Here are my credentials (again): I can’t say that I was ever a fan of ITZY, but they had just debuted when I became interested in kpop, and so I ended up checking them out. They kind of lost me along the way, though, especially after Sneakers came out, and so I wanted to see what they’ve been up to since. Let’s get into it!

(Part One)

Single #1: Bet On Me

After a long time observing ITZY from afar, Bet On Me was the first recent single of theirs that I watched all the way through. Remember the last review when I said that “a great MV does not a good song make”? Well, I may have to rethink that. Because Bet On Me’s video is just fantastic. There’s no dancing in this one; instead, it’s substituted by running, which is juxtaposed by the girls going about their lives and facing everyday challenges. But most of all, it’s about them supporting each other and themselves. During the last minute where, one by one, they start running together? It genuinely makes me emotional.

And as for the song itself, though it keeps their signature confidence (take a shot every time I say confident in this review; kidding, you’ll die), it also shows the long, hard road it takes to achieve that kind of confidence. It’s like a peek behind the scenes of how ITZY came to be, and the music reflects that. It’s simple, just a pulsing heartbeat with synths layered on top, and though I do wish it went further sometimes, it’s made incredible by the powerful performances of the girls. It’s just a great song, and the kind of thing that I wish ITZY would do more of.

EP #7: Kill My Doubt

None Of My Business is the second of two pre-releases for this album, and is also a step in a different direction for ITZY, this time with an understated, sun-drenched light pop sound. I quite like the verses; they remind me of Kiss Of Life’s Sticky, but unlike Sticky, None Of My Business doesn’t have the kind of go-for-broke explosion of a chorus (“how long before we fall in love?!”) that you need to make a song like this work, instead relying on a fairly predictable, boring hook. The girls sell it, sure, but eventually there will be a song that they can’t. It’s just…nice, and I know ITZY can do better.

Cake is the official single from this album, and I have to say that I think it’s the worst of the three promoted tracks. If you’ve been on the blog a while, you’ll know that there’s few things that bother me more than an earworm chorus that I just cannot make leave, and unfortunately, that’s the category that Cake falls into for me. Not only does it feature unwieldy sing-talk, but we’re back at lyrics that make no sense, a spoken-word hook, and a brassy burst that hurts my ears. I did like the pre-choruses, which is becoming pretty standard for me with ITZY songs, but that was about it. It’s just not a song that I can enjoy listening to.

There are only three other tracks on this EP, and from them, Psychic Lover was easily my favorite. With a punchy beat and a solid hook, it’s miles ahead of most of ITZY’s singles.

EP #8: Born To Be

Born To Be is a pre-release, but despite that, it only has a performance video. Also, unfortunately, Lia isn’t in this EP at all, having been on hiatus for her anxiety, and her presence is very missed. It’s…fine. It’s bombastic, though it does feel like it has something to back that up. Its buildup is probably one of ITZY’s best, quasi-militaristic and sharp, but I can’t enjoy it, because, just like I expected, we have an anti-drop before it can get anywhere. To add to that, the whole song is very harsh on the ears, especially the chorus and rap sections, which really doesn’t endear me to it. It’s exactly what I expected it to be, which is a little disappointing. I would take a surprise (even a bad one) over this.

Untouchable is the official single for the EP, and from the moment it started, I was cautiously optimistic. Its verses are synthy yet confident, anchored by a hand clapping beat and electric guitar. And thankfully, finally, we have a payoff that actually fits the build-up! It’s a bit of an anti-drop, but it still feels earned, not like it comes out of nowhere. I have my gripes, like the chorus not going far enough for my liking, and the choreo not feeling like a good fit, but mostly, those are small. I liked this one, and I hope that it can be a template for ITZY’s future releases.

Interlude: Solos

This album also includes a solo song for each member, which is always a lot of fun.

As for the songs themselves: Ryujin’s Run Away is angsty and tense, something humming under the surface until the song explodes into the kind of fantastic chorus that I wish Bet On Me had. Yuna’s Yet…But is solidly poppy, though its bubbliness is tempered by her sharp delivery. It feels like a classic 2nd or 3rd gen song, which is definitely a compliment. Lia’s Blossom is pretty, but a bit too understated for me; it’s nice to hear her voice, though. Yeji’s Crown On My Head was also pretty good, going for full-throated rock that’s more common in J-pop. It’s a bit choppy around the edges, but it’s got a lot of solid parts in it. Chaeryong’s Mine is also pop, and had me nodding along. I think it’d be a nice song to have on in the background, but not to actively listen to.

Besides the solos, I wasn’t a fan of any of the other tracks from the album.

Album #2: Gold

Imaginary Friend is both not the main single and not quite a pre-release, so I’m not quite sure what to call it. But whatever it is, it’s good. Like, really good. Imaginary Friend is quasi-anthemic, proving that ITZY can do a build-up and payoff well and pull off the emotional element needed for this kind of song, when they’re given the right material. The lyrics too are lovely, with the kind of vulnerability and nostalgia that are such key parts of kpop. I wish they’d used this sound before, and I hope that they do more of it in the future.

Gold starts with the kind of forceful, rock tinged sound that I’ve been waiting for since Want It, and then…does nothing with it? Its verses are just as sing talk-heavy as ever, its chorus just as much of an anti-drop, and its pre-chorus just as earworm-y in a bad way. In lieu of repeating myself yet again, I’ll just say that I’m very happy to see the return of Lia, who seems better than ever.

This is technically a full album, but half of the songs have already been released, and they’re included here with the addition of Lia’s voice, so it’s functionally an EP. I enjoyed the fast-paced verses and tongue-in-cheek humor of Bad Girls R Us, Changbin’s feature in Vay, and the laid-back, self-assured beat of Supernatural (my hidden gem).

EP #9: Girls Will Be Girls

I was intrigued from the first time I saw the title of Girls Will Be Girls, but I confess that I was worried it’d follow in the footsteps of songs like Cake, with no real message and a simple catchphrase chorus and an anti-drop, and so on and so on, but I was proved wrong. Instead, it’s a celebration of female friendship and resilience that shows the girls of ITZY surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. The song feels like a successor to Bet On Me in the best way, partly because it succeeds on the strength of their performances and the confidence with which they sell them, but partly because it has the same sense of building urgency mixed with a chugging beat that made Bet On Me work so well.

My biggest gripe was that they went with an instrumental bridge and not something that amplified the final chorus, but all things considered, that’s not bad. It has one of their greatest pre-choruses and delivers on its promises while still showing a new, more mature side of the group and not sacrificing their core sound, so I really can’t complain. Kudos, ITZY, you proved me wrong.

From the EP, I enjoyed the dance-floor ready, confident Kiss & Tell, the slow satisfying build of Promise (my hidden gem), and the vogue-worthy Walk. I’m also a big fan of the rock version of Girls Will Be Girls. This is definitely one of their best releases in recent memory.

EP #10: Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision, to its credit, has one hell of an intro, a buzzing, almost alarm-like background, cars racing through the city, paparazzi cameras flashing, and ITZY looking as great as ever. And, unfortunately, that’s where it ends, with the rest of the song resting on the kind of empty bragging and overly affected voices we’ve seen hundreds of times before. I don’t know why ITZY seems to shoot themselves in the foot every time they find a good sound. There’s a lot of good in this song, too, especially the chanty hook of a chorus. It’s disappointing, but not that surprising.

From the EP, I enjoyed the haunting, almost claustrophobic sound of intro Focus and the mile-a-minute pumping beat of Flicker, but there’s not a song here I’d consider my hidden gem. Unfortunately, my thoughts on the EP are the same as its title track: a lot of potential, but most of it unused.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! It was a fun trip down memory lane to look back at ITZY’s career, five years on. I watched both ITZY styling Lindsay at Buzzfeed for something more lighthearted and their interview on IU’s Palette. (Side note, go watch that, they’re fangirling so hard and it’s so cute). ITZY are so talented, and I had a good time, and that makes what I’m going to say next feel harsher than usual.

My Top 5 songs were Wannabe, Loco, Run Away, Want It, and Bet On Me, with Imaginary Friend as an honorable mention. ITZY gets a 7.75 out of 10 from me. Like I said before, I think that ITZY didn’t “fall off”; rather, their songs had issues from the beginning, like overusing anti-drops, raps that don’t flow, and some dumb lyrics. But as time went on and what made them so unique for 2019 became fairly normal, those issues became more obvious. There’s a lot of good music in their discography, but that good music comes when they strip away the artifice and combine confidence with vulnerability, not when they haphazardly stitch together two decent parts with two disappointing ones, wrap it up in glittery tape, and throw it into the ring with a shrug. ITZY are such excellent performers, elevating songs that don’t really deserve them, and I hope that they get better music so that their talents can be appreciated.

Next time, we’re onto a boy group I don’t know very well. Tschüss!