Posted by Jacques Peterson on 12/11/2012 at 1:05 AM News

The Popdust Files: K-pop, Sunny Hill

Sunny Hill are usually excluded when people rank K-pop’s various idol groups, but they’re actually more popular than they’re given credit for. Since relaunching themselves with a new look and a new lineup last year, three out of their four singles have gone top 10, and their success is likely to continue when the quartet return on December 14th with their second mini-album, Antique Romance.

Not much is known about their new concept yet, but judging by the teaser photo (see above) of the group holding chairs over their heads whilst dressed like hip art school students, it won’t be far off their usual offbeat and trendy style.

This will be the group’s second comeback since their sole male member, Janghyun, temporarily left to begin his mandatory military service. Even though LOEN Entertainment rarely utilized Janghyun beyond a few vague production credits in Sunny Hill’s songs, the group hasn’t really been the same since he left. They still stand out amongst most of Korea’s idol acts thanks to their signature art-pop style and socially-conscious songs, but without Janghyun, it feels like a huge piece of the puzzle is missing. At this stage, we can only pray that the head of South Korea’s armed forces is a Sunny Hill stan and decides to cut Janghyun’s service short for the good of the group. That probably won’t happen, but wishful thinking never hurt anybody. Right?