ITZY – 'IT’Z ME'

Track List:

1. WANNABE *Title

2. TING TING TING with Oliver Heldens

3. THAT’S A NO NO

4. NOBODY LIKE YOU

5. YOU MAKE ME

6. I DON’T WANNA DANCE

7. 24HRS

The girls of ITZY have just dropped their newest EP, 'IT’z ME.' It contains seven brand new tracks, including the title track "Wannabe." It's their 3rd EP overall.

"WANNABE" comes in with an almost music box style intro. I swear you can even hear a key winding things up. I love this song because it's fierce and bold. it's got a girl crush elements that I'm hearing more and more often in K-pop. But to me, that's more interesting than the hundredth cute band. That chorus is awesome -- it sounds like an army of girls that are telling you how it's going to be. The danceable "TING TING TING" features techno artist Oliver Heldens. This is fun and playful. And the primarily male vocals on his part are a bit jarring at first. You don't really expect it. But it gets repeated enough where you get used to it. What I wonder is why? And who's giving whose career a boost?

"THAT’S A NO NO" opens with rapping. But the net effect is cuter than anything else. That's a minor concern, though. Because the pounding beat, cheerleader chants, and repetition make this a serious bop. "NOBODY LIKE YOU" surprised me. Crunchy guitars and catchy beats highlight this one. I really like how they use the backing track. And they manage to avoid copying Dream Catcher, too. This song is my jam. Piping synths and clockwork sounds characterize "YOU MAKE ME." In this tune, they still sound as fierce as they do on their other tracks. I like how they set this one up. Rather than a one-off gimmick, the backing track remains consistent throughout. The rapping in here is better, possibly because there's less of it.

The girls tell you what they think of dancing in "I DON’T WANNA DANCE." It's right there in the title. I like the structure of this tune, it's very f(x)-like, with the staccato rhythms and the non-traditional nature. Some of the special effects in the song are very second gen. It made me a bit wistful for a second. "24HRS" is probably the most playful song on the EP. They start out with a thrumming bass, but they abandon it for a bit in favor of chants and it sounds adorable. Almost like schoolyard games. But the main verses are about as cute, and you can almost hear them smiling as they sing.

This is a very different EP than ITZY's other releases. They've taken their devil may care style to a new level on this mini-album. I like how they sound fierce and confident. I was hoping to hear more of that and I got my wish. The only thing I wonder is when does this get stale?

MV REVIEW

In this MV the members do different things, sometimes to establish going against the grain. Everything from cutting their own hair, to refusing to wear high heels, doing a turn on the catwalk, or walking across a dinner table (pushing dishes off, just like a cat). Not sure where being chased by drones fits in there, but it is what it is.

The different locations are interesting, interesting enough to keep your attention. Besides, the main point is their antics, anyway. Somehow I almost got the impression that it all takes place in the same building, I'm not sure why.

When we get treated to their dancing, that's actually quite fun. While their movements are synchronized, it really does look like they're having fun rather than being forced to adhere to some choreo. This is hammered home when they're dancing in their individual shots.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I like this one a lot.

Score

MV Relevance...........9

MV Production..........8

MV Concept..............8

MV SCORE: 8.3

Album Production.....9

Album Concept.........8

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

ALBUM SCORE: 8.3

OVERALL................8.3