K-POP HOTSPOT: October 2021 Comebacks And Debuts Roundup

Did you have a good Halloween? How is October over? Christmas season is fastly approaching, but before that, it is time for your favorite feature to get all things K-Pop comebacks and debuts! That means it is time for THP’s very own K-Pop roundup! We are here to bring you coverage of comebacks we especially enjoyed this month and releases you might have missed. October was packed, so make sure to check out the comebacks we already covered, such as WOODZ, GOT7’s Youngjae, Stray Kids, Golden Child, SEVENTEEN, B.I, TWICE, CL, PIXY, Eric Nam, BLOO, and Queen Ailee!

Now, let’s get into many more amazing comebacks and debuts that happened during October!

WEi

The fan app Universe keeps providing us with unexpected releases and WEi were the next artists to bring us a new unexpected song. ‘Starry Night’ is the perfect follow up to the group’s summer bop ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and really finished off the summer season nicely.

aespa

Less than a year after their debut, aespa has been killing it, and their iconic second single, ‘Next Level,’ was a release hard to live up to – and yet they did it. ‘Savage’ has that catchiness and special flair that has us in love with aespa since day one. It is already so iconic. And with it, they released their first mini-album, and needless to say: they did not disappoint. Savage doesn’t have a single skip and is simply flawless.

BLITZERS

These rookies had an incredible song as a debut, and it was a hard one to follow – but their first comeback did not disappoint at all. Still, with some rock influence and already amazing rap skills, Blitzers are already bringing something truly special to the table, and we love it. ‘Will Make a Mistake’ sounds way brighter than their debut, and yet it still includes all the elements we loved from their first release. And it doesn’t hurt that the song was released along with five incredible b-sides. This 2021 boy group is definitely one to keep an eye out for.

f(x)’s LUNA

Shortly after starting her own entertainment agency, Luna has finally returned with a digital single! ‘Madonna’ is a groovy song about gaining confidence and being unapologetic about who you are. Her vocals and choreography are absolutely iconic!

N.FLYING

N.FLYING came back to slay with their repackaged album TURBULENCE and title song ‘Sober.’ We are absolutely obsessed with this one! October was saved on the 6th, period. Honestly, whoever realized the power Seunghyub and Hwesung would hold together deserves a raise!

CRAXY

Now, this is a girl group that brings something so special to the table. If you’re looking for incredible visuals, powerful vocals, mind-blowing rap verses, and a music video that feels like a movie – ‘Gaia’ by Craxy is the release for you. ‘Gaia’ is everything you could want in music and K-Pop. And this is just the first installment of a series of singles the group has already announced they’ll be releasing all throughout 2022 – it only makes us more excited to see what these girls do next.

JO YURI

The former IZ*ONE members are slowly but surely redebuting and Jo Yuri is finally here with her first single album Glassy and lead single of the same name. We gotta admit she looks like a queen herself and the jazzy and smooth song fits her nicely.

PAUL KIM

The Korean singer and songwriter Paul Kim recently released his new single, ‘After Summer.’ The song is beautifully composed, and its profound lyrics are sure to console and bring solace to fans. The song opens with soft music and instrumentals embellished with heartfelt lyrics evoking an emotional response. Nothing beats the feeling of closing our eyes and letting these soothing sounds wash over us. It embodies the essence of what it means to be in passionate love. With his stunning vocals and minimalistic instrumentation, it’s hard to deny the song’s power. This song’s accompanying music video follows the mood and feel of the single with simple and yet stunning shots of the singer driving down in the dawn. Simply put, we were instantly enchanted by this song, and it’s just beautiful!

SUNMI

This woman can do no wrong, especially when it comes to music. ‘Go or Stop?’ is an energetic pop song Sunmi released in partnership with League Of Legends. It’s another genius release by Sunmi that can do nothing but bring your mood up. And let’s not forget about the cyber-punk concept she pulled off in the music video while rocking that pink hair.

RAIDEN

Raiden pulls out all the stops for his first mini-album Love Right Back. The title track ‘Love Right Back’ features Taeil from NCT and IIIBOI, and the lyrics are about realizing how poorly you’ve been treated and taking your love back from someone who doesn’t deserve it. This star-studded mini-album also features (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon, WayV’s Xiaojun, pH-1, Weki Meki’s Choi Yoojung, and Nino Lucarelli!

ENHYPEN

Enhypen continues to gain notoriety with Dimension: Dilemma, their first studio album. It explores the complexities and dilemmas of celebrity stardom at a young age. As it traverses unknown terrains, it urges them to express their youthful dreams and desires. It combines several genres and sound styles, as the eight tracks combine rock, R&B, rap style, ballad, hip-hop, and some garage, all blended with smooth pop-punk and electro-funk elements. It is an album modern music lovers must possess. Whether it is the pulsing EDM in ‘Tamed-Dashed,’ the electro-funk of ‘Upper Side Dreamin,’ the sweet ballad ‘Just A Little Bit,’ followed by the infectious beat of ‘Go Big or Go Home,’ which picks up the pace of the album again as it nears its conclusion. ENHYPEN has created a beautiful musical experience that only leaves one wanting more. With the ‘interlude,’ the album stays open-ended, hinting at the next release. Overall, the message of this album is to keep exploring the joys of life, where they’re going, and finding answers to their questions, which is relatable and resonates with our hearts.

TRI.BE

TRI.BE has finally given us a mini album and what an album it is! It was about time we got to hear more of their musical styles. ‘Would You Run’ has been on replay all month and we don’t see an end to it any time soon?! These girls know how to put us in a good mood!

JESSI

The queen is back! With a single featuring the semi-finalists of Street Woman Fighter, Jessi shows again her talents and her incomparable strength. ‘Cold Blooded’ is amazing in its simplicity. The song has a hip-hop beat, a chorus with almost no lyrics, and subdued energy that gives uniqueness to it. The performance is just overblowing, with the presence of the amazing dancers in the MV, attuned with Jessi’s strict but also somewhat rebellious style that we’re just obsessed with!

KANGTA

We love to see first-generation idols still making music, and Kangta is no exception! His beautiful new single ‘Maybe’ is a hopeful song about being with one person for the rest of your life. You notice the little things and think ”Maybe we will.” Kangta’s high notes and sweet vocals have truly amazed us since his debut!

SUPER JUNIOR’s DONGHAE

‘California Love’ is a collab we didn’t know we needed! Super Junior’s Donghae teams up with NCT’s Jeno for a hip-hop and R&B-style song about those fiery emotions when you fall in love with someone. The lyrics will get stuck in your head before you even realize it!

LIGHTSUM

LIGHTSUM had a great debut back in June and they’re back with their first-ever comeback. ‘Vivace’ is an extremely addictive pop song that does follow the sound of their debut while being a bit more mature when it comes to style. It’s still fun and cute, and everything we expected from this new girl group. This comeback is simply the confirmation that these girls have so much talent and, there are great things to be expected from them!

BLACKSWAN

‘Close To Me’ by BLACKSWAN goes far beyond what you might expect from the K-pop group. The club beats are smooth and satisfying, and the instrumentals aren’t overwhelmingly dense. The groove is more palatable to enjoy, and it definitely makes a great addition to your club-dancing playlist. Having a new single from BLACKSWAN is always a pleasure, as they intend to make their listeners groove and feel content, and this new single certainly achieves that.

UP10TION’s JINHYUK

UP10TION’s Jinhyuk has released his fourth mini-album Ctrl V after only six months since his last EP! His title track ‘Work Work’ is about a workaholic who just wants their partner to understand them. It’s about how difficult it is trying to balance work and love, and we couldn’t agree more!

INFINITE’s WOOHYUK

INSPIRITS, we have made it. We are finally getting more and more INFINITE solo comebacks. We were getting our daily dose of serotonin from Woohyun’s ‘Hold On Me’ for the past 2 years but the king didn’t let us wait too long after his military discharge. He brings the ‘Cold & Passion’ to keep us With him forever and he looks absolutely stunning doing it.

IU

IU’s new song and music video give us such comforting fairytale vibes! ‘strawberry moon’ is about being in love and remembering those kinds of fantasy moments. Whether you’re in love or just dreaming of it, this song is perfect for you.

XYDO

Two months after his last EP, Xydo is back with ‘I’ featuring Minseo! Their angelic voices compliment each other so well, and we’ll be using this song to get in our feels. This beautiful ballad definitely belongs in a romance drama OST.

CN BLUE

We here at THP are massive fans of K-bands, and CN BLUE are DILFs- legends, we meant legends – in that market. When they finally announced a comeback after a year we were buzzing. And let us tell you ‘Love Cut’ is it… The cowboy fits, the song, the men… Truly one for the books.

SUPER JUNIOR’S EUNHYUK

Written by Eunhyuk himself, ‘be’ is a dreamy song that shows off his amazing vocals. He sings about connecting with your childhood self, who used to have so many dreams. It’s about not giving up your inner child even when you’re already an adult. Everything about this music video blew us away, especially Eunhyuk’s dance break!

KINGDOM

KINGDOM are back with their third mini-album, History Of Kingdom: Part Ⅲ. IVAN and we are wondering how they are pumping out so much quality music in just one year? Do these guys not sleep? KINGDOM’s concept is one of the most unique ones we have seen all year, and the music doesn’t disappoint ‘Black Crown’ is the angsty bop we needed. They are taking us through history with their music, and we are enjoying the ride. Now stop sleeping on them!

bugAboo

We smell the smell of a monster rookie in the air. bugAboo had us truly intrigued with their debut teasers, and they ended up delivering quite nicely. ‘bugAboo’ has all the elements we love, visuals, brass loops, vocals, and a catchy hook. We are stans as of right now.

EPIK HIGH

No, we are still not over Epik High‘s latest album, but we are ready for the second part of it. In anticipation of its release, the legendary hip hop group dropped ‘FaceID,’ a song that brings us back to ‘Born Hater’ days sound-wise, and we are not complaining.

NCT 127

With the repackaging of their third album, NCT 127 puts us right in the mood for Halloween! With its vampire concept, ‘Favorite’ is an incredible dramatic pop song that shows a whole different side to the group than their previous release. NCT 127 proved once again to be incredibly talented and able to pull off anything and everything.

EPEX

CIX‘s junior group EPEX is finally back with their second mini-album BIPOLAR Pt. 2: Prelude of Love. The title ‘Do 4 Me’ truly offers us a new side to the boys and, we are loving what we are seeing. We do enjoy a good bit of angst, but sometimes we just want to have a good and upbeat time! EPEX has the vocals, and they should show them off more often from now on!

BOL4

We may never fully comprehend what the ‘Butterfly Effect’ is, but we know for sure that BOL4’s latest single album is a hit! The song’s intro gives us lo-fi study vibes, and we were not ready for the electric guitar to drop into the chorus. BOL4 didn’t have to treat us with two mesmerizing songs and music videos, but we’re so glad she did!

DREAMNOTE

It’s been nearly two years since DreamNote last released a single album, but they’re back! The fourth single album Dreams Alive is some of their strongest work yet, and we’re living for it! DreamNote showcases a new grungier, rock side in title track ‘GHOST’ – just in time for Halloween!

SECRET NUMBER

After ‘Got That Boom’ SECRET NUMBER made us wait a long time for a new song but, with new members and us loving them as much as ever, they finally came back this month. ‘Fire Saturday’ is the retro club smash we have been waiting for, and the girls look just as good as ever!

WONHO

WENEE continues to be well and truly spoiled! Just a month after the release of the mini-album Blue Letter, Wonho has released the Japanese version of elite tier tune ‘Open Mind’ and the debut Japanese single ‘ON THE WAY.’ From the opening drum fill to the electric guitar solo, this song just gets more and more cinematic!

JUST B

I-Land fans, are you as emo as us to see these boys doing so well in their new group? Just B just debuted, and yet they already dropped their first single album JUST BEAT and ‘Tick Tock’ which is the perfect follow-up to the boys’ debut song! Their vocals are out of this world and that choreo! Oh yes!

Park Jihoon

Shortly after his August comeback, Jihoon didn’t let us starve too long, and he is back with his fifth mini-album Hot&Cold and is getting ‘Serious.’ This man can do no wrong, especially when he keeps giving us stellar r&b music. ‘CHEESE’ is the perfect jam as a b-side as well. We love you, Park Jihoon!

DKB

Are you ready for an emotional ‘Rollercoaster?’ Well, DKB has managed to create one of the smoothest breakup songs ever; their first single album Rollercoaster has super-slick choreo and major 2000s R&B energy. DKB debuted only last year, and they’ve already grown so much, we can’t wait to see what’s next!

JEON SOMI

Somi is back sooner than we thought with not only a new single but also her first-ever full-length album! ‘XOXO’ is a fun yet simple song with a nostalgic feel to it that shows a totally different side to her than her previous releases. The music video might be one of the big highlights of this comeback – it is so fun to watch, and she looks absolutely stunning, which doesn’t hurt at all. Including her previous singles and four new songs, including ‘XOXO,’ this album allows Somi to show much more of herself, and we’re here for it.

IMFACT’s TAEHO

IMFACT, we miss you! At least we have Taeho constantly giving us bops through his solo career! ‘Tell Me’ gave us more than amazing vocals. This is groovy and beautiful; thank you, king for always providing.

VAV

To celebrate their sixth anniversary, Vav has released the digital single ‘Cause I Miss You,’ and boy do we miss them! The single makes us remember how versatile Vav is, with the vocals and raps always hitting the spot and being perfectly balanced. They are truly unique in the K-POP industry. We are hoping for a quick return from them soon!

October has us slammed with amazing comebacks and debuts but that’s the fun about K-POP, right? What was your favorite release of October? Which comeback are you looking forward to in November the most? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!

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Words by: Selina Kuhn, Juu Luquin, Khushboo Malhotra, Julie Dam, Rita Louren, and Anna Marie.