H1-KEY (pronounced High Key) were founded by Sony Music Korea and Grandline Group right on the line between the 4th and 5th generation of kpop, in early 2022, with four members: Seoi, Riina, Yel, and Sitala. Sitala left the group a few months later and was replaced by current member Hwiseo.

Here are my credentials: I know almost nothing about H1-KEY, but they’ve been on my to-do list for a while after I heard a few snippets of their song Seoul and thought it sounded interesting. So, here I am, flying blind. Let’s get into it!

Single #1: Athletic Girl

Athletic Girl was H1-KEY’s official debut, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’m of two minds to be honest. On the one hand, I really like the build-up in the pre-chorus and the post-choruses and unique instrumental are pretty good too. On the other, I dislike that anti-drop, and the lyrics are your usual girl crush “I’m-so-much-cooler-than-you”, with this new filter of “athletic” over it. Do…do they know what that even means? It’s like (G)I-DLE’s Tomboy all over again, Christ. That being said, I am impressed by the amount of confidence that the girls project; especially for a debut, it’s unusual. So…eh? I’ve heard worse. But I’ve also heard much better.

Single #2: Run

Run is as much of a 180 as it’s possible to get from Athletic Girl, irrepressibly bubbly and bright, with the girls in tennis skirts and knee-high socks and drenched in sunlight, and hey, I’m here for it. This style really suits them, and the confidence I noted in their debut is clear here too, but a bit easier to swallow when it’s not being thrown at you. I liked the MV too; its palpable joy harkens back to the heyday of 2nd and 3rd kpop, one of my favorite eras. (Side note: practically every scene Yel is in, the girl is doing splits. Was she a ballerina before joining the group? Because damn, I’ve never been that flexible.) I really liked this one!

From the single, also called Run, my hidden gem was Heart Light, with its percussive sunny guitar and tailor-made-for-summer sound.

EP #1: Rose Blossom

After the bubbliness of Run, Rose Blossom opens with throwing a stuffed bunny into a bonfire, and me promptly rewinding, glasses on, to make sure I saw that. It’s neither at the girl-crush level of Athletic Girl or like the overexposed sunniness of Run; instead, it’s solidly electropop, but tempered with reality. With lyrics about a rose bursting from the concrete and being strong even amongst adversity, it’s hopeful in a way I wasn’t expecting from its bleak opening. The moment at the end where the girls throw their umbrellas into the sky and sing “I’m growing up, I’ll be alright”made me genuinely smile. So far, I like Run better, but I can totally see this growing on me.

From the EP, I enjoyed the hand-clap led, incredibly sappy fan song You Are My Key (my hidden gem), and the ethereal, chanty outro of Dream Trip.

EP #2: Seoul Dreaming

“One, two, three, let’s go!” are the words that open Time To Shine, a candy-pink prerelease to H1-KEY’s 2nd EP. Marrying the inspiring lyrics of Rose Blossom with a fizziness that makes it feel like it’s on the precipice of something great, it too seems determined to make you smile. The MV too is really sweet, showing the girls finding each other and forming a dance group together, a poppier version of Kiss Of Life’s Bye My Neverland. It also continues that very 2nd gen humor from Run, always a favorite of mine, and seeing them dance around and have fun was just wonderful.

Like I mentioned in the intro, Seoul was the one song of H1-KEY’s I’d heard before this review, but put in the context of all their others, I honestly like it more. Not only does it build off of the sound they’ve had since the beginning, going for a dance-ready synth pop that’s a perfect fit for the members, but it feels like another step in their journey. And that bridge! Its build makes Seoul close-to-perfect, culminating in a clap-along yell of “I’ll never stop singing, never stop dancing until the city hears me, until the city sees me!”, before launching back into a final chorus. It’s a love letter to Seoul, sure, but it’s also a love letter to all the trials they’ve had to overcome on the way to becoming idols. It’s as k-poppy as k-pop gets, and I can’t give it a better compliment than that.

From the EP, I enjoyed the lyrics and solid percussion of Low-key Scared But H1-KEY Ready and the mile-a-minute pace and great build of Magical Dream. Seoul is a great song, but I think a bit of the electric guitar from the intro (Seoul Dreaming) might make it perfect.

EP #3: Love Or Hate

Let It Burn is a darker turn in H1-KEY’s discography, marrying their usual uplifting pop with a distinctly punky edge and distinctly angry lyrics. I mention the anger here because it really struck me. K-pop idols, especially girl groups, are very, very rarely allowed to express anger outside of specific ways in music, but this song felt very real in its depiction, showing the girls tearing up posters, performing in a band, and running away from their restrictive school. Despite its very 5th gen elements, something about it feels so classic, especially in kpop Also, I’m nothing if not predictable; put “let’s burn it all down!” in a song and I’m 100% there. The final rousing chorus solidified my love of it, practically begging for a sing-along. I bet it would be a great song at karaoke—or a concert, for that matter.

From the EP, I enjoyed the gentle yet bright sound of Rainfalls, but my hidden gem was Letter. Not only is it endlessly sweet, but its lyrics are actually based on letters the members wrote to each other to express their fears and dreams, and most of all, their thanks. It’s the kind of heartfelt, track that doesn’t often make it to title track status, and so you really have to go looking for it.

EP #4: Lovestruck

Summer Was You starts with this hazy, drowsy feeling, like it’s all been filmed through a polaroid or recorded through a muffler. But that doesn’t last long. Driven by a solid beat and a strong guitar, it’s a summer song if ever there was one, and it feels a lot like a matured version of earlier single Run. With its lyrics and its overall sound warring between happy and sad, it’s the kind of thing you’d listen to on a nighttime drive along the coast. The MV is a great fit too, showing the girls have fun dancing, running on a beach, biking along a wharf, etc. And it’s almost all filmed outside, in what I’m fairly certain is Jeju. I was half convinced that it was going to have some sad ending, but it doesn’t; instead it’s a warm, fond look back at friendship and love that leaves you feeling nostalgic in the way only summer can.

From the EP, while I enjoyed the bright, brassy sound of Let Me Be Your Sea, my hidden gem was Good For U, with its great driving beat and biting sarcasm; I might have liked it even more than the title.

TL;DR: Verdict

I’m glad I did this! I was so, so surprised by how much fun I had doing this deep dive. I watched their cover of Sistar’s Touch My Body, their very funny Try Not To Sing video, and also read this excellent interview by NME, which I can’t recommend enough. Can I call myself a M1-KEY? Well, we’ll have to see what the next comeback brings, but I’d say I’m well on my way.

My Top 5 songs were Seoul (Such A Beautiful City), Letter, Good For U, Heart Light, and Let It Burn, with You Are My Key as an honorable mention. H1-KEY gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me, which honestly wasn’t at all what I was expecting. But they earned it, without a doubt. Sometimes, a good, inspiring, heartfelt pop song is just exactly what you need. When I did this deep dive I was actually in the middle of finals week (pray for me), so I really couldn’t have asked for a better group to review. I’m so excited to see where they go next, and you better believe I’ll be right there!

Next time, we’re onto a boy group! Tschüss!