ITZY – 'IT'z ICY'

Track List:

1. ICY *Title

2. CHERRY

3. IT'z SUMMER

4. DALLA DALLA (DallasK Remix)

5. WANT IT? (Imad Royal Remix)

ITZY has just dropped their debut EP, titled 'It'z Icy.' It has 5 tracks, two of them being remixes of previous tracks. The title track was produced by JYP himself. As I write this ITZY has already killed four realtime charts in South Korea: Genie, Bugs, Naver, and Soribada. They also ranked in the top four on realtime charts as well.

"ICY" is an upbeat, uptempo pop tune. It's got that girl group energy that I love so much, where they chant, rap, and they show off their vocal range. And they sound so fierce when they hit the chorus. Definite yes, and definitely worthy of title track status. Moving on to "CHERRY," we get a darker take, at least sonically. The bass thrums and the rapping, along with more minor notes, makes it feel kind of edgy. The lyrics don't really reflect that, but it's still an awesome song for all of that. Because this is a summer release, you have to have a song called "IT'z SUMMER." I love this one, with a crazy down pitched synth line and plenty of rapping. Hip-hop aesthetics always hit my sweet spot, and this song is no exception.

The last two are remixes. One of their debut song and the other is for a B-side (albeit an awesome one). "DALLA DALLA" (DallasK Remix) is not all that different (see what I did there?). There's just more of an electropop thing going on during the chorus and the raps. They keep the same basic melody throughout, though there is a different dance break. They gave "WANT IT?" some horns to accompany the chorus. And they stripped the music out of the main verses. It is different and takes a little getting used to. It's not too far out there, but at times it almost seems like a different song. While this should be right up my alley, I'd probably be happier with it if I heard this version first.

So it's a little less than I was hoping for, considering this is a debut mini-album. Rather than remixes, I wanted new material. The new stuff is absolutely kick-ass, don't get me wrong. "ICY" is probably my new favorite song from these girls, and they've proven themselves capable of churning out absolute catchy pop tunes. So, I'll wear the three new songs out, and wait with high hopes for their next comeback. But meanwhile, enjoy a few new songs kicking around your skull for the summer.

MV REVIEW

The five girls of ITZY strut their stuff through the streets of Los Angeles in their new video "ICY."

I have one cardinal rule for MVs anymore. Show me something cool. If I'm going to plant my butt in place for 3 minutes give me something good. They did that here.

I've been to LA. I've kinda seen what the city has to offer, good and bad. There's a lot of city to explore (part of why it's a popular setting for Kpop). So rather than give me a travelogue, how about doing something different? So in the spirit of "DALLA DALLA," they did.

Not only do they break out some cool looking choreo, but they also have different CGI effects during their little tour of the area, like building panels suddenly going bright neon, dialog balloons, and other cute animations. There are even funny moments like Chaeryeong drawing stares from a little kid, and Ryujin drawing stares of a different kind. Each girl just kind of shakes it off and exhibits that devil-may-care attitude.

So was it fun? You bet. The energy of the girls combined with the little details kept me watching the whole time.

Score

MV Relevance...........8

MV Production..........9

MV Concept..............9

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....9

Album Concept.........9

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.6

OVERALL................8.6