Content
The second month of 2025 has come and gone, and time is flying by again as the post-holiday hangover ends and life returns to the everyday hustle and bustle.
There’s not much to report content-wise. Ellis and Justin’s new podcast is going strong, so please give them some love when a new episode drops. They will appreciate your support.
Those paying attention to these monthly recaps may have noticed that I’m trying to say more about my picks for favourite albums. It’s one thing to list them out, but explaining why they made the shortlist is better and providing some context for my picks.
Events
At the beginning of February, I took a short trip to Houston, Texas, to see tripleS at the House of Blues. This was my first trip to Texas and Houston, so I was interested in how it was out there. I had heard it was precisely like Calgary in some respects, and when I got there, it turned out to be very accurate.
The only exception was that the homeless/unhoused/destitute were more out in the open during daylight hours. This contrasts with Calgary, where they are more prone to take over the streets after the normies leave the downtown core when the work day is over.
Anyway, tripleS has become my new favourite K-pop group, and this was my first time attending an event by them. Even though the touring unit was a split squad of eight members, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of their concert any less. It was a great show, and the extracurricular activities of the hi-touch and photo ops were also fun (and expensive) bonuses worth the price to get them.
If they send another touring unit to the U.S. and Canada, I’ll go to another tripleS show. You can read my full review of the TripleS concert experience here.
Music
Remixes
For my remix, I wanted to retain some of the funkiness of the original version but add my flavour. At first, I thought of programming a simple 4/4 drum pattern, but as I progressed through the project, that changed to something with more movement to complement the vocals and give a solid foundation for the rest of the instrumentation.
After that, it was simply a matter of piecing together the rest of the instruments to match the feel I was going for. The horn section was the most challenging as it was a critical transition between different song parts. So, after failing many times to get the right sound, I just sampled the horns from the original version and placed them in the appropriate spots.
The final result is a remix that isn’t too far from the feel of the original version.
Below are my favourites from February 2025.
Albums
The shortest month of the year means a shorter list of albums to talk about.
IVE – IVE EMPATHY
IVE started 2025 with the release of their third EP, EMPATHY. This album is full of great songs. The slow songs on EMPATHY should garner the most attention, but the poppy dance tracks are also worth listening to. EMPATHY is a strong start to the year for IVE.
RESCENE – GLOW UP
I was immediately intrigued when RESCENE hit K-pop with Yo-Yo and Uh-Uh. The follow-up SCENEDROME continued to show the group’s potential with songs like LOVE ATTACK and Pinball.
Their sound and image appeal to me, so when they returned with Glow Up, I was more than interested to know if they would continue with a similar concept or change things up. Glow Up leans a little more toward the bubblegum side of pop music, but not so much that it’s an extreme change for the group and showcases RESCENE’s softer and sweeter side.
JISOO – AMORTAGE
I’m cold on BLACKPINK at the moment, but that doesn’t stop me from checking out any of their group or solo projects. Jisoo’s previous solo work didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, so I had a low bar for her return as a soloist.
AMORTAGE is much better than I had expected. While it’s a bit compact in presentation, there’s enough pop goodness on the four tracks that it doesn’t wear out its welcome or test your patience. Unlike her bandmate, Rose’s dragged-out and somewhat boring album of sad girl stories.
So Jisoo is a bit like Jennie in that respect, bringing the sizzle over the sappy.
ONE OKAY ROCK – DETOX
ONE OKAY ROCK has always been my go-to when I need something with more raw energy to pick me up during the slow moments of the day. Like with their past releases, DETOX walks the fine line between radio-friendly rock songs or ballads and the more aggressive speaker testing and hearing damaging explosions of sound.
Songs
These are the singles or album cuts that caught my ear in February.
=LOVE – とくべチュ、して
Baby V.O.X. – Killer. (2025 Ver.) feat. Jae Chong
FRUITS ZIPPER – 好き、お願い
Hearts2Hearts – The Chase
MALIYA – Private
乃木坂46 – 懐かしさの先
櫻坂46 – Udagawa Generation
岩田剛典 – Phone Number
WAPLAN – Why Don’t You
Conclusion
The shortest month of the year was busy as it was the start of my travel season. Since I want to return to Japan this year, I’m trying to be more conservative with my concert spending. We’ll see how that works out as the year goes on.
