EXID debuted towards the end of the 2nd generation, in 2012, with eight members: Solji, Elly, Hyelin, Jeonghwa, Hani, Haeryung, Yuji, and Dami, though the last three have since left. Though they were under a couple companies together during their tenure, the members now are under different companies from each other and self-organize their work as a group.

Here are my credentials: I know a few of EXID’s most famous titles, like Hot Pink and of course, Up & Down, but nothing too deep. Most of what I know about them comes from seeing Hani on Running Girls, with YooA, Sunmi, Chuu, and Chung Ha, and so I know more about her separately. 

EP #1: Hippity Hop

Their debut, Whoz That Girl?, starts with a quite understated opening, before of course really getting off the ground with a peppier, brighter sound and a catchy “who’s that girl, tell me who’s that girl?” hook. The song has a great splash of attitude wrapped in a funky, quintessentially 2nd gen k-pop package, and went right on the roller skating playlist. All in all, a strong place to begin! I also liked the intro.

I Feel Good takes the early 2010’s trend of using autotune to excess, and runs with it at full speed. Starting from that out-of-nowhere high note, it reminded me a lot of T-ara’s classic Sugar Free, which can only be a good thing. Opting for a minimalistic sound with a light EDM beat, it’s just a great party song. I only wish it would’ve pushed it even further.

From the EP, Hippity Hop, I liked the R&B-meets-hip hop and the background strings of Better Together, the high-pitched synths in Think About Me, and the hints of doo-wop in ballad Whoz That Girl Pt.2.

Single #1: Every Night

Every Night is a little more on the ballad side than their last titles, but still works in some hints of hip-hop and R & B. It wasn’t until I got to the chorus that I realized I’d already heard this one, though I have no idea where. Anyway, though I like the idea of the ringing phone throughout the song, I confess it annoyed me way more than it should’ve. I thought this one was alright, but I prefer their first two titles.

EP #2: Ah Yeah

Up & Down is, naturally, the first song I’d ever heard of EXID, and is both famous (for saving their career) and infamous (for its now-banned choreography). I started nodding my head right from the brassy, in-your-face hook and the “wi arae, wi wi arae”, because it’s kind of impossible not too. It’s an odd combination of parts fused into a song, but whether it’s the strength of EXID’s charisma or just the amount of fun they seem to be having, it just…works. I may or may not have replayed it 3 times, but we don’t talk about that.

Ah Yeah also has hints of brass in its background, but goes for a sharper and altogether angrier presentation, which makes sense given that its a song that’s protesting against sexual harassment, which like many women, is something I and most of my friends have experienced. So, I am obviously biased towards this song, as I always am towards songs that discuss social issues. Besides that, though, it’s a strong, catchy track too, especially the main chorus.

From the EP, Ah Yeah, I enjoyed the smooth but still powerful vocals of A Sul Hae, the unflappable mood of Without U, and the absolute drama of power ballad 1M.

Single #2: Hot Pink

Hot Pink is another single I’d heard of EXID’s before, and follows what’s become common for them: short phrase hooks mixed with brass. Somehow (knock on wood), it hasn’t bored me yet, and I think it’s because the rest of the songs are actually quite different, with fuller choruses than those hooks would imply. Though this one is a little cringy with the interpolation of the men’s voices in the pre-choruses, it’s still pretty fun.

Album #1: Street

L.I.E. I hadn’t heard before, but it goes for what feels like more of a hip-hop-meets-reggae genre, and I’m honestly here for it. Though it’s laid-back in its verses, the choruses are as energetic as ever (and remind me of early 3rd gen), while still feeling summery and fun. It’s a good example of how to innovate on a tried and true formula while still sticking to your roots. However, I’m not the biggest fan of the 2nd verse rap, since I feel like it flows less well in the song than their others have.

Cream, as befits the name, starts with quite a light touch that sets it apart from Hot Pink, Ah Yeah, Up & Down. But the lyrics themselves are far from that, and honestly made me laugh a little with how obvious they are. It’s more of a special single / promoted b-side than title track material, but it’s still decently strong, mostly due to their voices and the slight jazzy edge.

From the full album, Street, I enjoyed the acoustic guitar with the harsher vocals in Don’t Want A Drive, the lovely warble and vibrato in her voice in Solji’s solo 3%, and the disco inspiration in Only One. But, mostly, this album was a bit more downtempo than I was expecting, which isn’t to say it was bad at all, but it wasn’t for me.

EP #3: Full Moon

The next single, Night Rather Than Day, continues what Street started, with a more downtempo, slightly melancholy beat. It’s still dancy, but with more of a later-Mamamoo tone, or a cleaning-up-after-the-party feeling. It’s minimalist and steps lightly, but does definitely leave a mark. I think that I’d have to be in a very specific mood to listen to it, but that I could be won over. From the EP, Eclipse, I enjoyed the instrumental breakdown in How Why.

DDD, as befits when it was released, leans more into the girl crush side of things with the vocalized hook and heavier focus on rap, which is interesting mixed with their “sexy” image. The chorus is more like their other tracks, however, making great use of their strong voices and the synthiness lying underneath the track. I’m not the biggest fan of this one, though; the hook gets under my skin.

From the EP, Full Moon, I enjoyed the understated but still catchy Too Good To Me, the strong belting in Solji’s solo Dreamer, the slight distortion in Jeonghwa’s synthy solo Alice, and LE and Hani’s voices blending together in Weekend.

Single #3: Lady

Lady I’d heard a couple times, but I admit I enjoyed it more in context with their work so far. It takes inspiration from a retro 80’s-90’s hip-hop style, similar to (G)I-DLE’s Uh-Oh, which is only improved by the fuzzy filter over the music video. It does a great job blending the hip-hop and some slight sing talk with gentler and more melodic moments including the great hook. I found myself nodding along from the start, and I liked it more than I thought I would!

EP #4: WE

I Love You, like DDD, has a very late-2010’s-K-pop vocalized hook (in this case an “I love you like”), but thankfully I’m less annoyed by it. I think that’s because it’s offset by a much more classic 2nd gen retro synth sound. So, I did like this one, even if I think it’s less out-of-the-box than their earlier hits like Ah Yeah and Up & Down, and I added it to my roller skating playlist too. Speaking of which, that damn playlist is going to be about 12 hours long by the end of April if I keep this up.

Me & You is from the same release as I Love You, and, in the grand tradition of K-pop releases, goes in the exact opposite direction. Shot mostly in black & white and telling the story of a murderous bride, it’s definitely still a very EXID song, especially with its lovely vocals, but opts for an anti-drop chorus that I’m not the biggest fan of.

From the EP, We, I enjoyed the acoustic guitar and well…vibeyness of The Vibe, the extremely forward lyrics in How You Doin’ (which got a full laugh out of me), and the summery brass and upbeat feeling of Midnight.

EP #5: X

Fire is, as of now, EXID’s most recent release, and marks their 10th anniversary in 2022, an impressive accomplishment for any group. It definitely feels like an entrance or, better said, a return, and in this one, the members weaponize the kind of natural confidence that comes with time. My favorite part is undoubtedly the pre-chorus, which absolutely reaches for the sky, but unfortunately my least favorite part is the anti-drop chorus, which brings the whole thing down. That being said, for an anti-drop, it really isn’t too bad, and the great last chorus really elevates it.

From the EP, X, I enjoyed LE’s rap and the downtempo pre-choruses in IDK and the blitzy distortion in Leggo, which reminded me a little of Red Velvet’s Russian Roulette (my beloved, lol).

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. I really didn’t know much about EXID before this deep dive, but I had a good time! I had pigeonholed them in my mind as more of a precursor to the girl crush popular when I got into K-pop, but I found that I was wrong. They have some excellent voices, and, from the couple interviews and Killing Voice performance I watched, seem like they genuinely love performing. Also, I really grew to appreciate LE’s talents, and through this, she’s become one of my favorite rappers in the industry.

My top 5 songs were Ah Yeah, Up & Down, Lady, Don’t Want A Drive, and Whoz That Girl, with Better Together as an honorable mention. EXID gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me, which is around what I was expecting. Like I’ve said ad nauseum, their voices are something special and when they use them, they’ve made some very unique tracks that have wormed their way into my heart. I hope they make another comeback soon.

Next time, we’ll be covering another group I don’t know very well, who’ve been in the news a bit lately. Tschüss!