ITZY “GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS” EP FIRST IMPRESSION
ITZY is back with their long-awaited comeback titled, “Girls Will Be Girls”. This project marks the 10th mini-album in their discography. The EP was marketed with some superb concept photos that utilized a consistent usage of gritty color grading and deconstructed looks. The title track’s music video serves as the lead for imagery regarding this five song ensemble and does a terrific job of doing so. Girls Will Be Girls is a very short piece of work, running at just 14 minutes and 38 seconds. Additionally, four out of five of the songs have a run time of less than three minutes, making it a very speedy listen. Just about every song on this project has a very nailed-on sound that aligns very closely with the theme portrayed by the concept photos released by the group. With the exception of one, these songs are ridiculously fast-paced, head-banging, energy-boosting, pump ups.
TRACK ANALYSIS
Girls Will Be Girls
To me, Girls Will Be Girls falls just about in the middle of their discography regarding their title tracks. The chorus was marketed heavily and was stuck in my head before the full song was even out. The song is fairly repetitive but I was very impressed with the instrumental. As the tone setter for this project, it’s a strong opener but I don’t think the lyricism is anything to write home about. However, I do believe it serves its purpose very well in hooking you in. This installment grabs you by the face and tells you you’re gonna be in for a really intense ride with little to no respite. Regarding the music video, there has been plenty of discussion centered around the interpretation of the symbolism provided. MIDZY and neutral listeners are speculating that the constant barrage of birds at the girls may be a nod toward the K-Pop space’s polarizing views of the group. The dance break section that begins at 1:54 is perhaps the most impressive part of this song. I foresee a lot of sensational performances during live stages for this section. SCORE: 7/10
Kiss & Tell
They need to market the hell out of this song. Upon first listen, this was the most memorable song of the bunch. Interestingly enough, I think Kiss & Tell could’ve been the title track. The “mwah”s offered to you by Yeji, Ryujin, and Yuna serve as such a terrific spice for the sound and aids in giving it that chic dance floor impression. The pre-chorus gives you a very slight break before the song grabs you by your neck and choke slams you into a table again. Not only did this song make it into my playlist immediately, it also made my gym playlist at the same time. This piece of the EP is without a doubt the highlight of the cast to me. I am extremely excited to see what kind of additives they choose to give this song. Keeping my fingers crossed for a music video and a Studio Choom performance. SCORE: 8/10
Locked N Loaded
This track and the next were the two I was least impressed with. Fairly close to the bottom of my list. It’s CRIMINALLY short with a duration of 2 minutes and 25 seconds. There wasn’t really any point during this song in which I found myself super excited or impressed. It’s not an unpleasant listen. I just felt unmoved for the majority of it. On the other hand, the guitar solo during this track is outstanding. Without a doubt the best part of the song. SCORE: 5/10
Promise
The most out of place song on this EP. I had to do a double take to make sure I was still listening to the same mini-album because this song is such a drastic contrast from the previous installments. In short, this is a ballad. Most of their works seem to include at least one of these, but to me, I find this to be such a distracting roadblock in an otherwise coherent EP that has such a distinctly tough and hard theme. I may have had a different opinion on this song if it was placed at the end of this project and served as a finisher but, alas. As a collective piece, you get three high energy songs in quick succession and are abruptly met with a softer, vocal-focused piece with one more song to follow. With this in mind, I think Promise suffers quite a bit from where it is in the tracklist. It’s a very awkward fit. On the flip side, I do think it’s a soothing listen. Lia’s handles on the first chorus stood out the most to me on this song and as a whole, I think their voices came together very nicely on this song. SCORE: 4/10
Walk
This song needs to hit every single runway on the planet. You will not find a better fit in K-Pop that has come out this year that nails this house-like feel better than Walk does. This is the exact type of song you put your headphones on and give yourself the feel of the main character to. Each member of the group was tasked with repeating the phrase, “walk” at some point in this song but something about Chaeryeong’s vocal tone during her turn at the end hit the right mark for me. This song has a lot of post-release potential. Along with Kiss & Tell, I have a very strong feeling this track will also get a lot of attention as time passes. SCORE: 8/10
I was extremely excited for this comeback. This EP was wonderfully marketed and I found myself increasingly invested with each new bit of media being released to promote the project. Visually, every part of this mini-album is very strong. The optics do their job in making you want to listen to it and the looks for this were some of their best to date. With all of that in mind, sonically, I am fairly pleased with what we were given. On most accounts, a thumbs up from me for this piece of work.
