids and JURIN ASAYA from XG. Let’s jump right in to our December K-Pop comebacks!
TAEYEON
We could not think of a better person to kick off our December K-Pop Hotspot than Queen Taeyeon. What do you get when you have the single best solo discography in K-Pop? A legendary compilation album filled with all the hits and no skips! Panorama : The Best of TAEYEON absolutely filled our hearts with our favorite Taeyeon tracks and a new song. In the title track ‘Panorama,’ Taeyeon sings a comforting rock ballad that chronicles her acceptance of the past and moving forward. We’re in it for the long haul, so here’s to ten more years of Taeyeon!
Too long we had been beggin’ for a VERIVERY comeback, and we finally got it! And what a powerful release it is! The group came back swinging and hit our playlists hard. We, in particular, can’t get enough of ‘RED (Beggin’)’ and its strong presence and message. With lyrics like “Even if all’s forsaken we’ll survive,” we can’t help but get all emotional and at the same time feel the need to cheer the group even harder for always working hard and delivering bangers! If this has not been on your December replay list, what have you been doing?
A fromis_9 comeback was the best surprise gift we could’ve gotten this year! Hayoung, Jiwon, Nakyung, Chaeyoung, and Jiheon start a new chapter with their new holiday single, ‘White Memories.’ It’s a remake of Kim Min Jong’s 2001 song, ‘White Longing.’ And it sounds like a gentle breeze that swept us away from the first listen. With an aptly themed music video, it’s the perfect addition to your holiday playlists. We’ll be cheering on all the members from here on!
BTOB’s Seo Eunkwang has made his long-awaited solo comeback with his first full-length album, Unfold. There is such a unique quality to his voice that moves us to tears every time we hear his ballads, especially in the title track, ‘Greatest Moment.’ Eunkwang hits high notes like his life depends on it, and we cannot get enough of his angelic vocals. He also blessed us with the prerelease of ‘Last Light,’ a dark and dramatic song that suits his voice beautifully. We’ve truly ascended with this track and the rest of Eunkwang’s album.
‘Tis the season to stan CHUNG HA! Our queen has gifted us Christmas Promises: Again, a special holiday album for the ages! These four festive tracks are absolutely perfect to listen to while decorating the tree, wrapping presents, and baking cookies. The title track, ‘It’s That Time of Year,’ brings the right amount of cheer to our day. ‘Sleigh’ adds a chill R&B vibe that’s so uniquely CHUNG HA, and we love to see it! Her vocals will never stop “sleighing,” and we’ll be bumping this special album all month.
Next on our December K-Pop Hotspot is THE BOYZ’s special single album, Still Love You. They know exactly what we needed to hear right now, and we’re already sobbing only seconds into the title track, ‘Still Love You.’ The music video is an ode to friendship, with candid shots of THE BOYZ hanging out and having fun on the beach. No matter what happens, we’ll still love and support them anywhere we are.
We have always enjoyed WayV‘s sound, and we feel like it only gets better with each new release. The group got us ready for winter by giving us a season-themed album to stream obsessively. Their Winter Special Album, Eternal White, carries the mood of the coldest season, which is also known for its warmest, coziest moments. We love the different vibes that the songs on this release offer, and we definitely love the sound they present in the title track, ‘Eternal White.’ It’s simply impossible to take a listen and not get pulled into their musical winter world!
After an incredible year of solo and group releases, NCT’s Doyoung finishes off 2025 by giving us his new single, ‘Promise.’ Before the start of his military enlistment, Doyoung couldn’t leave without promising to come back. It’s making us so emotional, as if we haven’t already cried enough. We’re going to miss his new music releases, but we’ll hold onto ‘Promise’ and the rest of his solo discography until he returns.
Continuing the trend of fresh new holiday tracks is GOT7 Jinyoung’s new song, ‘Christmas Fever!’ We can’t think of a better way to sign off from 2025 than with Jinyoung’s groovy track and his insane falsettos. And the music video is giving the ultimate boyfriend energy. It might be making us feel a little delusional, but hey, it’s Christmas, baby!
Seriously, what can’t Daesung do? His new single album, HANDO-CHOGUA, is an absolute pleasure to listen to. The energetic title track, ‘HANDO-CHOGUA,’ is an addictive trot song about a love that exceeds every limit. Its music video is hilarious and so, so fun. We’ve been missing this kind of energy in K-Pop, and we couldn’t be happier to see Daesung bringing it back. And don’t sleep on his beautiful B-sides, ‘One Rose’ and ‘Better Alone,’ either!
Kang Daniel has been killing all his solo releases this year! His new release, PULSEPHASE, is his first English special album. The title track, ‘Backseat Promises,’ is a groovy, nostalgic song about being unable to forget about a special someone. His songs never miss, and we vibe with the wide range of genres on this special album. Our favorite B-sides include ‘The Chase’ and ‘back to you.’ But trust us when we say you’ll love the entire record.
Calling all Inspirits, how are we feeling after 2025? Group comeback, solo releases, and we even got to end December with a surprise solo drop from our talented Lee Sungyeol. The joy we felt when we listened to ‘Asteroid’ is beyond words, but we know the feeling it sparks in us very clearly. The song simply makes us happy every time we listen to it. We absolutely can’t get enough of Sungyeol’s vocals. Thankfully, we have three whole songs to swoon over, and we absolutely plan to keep doing that in the new year as well.
We couldn’t let our December K-Pop Hotspot pass by without including DAY6’s new holiday track, ‘Lovin’ the Christmas!’ It’s an upbeat track about spending the season falling in love with the special holiday. The adorable stop-motion music video stars DAY6’s denimalz and a lovely reindeer that stole our hearts. This song is single-handedly renewing our holiday cheer and helping us find the magic again as adults.
Choi Minho, the man that you are. He has just dropped his new single album, TEMPO, and we’re more than obsessed! ‘TEMPO’ has such an effortlessly smooth quality that only a K-Pop veteran like Minho can pull off. It gives us Minho’s signature sound with fresh choreography. And his B-side, ‘You’re Right,’ complements the title track with a laidback R&B vibe and an incredibly catchy chorus.
When we’re not screaming about Kim Sejeong’s latest drama, we’re obsessing over her newest song release. That’s our hard-working and multi-talented queen for you! Her new single, ‘Solar System,’ is a beautiful ballad about a longtime love that’s slowly fading into the past. The music video is authentic and captures Sejeong’s need to hide her tears from the world and only show her happy side. We’ve been crying so much this month, and this song is one of the many reasons why.
To round out our incredible December K-Pop Hotspot, we have SAY MY NAME’s third EP, &Our Vibe! If you’re looking for a fun song to motivate you to seize the day, ‘UFO (ATTENT!ON)’ is the title track for you. It also has one of our favorite music videos from SAY MY NAME! But don’t sleep on the B-side tracks! These girls continue to blow us away with the versatility of their vocals. ‘Bad Idea’ and ‘Hard to Love’ are just a few of our favorites!
And the 2025 season of THP’s K-Pop Hotspots has come to an end! What was your favorite December K-Pop comeback and debut? Which comebacks are you most looking forward to in January 2026? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!
August will always be one of the busiest months of the year for us. And the same goes for K-Pop groups! When we say everybody was in the studio this month, we mean everybody. But we’ll let you be the judge of that in our newest K-POP HOTSPOT!
We have SO many August K-Pop comebacks to cover, so let’s go over everything you may have missed!
THIS MONTH’S NEWS
You thought we would bombard you with music already, didn’t you? Before we get into the best part of the roundup though let us tell you some other exciting news! Do you miss BTS as much as we do? Then fear not Jungkook’s solo documentary JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL is hitting theatres on September 18th worldwide and you can find more ticket info right here. We are so excited to spend more time with our favorite maknae!
Speaking of fun things to watch did you know EPEX just released their new and fun YouTube reality series The EPEX3? If you need some laughter and sunshine don’t be shy and follow this link. We are ready to binge this one at the beach with a cool drink to be honest.
Well, we are almost done but we just wanted to let you know some news about our favorite boys from Omega X! Musically it has been a more quiet when it comes to the group but that doesn’t mean they aren’t booked and busy! Jaehan has put out an amazing OST, Yechan is booked and busy in not just one drama (Your Honor) but also a movie (Mad Dance Office) and our boy Hangyeom has been thriving with his fellow Jazz For You cast members during fan meetings. We are obsessed with seeing these boys thrive in their different career paths and can’t wait for more group activities either.
With that being said let’s get into the music now shall we?
RED VELVET
We’re kicking off our August hotspot with a special single we’ll always hold in our hearts! Red Velvet celebrate their 10th anniversary (yes, 10th!) with ‘Sweet Dreams.’ Their special video compiles behind-the-scenes clips of Red Velvet recording the track, along with a collage of music video shots. It’s crazy to see just how far they’ve come in the last 10 years, and we’re emotional knowing we got to grow up with them.
Next up, we’re highlighting ONF‘s instrumental album, Infuse! While there aren’t any new songs in this comeback, we also wanted to celebrate their seventh anniversary with them. This 51-minute-long album features 15 instrumental versions of all their hits from 2017 to now. Our favorites are ‘Your Song,’ ‘Fly Me To The Moon,’ and ‘New World!’ It’s truly a masterpiece, and we hope to see this with more groups when they do compilations or best-of albums!
If your summer playlist did not have JEON SOMI‘s ‘Ice Cream,’ was it even a summer playlist? “I’m like ice cream, Ah yeah, Ah yeah” has been ringing in our heads all month. Randomly singing and dancing? That was definitely us. Many of us have been melting over the summer from the heat, but this song cooled us down with its addictive tunes and lyrics.
Any time we get a release from our favorite INFINITE, be it group, unit, or solo, we’re there to hype it up. Member L dropped a solo album, one we’ve been needing for a while. Really, ‘What’s Not To Love’ about this release? The sweet, distinctive vocals carry us on a musical trip, from fun to emotional, and we are going along. If you ask us about our current favorite B-side pick, we’ll tell you it’s ‘Blue Summer.’ Maybe it’s because it matches the season with its fun atmosphere. Still, we definitely recommend you take a listen to the whole 24/7 tracklist.
DOYOUNG of NCT really knows how to set off our nostalgia because his new single ’17’ made us feel all the feels. DOYOUNG sings about the simpler times when we were 17 years old, and they really were so good. We’re also in love with the instrumental version, and it’s a song we can play sitting outside and basking in the sun. If you need a feel-good song to clear all your troubles, ’17’ is it!
UNIS has just released their first-ever comeback since their debut in March! Their new single, Curious, features three songs we added to our playlists on the first listen. The title track, ‘Curious,’ is a pop rock banger about getting out of your comfort zone to be the best version of yourself. The electric guitar instrumentals are so satisfying. And the two B-side tracks are just as incredible, from the empowering ‘Datin’ Myself’ to the catchy ‘Poppin!’
Another new K-Pop single we’ve been replaying nonstop is MIRAE‘s Son Dong Pyo’s ‘Wave (2024)’ and his remake of the 2001 track. Truly the perfect song to bid summer goodbye, ‘Wave’ is an addictive track that sounds refreshing with Dong Pyo’s vocals and beautiful instrumentals. Plus, the music video visuals are everything! He killed all the high notes, and we can’t wait to hear more songs from him.
LIGHTSUM is back again, and we have our eyes on them. The girls keep visiting our playlists with new songs, and, of course, we have already added ‘POSE!’ as well. Warning: This song is so fun; it will get you falling for them, and their sound will be even better if you haven’t already. Hear us out: new karaoke fave, perhaps? It is the perfect choice to sing and jump along with your besties.
Okay, we are absolutely jaw-dropped, mind-blown with BamBam‘s ‘LAST PARADE.’ That’s it; that’s our review. Just kidding, but really, are words enough to describe this banger? BamBam is tapping into a new, unexpected concept, and we’re eating it up. Our new location: 𝘉𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚𝘐𝘚. Favorite side stops: ‘Mi Último Deseo’ and ‘Ball Like That’ having that tight grip on us.
In case you didn’t know, we at THP have been fans of CATCH THE YOUNG since their debut! They’re back with their first single album, Dream It, and it’s been on repeat for weeks. The two tracks, ‘Dream It’ and ‘Wanna Be With You,’ make us feel like we can handle anything life throws at us. From the electric guitar and bass to drums, everyone gets a solo in ‘Dream It.’ And it’s so healing. Catch The Young slayed this comeback, and what more can we say?
ICYMI, WayV has made their Japanese debut this month with The Highest, a six-track mini-album with no skips in sight! They’re proving even more that they sound good in any language. Honestly, we respect the hustle. WayV showed us a more edgy side with ‘Go Higher’ and ‘Tempo.’ But the vibey ‘Deep Ocean’ and anime soundtrack-esque ‘Bandage’ stole our hearts at first listen. Any day is a good day with The Highest playing in the background!
Mother is back to save the summer! Queen HYOLYN is back with an iconic summer single called ‘Wait.’ We’ve been obsessing over the groovy island vibes of this track. The choreography is killer, but we already knew Hyolyn would eat it up. What’s even more iconic about this song is that Hyolyn filmed it in the Philippines, which has officially moved up our bucket list! Have y’all seen the visuals?!
Next on our August K-Pop hotspot is fromis_9‘s third single album, Supersonic! If you’ve been sleeping on them, then this is your chance to stan! The title track, ‘Supersonic,’ is one of our favorite summer songs by far. Catch us singing the chorus at random times throughout the day. ‘Beat The Heat’ and ‘Take A Chance’ are such high-quality B-side tracks, too! These girls have really come into their own sound with this comeback, and we didn’t skip a single song.
Did someone say collab of the summer? Because HUI and Kwon Eunbi‘s new song, ‘Easy Dance,’ is here to steal the show! We weren’t expecting such an iconic pairing, but their voices make so much sense together. As the title suggests, it’s an incredibly easy song for us to dance to and vibe along with. Their Waterbomb performance is one for the record books, and we can only imagine how hyped it would’ve been to see this song live!
While we’re on the topic of iconic, KARD has returned after more than a year since their last comeback! Only weeks after celebrating their seventh anniversary, KARD starts a new era with their seventh mini-album, Where To Now? (Part.1 : Yellow Light). We’re SO here for it! ‘Tell My Momma’ as their title track is a brilliant move, and it’s a refreshing and romantic song about falling in love with someone so quickly and wanting to tell your mom about them. Our favorite B-sides are ‘Waste My Time’ and ‘SHIMMY SHIMMY,’ but the whole EP is worth a listen. Or 1092923838 listens. It’s up to you.
LUN8 also whipped up some good tunes for us this August with 𝘈𝘞𝘈𝘒𝘌𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘎. You know we love the boys in this house. How would we skip on ushering you to check out their new album and the title track ‘WHIP.’ You need one listen to be hooked, test it out, and tell us if we’re right. Listening to the title makes us take a step back and feel free from our daily worries. And if a title isn’t enough and you don’t know where to start with the B-sides, we highly recommend you check out ‘DELULU.’
We love it when K-POP meets Latin Pop, and we’ve been truly blessed with ‘New Woman!’ K-POP queen Lisa and Latin Pop princess Rosalía truly soundtracked the end of our summer with this iconic collab. Intertwining electropop and EDM topped with metallic sounds, the song is super captivating. Rosalía’s verse truly brings in that twist that keeps us on our toes, yet it just works. We love it!
Our talented flowers, MIMIIROSE, dropped new music, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s the nudge you need. We live for the vocals in that chorus of ‘The flowers swayed.’ A refreshing song about the worries we all experience at one point in life and the uplifting, encouraging message that everything will be alright because no flower blooms without being swayed a little bit. So, if you need that push to keep going and not give up, this is the release for you.
We’re getting fed all of August with these K-Pop comebacks! SF9‘s 14th mini-album, Fantasy, blew our every expectation out of the water. The title track, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy,’ has taken over our brains with its addictive chorus and positive message. Don’t miss out on their B-side tracks, like ‘Just’ and ‘Melodrama.’ We really can’t stop listening to this EP.
The ultimate weekend anthem: DRIPPIN‘s ‘Weekend.’ We feel energized listening to this release. It’s giving us the bright, contagious DRIPPIN vibe and is perfect for that downtime we get after a busy week. Or even to prepare us for it. This comeback may be a single album of only three songs, but it has our hearts locked. We’re grooving to ‘Fly High’ any chance we get and are particularly obsessed with ‘TIME.’
Can you smell this too? Yeah, that’s ‘Sexy In The Air’ You read that right; no other than our favorite boy, Taemin, graced us with his groovy and recognizable music this past month. We knew from the moment Eternal was announced that this one would be one for the books. Taemin proved yet again how he knows what suits him best, and even under a new company, he kept his signature sound. Songs you should check out from the album are definitely ‘Deja Vu’ and ‘Horizon!’
August is for the girl groups! We said what we said. ILY:1 delivers another stellar comeback with their third mini-album, illang:Firework! These girls are so underrated, and we’d love nothing more than to put everyone we know onto ILY:1. ‘illang (Firework)’ is a summer bop at its core, and their vocals never disappoint. ‘Ocean View’ and ‘I MY ME MINE’ are our favorite B-side tracks, and we’re blessed to get the instrumental versions for all four new songs.
Y’all don’t know Gyeongree’s new single album, Eternal Bloom, like we do. We’ve been waiting for 9MUSES’ Gyeongree to comeback for years, and she’s finally here! ‘Cherry’ is everything we’ve been missing in K-Pop, and it’s such a sweet and infectious song. The music video is absolutely adorable (and relatable). Gyeongree’s dreamy vocals also shine through in the B-side’ Butterflies,’ and we could listen to Eternal Bloom all day.
YOUNG POSSE has proven time after time just how they’re bringing the fun and silliness back to K-Pop! With a GTA-inspired concept for their third mini-album, ATE THAT, we get four new songs that all hooked us during our first listen. The title track, ‘ATE THAT,’ and its music video had us crying laughing. And yes, they definitely ‘ATE THAT.’ We want to be in the room where they come up with ideas because everything is genius. YOUNG POSSE absolutely slayed their B-sides, but we expected nothing less from these girls.
Moonbyul has blessed us with another comeback after a successful FULL album in February and a concert tour this year! But we aren’t complaining! Starlit of Twinkle : Repackage has three brand new songs and the English version of ‘TOUCHIN&MOVIN.’ Her title track, ‘Is This Love?’ is a cute song about her “friend’s friend” who may be in love with a guy. And this song is not about Moonbyul, as she’s already made that clear. (*wink wink*) She’s such a meme, and we love her for it.
Next on our K-Pop Hotspot is Ryu Sujeong‘s new English single, ‘White Dress!’ We can never get tired of Sujeong’s angelic voice; it’s just so soothing. In the music video for ‘White Dress,’ we see her strutting around the city in a wedding dress, shadowboxing, and playing guitar in the park. We now fully believe she’s an angel, and we’re expeditiously adding ‘White Dress’ to our wedding playlist.
This next K-Pop comeback may be a little different from what you’re used to hearing, but we love it! Super Junior’s Sungmin is back with a solo release: a trot song called ‘YO.YO.YO.’ And we definitely enjoyed it more than we expected. Sungmin’s voice is so well-suited for trot, and we were brought back to the early 2000s with this song! He contrasts the upbeat title track with the beautiful ballad, ‘Brilliant Days,’ and we’re beyond obsessed.
VIXX‘s Ken, you never fail to bring us to tears with your voice. His gift mini-album, Consolation & Love, hits us right in the feels. The title track, ‘너에게,’ shows us why Ken is the reigning king of ballads. He hits high notes so effortlessly, and we’re truly honored that we can keep listening to his music. The simple music video for ‘너에게’ showcasing his live vocals speaks for itself. Ken even gave us a music video for his B-side, ‘Love Day,’ which was much more than we could ask of him.
How is ‘Rains in Heaven’ NCT DREAM‘s first English single? Because we need more of these heartfelt songs! This healing track is a huge comfort to us, and we’re officially making it the highlight of our summer soundtrack. As long as the sun’s still out, we’ll play this song on our drives to nowhere with all the windows down. And we’re so jealous of everyone who’ll get to hear this song live on their tour.
A Jun.K solo single wasn’t on our 2024 bingo, but we are here for it! ‘Paint This Love’ is a groovy R&B track about how love can ease your past troubles and create something beautiful from something painful. Jun.K sings as if our hearts and souls are canvases. His song is literally a work of art, and we’re so excited to hear his voice again. Now we’re off to find more metaphors for how at home ‘Paint This Love’ makes us feel.
Just over a year after their last comeback, OH MY GIRL, AKA our summer queens, are back with their 10th mini-album, Dreamy Resonance! First off, the album art is absolutely magical. And second, the title track, ‘Classified,’ is exactly the type of dreamy fairy concept we’ve been missing. But the best part of this EP is the subunit B-sides. These duets are as lovely as can be, and we can’t pick our favorites even if we want to!
Guess who’s finally made their official solo debut? The one and only Jaehyun of NCT with his new album, J! And if his pre-release songs ‘Dandelions’ and ‘Roses’ were any indication, they’d tell us how high-quality and versatile this album is from start to finish. The music video for his title track, ‘Smoke,’ looks like it came straight from a movie. It warms our hearts to see Jaehyun going all out for this release, especially since it’s been such a long time.
Our August hotspot has been a month for so many single albums, and we can’t stop listening! NOWADAYS has just released their second single, NOWHERE, and it’s banger after banger. The title track, ‘Why Not?’ is an upbeat dance track about how having a massive crush on someone feels. The music video has the best kind of energy, and we’re impressed by their charisma.
Everyone say, “Thank you, Woosung” for making us cry! His new single, ‘Day That I Died,’ is a hauntingly beautiful song about losing the most important person in your life. And all you can do is replay the last moments you two had together. We want to know how Woosung captures so much raw emotion in his vocals. He sings with his soul, and we’ll keep this song in our heartbreak playlist forever.
Our solo queen CHUNG HA is back with a brand new single! Who else is as hyped as us? ‘Algorithm’ reminds us so much of her ‘Roller Coaster’ era, IYKYK. The iconic cameos in the music video are everything, from Uhm Junghwa to Gabee! The chorus and choreography are too addictive. We need every club around us to blast this song immediately, and we’ll be throwing our own dance party with ‘Algorithm’ on repeat!
DOHANSE shows us a new color of his music in his second solo EP, BLUESSOM. We already knew how versatile he is as an artist, but this mini-album only cements it. His signature punk rock sound still shines through. And the double title tracks, ‘Blue Night’ and ‘Milky Way,’ contrast each other incredibly. ‘Blue Night’ feels like a breezy summer night, while ‘Milky Way’ belongs in a morning motivation playlist.
Our 2024 is now complete with Bang Yedam‘s comeback! He’s back with his second mini-album, GOOD ViBES, and we’ve already broken our replay button for this release. Not only did he write lyrics for all six songs, but he also contributed to composing and arranging each B-side track. His rapping in ‘We Good’ had our jaws on the floor because how can one man be so talented at everything? There’s nothing but good vibes in the EP!
It feels like the summer isn’t over with WEi’s ‘LOVE2YOU.’ This lovely single, filled with refreshing tunes and a music video with cool summery vibes, is the perfect end for the hot August days. But while it has a rather bright vibe, the song is about the feeling of missing someone special. The intense longing delivered by the boys makes this our new favorite single, no doubt. Just like summer, despite it sometimes being a bit too much with its scorching hot days, we will surely miss it once it’s gone. While it may not be the same feeling, ‘LOVE2YOU’ will give us some sentimental emotions over the warm season, as well.
AleXa continues her journey through 2000s pop-punk nostalgia with her latest single, ‘Joy Of Missing Out,’ and this time, she’s preaching to introverts. In this edgy-sounding song, AleXa sings about the preference of skipping out on big events and busy crowds and why having a party for one is more fun. And honestly? It’s a complete mood!
Yves is back with a new digital single only a few months after her solo debut! ‘Tik Tok’ is a chill, lowkey song about taking your time. The music video looks like a travel vlog, and we love seeing Yves having fun and enjoying her time as a tourist. (Yves travel channel next?) Yves’ voice is so comforting, and we already can’t wait for her next comeback!
There is no better way to end our August hotspot than this. We couldn’t believe we got a FIESTAR reunion and comeback in 2024! We’re getting emotional listening to the 2024 version of their hit ‘You’re Pitiful.’ It hits even harder knowing the lengths Cao Lu went through to buy the copyrights of this song so they could remake it in time for their 12th anniversary. ‘You’re Pitiful’ is truly a timeless song!
August K-Pop comebacks never fail to amaze us! And we sure had a stacked month for this K-POP HOTSPOT!
What was your favorite August comeback? Which ones are you most excited about for next month? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!
The first half of 2024 is over! And we at THP can’t wait to see how the rest of the year will treat us. For now, let’s discuss this month’s K-POP HOTSPOT. June’s K-Pop comebacks blew all our expectations out of the water! We got so many refreshing summer bops and bangin’ new anthems.
Honey bees we know June was a busy one and July is just about to be just as busy but we have some news for you! GI-DLE are finally coming back with their 7th mini album I SWAY on July 8th, they have already started dropping teasers for it and we couldn’t be more excited! But that’s not all the girls are also going to be launching their new world tour iDOL. The tour kicks off on August 3rd in Seoul and we wish all of you wanting to go the best of luck! We hope to grab tickets during the hopefully soon to be released
Speaking of tours, MoAs we have some amazing news for you TXT are bringing their tour as a VR theatre concert tour called HYPERFOCUS : TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR CONCERT to the US and you can catch it in a theatre near you starting off on August 8th in LA! Make sure you watch the teaser for it here because we are hyped!
Now let’s focus on more music releases as Kim Jaejoong is about to celebrate his 20th anniversary with a new album called Flower Garden and in order to kick the celebrations off Jaejoong already released the pre-release song ‘I AM U,‘ and it couldn’t have been better!
But that’s not all when it comes to music our favorite new SM boy group RIIZE is thriving with their newest mini album and to make it even better the boys also released a remix album dedicated to ‘Impossible’ through long-term SM project iSCREAM. This bops hard and we will be raving to it throughout the summer! Stream it here.
Now as a last piece of exciting news you know we always love SEVENTEEN and the boys have now been appointed UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. Every day that goes by the boys make us happier and prouder of them. The ceremony for it took place on June 26th in Paris and the boys looked absolutely amazing.
Okay lads! That’s all it’s time to get into this month’s releases!
WAYV
Let’s kick off our June K-POP hotspot with the best news ever! WayV is back with their fifth mini-album, Give Me That. The title track, ‘Give Me That,’ is a catchy love anthem in the Chinese and Korean versions. (Because what can’t they do?) And WayV’s music videos never disappoint! Their new EP has absolutely no skips, and our favorite b-sides are ‘She A Wolf’ and ‘New Ride.’
Our favorite duo is back! AKMU’s new EP, Love Episode, is finally here! The whimsical title track ‘Hero’ has such a soothing vibe. Their concepts and visuals never fail to amaze us, and the music video for ‘Hero’ healed our inner child. We could listen to ‘Long D’ and ‘Answer Me’ all day. Leave it to AKMU to give us the vibes we need throughout the summer.
The girl groups this year really do not play around! BADVILLAIN’s debut single, OVERSTEP, beat all of our expectations. The title track, ‘BADVILLAIN,’ is the hip-hop banger we’ve needed, and our villain era starts now. The fire verses and choreography really speak for themselves. And these girls blessed us with a killer music video for ‘YAH-HO (BADTITUDE)’ and a performance video for ‘+82!’ We’ll be stanning until further notice, thanks.
A month with a single from Lovelyz Yein will always be a good one! Yein celebrates her birthday with ‘I Will Be Your Spring,’ a cute and romantic ballad marking the end of the season. And it sounds even more lovely than we expected (as if that were possible!) The music video has the sweetest vibes, taking us back to our high school years and crushes.
June was truly a good month for new music, especially when the outstanding vocals of Han Seung Woo joined the fresh releases. SCENE may only have three tracks, but the number doesn’t matter when the quality is superb. The title, ‘Blooming,’ feels perfect for the warm season, giving us a feeling of freedom and positivism. A little encouragement to live our lives the way we want is always welcome. We are also not able to keep away from the two B-sides, giving us a different experience that is not something you’d want to miss out on. Have you checked the special clips for ‘Lost’ and ‘Stay’ yet?
Get ready if you haven’t checked this one out yet. You will have an ‘Awesome day’ with GHOST9 and their latest release. This single is screaming summer song, and we are stacking our playlists for the warm season every chance we have. Adding GHOST9 just makes them even better. Don’t tell us you would skip this song when it’s right here, waiting for much-deserved appreciation.
There is nothing that warms up our hearts the way the guys from INFINITE do with their music. They showcased the sweetest vocals in their special anniversary single, ‘Flower,’ proving their uniqueness again. We got emotional and melted repeatedly while we listened and even more while watching the special Live clip prepared for us. Seeing the members perform in a sunflower-filled area made the experience even more memorable. It is impossible not to fall in love with INFINITE’s charm and sound. If we are their flower, then they are our suns.
Our queens are back to save the summer right when it starts! cignature has released their fifth EP, Sweetie but Saltie. And is it a bop? Of course, it is! The title track, ‘Poongdung,’ makes it easy to get up and dance along. We always love their refreshing and fun music videos! cignature delivers on their b-sides as always, ‘I like I like’ (both versions!) and ‘Melody.’ These girls slayed this comeback!
CSR has dropped their new single album, L’heure Bleue: Prologue, and we’ve been replaying these two songs for weeks! The title track, ‘Pretty Mob,’ is a masterpiece from start to finish! From the groovy vibe to the music video visuals, we’re addicted to CSR. These girls even directed their special music video for ‘HELLO!’ We absolutely loved this comeback and hope CSR can get the recognition they deserve!
SUPER JUNIOR songs always get us in a good mood with their fun sound and humorous music videos. ‘Show Time’ feels like we’re attending a one-song concert that starts with an impactful high note and carries just the right track to groove to with our favorite 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 stars. You’d catch us vibing to the track when we hear it and learning to follow the dance while enjoying their show-stopping music video.
Second-gen king XIA is back with a summer single celebrating his 20th anniversary since his debut! ‘Our Season’ is a rock ballad with a lovely message and XIA’s lovelier high notes. Yeo Jin Goo stars in the bright and nostalgic music video. We’re glad XIA also gave us the instrumental version of ‘Our Season’ because that guitar solo at the end really sealed the deal for us.
TRENDZ brightened our summer playlists like the shining seven meteors that they are. Their latest single album, DREAMLIKE, offers us a good time, but we always enjoy the musical ride with this group. The title track won us with its bright vibes, giving us a feel-good track to love. We’re just mesmerized by their ‘GLOW’ and that choreography. And we simply can’t take our eyes off of it. We also recommend you listen to the energy-inducing B-side, ‘Out of Control.’
Next in our June hotspot is Candy Shop’s first comeback with Girls Don’t Cry! This mini-album has four tracks, and we didn’t skip through a single song. The title track, ‘Don’t Cry,’ sounds like a perfect addition to your summer soundtrack. Their music video feels like a dream, and the visuals are amazing! And rounding out the rest of the EP, ‘Tumbler (Hot & Cold)’ and ‘Welcome To My World’ are title track-worthy b-sides.
Nobody talk to us right now. We’re too busy crying over Weki Meki’s disbandment to function. Their song, ‘CoinciDestiny,’ hits us right in the feels. It sounds so bittersweet, and we couldn’t help getting emotional over the music video. The girls go on a scavenger hunt, finding clues that ultimately bring them back together. We wish them the best and will continue to support them wherever they go!
WOOAH’s back with a brand new concept! Their latest mini-album, Unframed, has taken over our playlists. The rock title track, ‘POM POM POM,’ is edgy and empowering. The girls sing about being their biggest cheerleaders, and they ate this song up, especially the rap verses. We’re glad to be here to witness WOOAH experiment with different concepts, and we’re replaying this EP all summer.
If we’re talking about summer vibes, we must talk about BTOB Peniel’s new single, ‘MIoBI (Make It or Break It)!’ It’s been too long since we got a solo comeback from Peniel. But we’ll wait forever if it’s a banger like ‘MIoBI’ is! This addictive track stole our hearts, especially with how solid Peniel’s vocals are. He has an incredible range, and we can’t wait for more music!
H1-KEY is SO back! Their third EP, LOVE or HATE, has high-quality songs one after the other. The title track, ‘Let It Burn,’ is a badass breakup anthem. We’re here for the rock vibes, and these girls did not let us down! H1-KEY also wrote the lyrics for their catchy b-side ‘letter,’ making it even more memorable. Another no-skips mini-album for June’s K-POP Hotspot!
SF9’s Hwiyoung is back with his first single album, Traveling Fish! We’re so in love with the relaxing lead single, ‘It Is Love ❤️.’ And Hwiyoung even blessed us with a music video and live clip of ‘It Is Love ❤️!’ We can’t get enough of his sweet voice and English lyrics. Traveling Fish also features his previous singles’ Drive5′ and ‘HBD,’ as if we haven’t replayed them enough already!
June is THE month for new singles! Only four months after his full album release, iKON’s DK has just released his latest single, ‘Umbrella!’ We weren’t expecting to be moved to tears because of DK, but here we are. ‘Umbrella’ feels like the type of song we’d listen to before we fall asleep. DK sings about comforting a lover and letting them cry as much as they need, which is enough to soothe us on our worst days.
We always have a soft spot for TWS. These boys have just released their second mini-album, Summer Beat! The title track, ‘If I’m S, Can You Be My N?’ is bubbly and so much fun to hear! Their music video makes this track even more enjoyable. We’re also obsessed with their b-sides ‘Keep On’ and ‘Fire Confetti.’ Whatever you do, don’t sleep on TWS’s vocals and concepts!
Do our ears deceive us? N.Flying is back with a new single, and we’re hyped! ‘Into You’ is an upbeat summer track about someone who is so in love that they can’t help but confess! It doesn’t matter if they look like fools; they just want to give as much affection as possible. We already can’t wait for the next comeback!
The ever-iconic U-KISS is back with a new EP! When they released ‘Morse Code’ back in April, we thought we’d have to wait a while before their next release. But we’re so glad to be proven wrong! Their 13th mini-album, Let’s Get Started, has us falling in love with them all over again. The title track ‘Stay With Me’ has U-KISS’s signature sound with a killer guitar instrumental. And they sure gave us nostalgia with a new version of ‘Man Man Ha Ni!’
SHINee will always and forever have a special place in our hearts, and the fact that they never disappoint us is one of the reasons why. After what felt like a draught, Key finally gives us a bit of food with his newest single, ‘Tongue Tied.’ Can we just say this is exactly what we needed to end the month of June with? The song fits right in with Key’s previous albums. This futuristic but mysterious sound is what suits him so well. ‘Tongue Tied’ and his b-side ‘Fresh’ have been on repeat!
Guess who else debuted this month? Project group B.D.U has released their first-ever EP, Wishpool! B.D.U features Bitsaeon (MONT), Seunghun (CIX), Jay Chang (ONEPACT), and Kim Min-Seo. AKA four incredible vocalists, dancers, and all-rounders. The mini-album’s title track, ‘My One,’ is so high quality it’s hard to believe it’s only their debut! We also love the b-side ‘Forget All’ and the ballad ‘Everlasting Miracle.’ Congrats on debuting, B.D.U!
NCT WISH came back with their second Japanese single album, Songbird! And one of our favorite things about these boys is their youthful and fun concept! The title track, ‘Songbird,’ embodies that perfectly, from the music video to the dance break. We’d play this track any time we need a mood booster, especially on our way to and from work!
Name an artist that’s more well-rounded than ROCKY. That’s a tough one, right? He just released his new EP, Blank, comprised of four tracks you won’t want to skip! The music video for ‘Jealousy’ shows off his talents as a dancer and actor. ROCKY sings about being overcome with jealousy and not wanting to share his lover’s affections. The vibes are it! We can’t get enough of this anthem.
What a jam-packed month! June’s K-POP HOTSPOT has been blessed with new additions to our vacation playlist, and we couldn’t be happier!
What was your favorite June comeback? Which ones are you most excited about for next month? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!
California cannabis regulators on Tuesday issued the state’s first recall of a pesticide-tainted weed product following a Los Angeles Times investigation disclosing dangerous contamination in the state’s legal cannabis supplies.
The product ordered pulled from sale is an “Orange Cookies”-flavored West Coast Cure vape cartridge produced in September. The state recall said the vape exceeded safety limits for a single chemical, the insecticide chlorfenapyr.
The Department of Cannabis Control did not immediately disclose how many of the vapes remained on store shelves, but posted online a list of 169 locations throughout the state where the product had been sold. The product’s safety certificate came from a lab whose license has since been suspended. That lab, Verity Analytics, reported the batch consisted of nearly 5,000 vapes.
It was among a dozen West Coast Cure batches manufactured in September — consisting of more than 62,000 vapes in assorted flavors — that private lab Infinite Chemical Analysis tested last fall and reported to state regulators as containing pesticides that exceeded state limits. All had been certified as safe by other labs.
Infinite reported the Orange Cookies batch in a complaint to the state in November. In addition to chlorfenapyr, the lab identified two additional chemicals in that batch: paclobutrazol, a growth hormone not allowed at any level, and trifloxystrobin, which showed up at four times what California deems safe.
State regulators would not say why they did not flag the product for the additional chemicals. The state also did not immediately respond to questions about why it took seven months to recall a product reported for safety concerns.
“It’s a symbolic recall,” said Elliot Lewis, owner of the 27-store Catalyst dispensary chain. Twenty-three of his stores carried the recalled vape. They sold out months ago, he said.
Lewis posted news of the recall on social media, provoking heated comments that left him flustered.
“Getting slammed,” he said. “First time I can remember going home unplanned [in the] middle of the day.”
The owner of another large dispensary chain said its stores had two of the products still in inventory but pulled them from shelves last week after their inclusion in an investigation by The Times, in conjunction with industry newsletter WeedWeek, that found alarming levels of pesticide contamination in cannabis products available to consumers, including some of the most popular brands.
That June 14 report showed 25 out of 42 products bought from licensed stores exceeded either state safety limits or federal tobacco standards. The results mirrored 85 contamination complaints filed with California regulators since October by Infinite and another whistleblower, Anresco Laboratories.
Before Tuesday, regulators had issued pesticide-related recalls for only two of the products that were the subject of the complaints.
West Coast Cure is California’s fourth-top-selling cannabis brand. Its parent company, Shield Management Group, this year was fined $3.2 million by California regulators after a surprise inspection found it had failed to guard against product tampering, such as storing cannabis products in parking lot containers without video surveillance. The company also could not produce state-required footage proving products had not been tampered with before lab testing or distribution.
West Coast Cure co-founder Logan Wasserman did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the recall.
A statement to The Times on Tuesday by a public relations firm on behalf of the company said: “We have passing test results from state licensed labs for every product we put on the market. Our dedication to excellence and doing what’s right for our customers and our community is at the core of our values. We remain steadfast in our mission to provide fully tested, exceptional products and uphold the trust placed in us.”
In federal court Monday, Infinite and Anresco filed a lawsuit against 13 independent labs that test cannabis products for the weed industry, accusing them of manipulating test results in order to win business, while putting consumer health at risk. The civil suit cites product safety certificates issued by some of the labs for products later found to be contaminated, as well as Department of Cannabis Control findings cited in disciplinary reports.
Infinite also provided the testing behind a proposed class-action lawsuit filed June 14 in Orange County Superior Court against West Coast Cure, seeking redress for 23 vape flavors alleged to be contaminated with pesticides, including the Orange Cookies product recalled Tuesday.
“Whereas competition used to be healthy and revolved around quality, turnaround time and customer service, it has now devolved into a free-for-all, in which brands and laboratories agree, jointly, to ignore ‘safety fails’ … in an effort to hide the presence of dangerous chemicals, which otherwise would prevent the sale of these tainted goods,” the consumer complaint alleges.
Both cases were handled by Arkansas class-action attorney David Slade, whose litigation cases include filings against Apple, Best Buy stores, Target and Hobby Lobby.
Other weed industry leaders called for a crackdown on alleged “persistent testing fraud” by the private labs California relies upon to screen cannabis for harmful substances.
“The state’s continued failure to enforce against those who fail to comply — both inside and outside of the regulated market — has put the credibility of the entire adult-use market in peril, and now threatens the very consumers we aim to serve,” the California Cannabis Industry Assn. said in response to the report by The Times and WeedWeek.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office voiced confidence in his cannabis agency’s handling of contamination issues, saying it “supports DCC in developing innovative policies and effective implementation that advances and facilitates a well-regulated, legal, and safe market that benefits all Californians.”
California has struggled since creation of the recreational cannabis market in 2018 to set up a state lab to enforce limits on pesticides in weed products.
In 2021, the cannabis agency signed an $11-million, five-year contract with UC San Diego’s cannabis research program to create a state lab “in order to confirm that licensed testing laboratories are accurately and reliably testing cannabis goods,” budget filings and contract records show. Those documents describe the lab as intended to run tests for regulators with results available within five days.
Four years and $9 million in payments later, the San Diego lab is not certified to check pesticide levels, its accreditation record shows.
With consolidation of cannabis-related regulation under a single agency in 2021, the Department of Cannabis Control took over a cannabis lab in Richmond that had been run by the Department of Public Health. In the ensuing years, that lab has gained accreditation to test for potency levels and microbial contamination, but is not certified to measure pesticides.
In the interim, cannabis regulators are constrained by the limitations of other state labs that have sometimes agreed to test weed. The Agriculture Department lab, for instance, tested cannabis flower to identify the presence of smuggled Chinese-label pesticides. But the lab cannot assess the safety of vaping oils, in which contamination problems appeared greatest.
With state safety certificates called into question, one of California’s largest weed retailers, Catalyst, announced it would start its own shelf testing program. Lewis, its owner, voiced mixed feelings about what consumers would make of that. He said that he remained convinced that products sold on the illicit market are worse, and that lessening public confidence in the legal market would hurt brands producing clean products.
In an email, he said vape sales have dropped since the June 14 article. “I suspect more folks now see no benefit of shopping for legal products,” he wrote. “The customer’s thought process is, ‘It’s all dirty.’”
It is not good timing for a loss of faith in the legal market. Sales of licensed products have been in slipping in California since peaking in 2021 at $5.3 billion, according to monthly sales reports posted by the Department of Cannabis Control. The most recent data show reported sales of $4.9 billion for 2023.
The desire to convince California residents and tourists to purchase their cannabis in licensed and taxed shops has driven state marketing and data collection campaigns since 2020, including the $5-million “Real CA Cannabis” campaign that kicked off in February, featuring social media messages on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit targeted at key demographics.
“[F]or public health purposes, the state has an interest in seeing consumer behavior shift more swiftly to the legal and regulated market,” the cannabis control agency wrote in a 2022 budget request, citing deaths and injuries two years prior from dangerous substances in cannabis and tobacco vaping products.
In California alone, some 250 people were hospitalized and five died when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019 linked a rise in lung-related injuries to vaping products, the cannabis agency wrote in its budget request.
Image: The Pokemon Company / 343 Industries / Kotaku
Halo has a long tradition of community-made maps and game modes that range everywhere from serious to silly. Recently, one map and mode combo that’s more on the playful and fun side of things caught the attention of 343 Industries as an opportunity to fix long-standing shooting issues. Named after a certain Pokémon notorious for digging and jumping out of holes, this community creation is now being used to pinpoint and fix aiming and shot registration woes, as they’ve plagued Halo Infinite since it launched just over a year ago.
Halo Infinite, the latest entry in the long-running and often critically acclaimed first person shooter series, only recently received an update that included a beta version of its in-game map creator: Forge. First premiering in Halo 3, Forge has been a staple of the series ever since 2007, allowing anyone to create a map of their own design with the tools necessary to create custom games for it, be those party and minigames or more traditional takes on the franchise’s well-known modes, like Slayer or Capture the Flag. One such community-created game, that takes its name from the Diglett Pokémon, seems to have caught 343’s eye as an opportunity to test drive fixes to the game’s core mechanics.
With community Forge maps popping up on a regular basis these days, 343 Industries’ senior community manager John Junyszek put out a tweet asking for the community’s favorite Forge minigames so far. When competitive Halo player Linz shouted out Digletts, a game where players pop out of holes to take sniper shots at one another, Junyszek followed up with an interesting bit of behind-the-scenes trivia:
Kotaku has reached out to 343 Industries for more information.
As many Halo fans have known, while Infinite’s core mechanics are solid and work well, there have been issues around aiming, with many players suspecting that the game seems particularly off when trying to line up precision shots with a sniper rifle, either descoped or while aiming down sights. Whether this is due to the game’s auto-aim function that eases controller aim (and exists on most modern shooters that take controller inputs), bullet magnetism, or the notorious desync issues many players have had with Infinite isn’t totally certain. Since Diglet is a game that only features aiming and shooting, it’s a pretty perfect test environment for studying aiming behavior. Junyszek said that the “minigame has recently helped our team further test and investigate various shot registration situations, especially in regards to latency and networking. Since it’s a curated environment without many variables, it’s helped us investigate specific scenarios.”
Check out the the Diglett game mode in action here:
343 Industries / iSpiteful
Who knew RPing as a Diglet armed with a legendary anti-materiel rifle could be so productive?
