As hot as the season itself, July and August saw a relentless stream of K-pop releases all fighting for their own moment. Some delivered, but quite a few were just lukewarm. One question kept coming to mind: How much longer is K-pop going to see something work and immediately decide everyone needs to do the same thing? Taste in music is subjective, and one person's skip might be another's song of the year. These are my takes, not court rulings, so you're more than welcome to disagree. i-dle, "We Made" EP — Track "Gimme Dat Love" released July 6 Verdict: Nearly there Electronic had barely finished sweeping through K-pop when "Gimme Dat Love" showed up like an ominous message — Latin-tropical sounds and Afrobeats are next. Genre-hopping is all fun and games until the song fits the beat better than it fits the people singing it. The production begs for some attitude, while a few of the vocals stay almost too clean and straight. The beat is sweating, but some of the vocals sound freshly showered. Yeonjun, "NO LABELS: PART 02" EP — Track "Ice Cream" released July 10 Verdict: Worth replaying