The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion
In my mind, IVE are the most exciting girl group working in K-pop right now. This bore out across 2022, as they blitzed the market with a succession of addicting (and highly successful) singles. While incorporating popular trends, their music aims for the pop jugular in a way few others do. They’re not afraid of a big chorus, and that sense of panache makes their comebacks feel momentous.
After the underwhelming pre-release Kitsch two weeks ago, IVE have finally unveiled their first full album. It’s led by the commanding I Am, which functions as a good old-fashioned pop juggernaut. You won’t find much subtlety here. The tempo is high, the melodies are grand, and the girls are game for a good time.
It’s amazing how much a glistening, larger-than-life production can elevate a track. Given a different approach, I’d likely be complaining about I Am’s vaguely nursery-rhyme hook or the unnecessarily high-pitched power notes (how on earth are they going to sing this live?), but the song’s robust arrangement smooths over these concerns as the group performs in unison and the synths chug along with sparkling intensity. I could do without the micro-sized trap breakdown in verse two, but the payoff is worth it as IVE launch into a dynamic pre-chorus. Better yet, I Am’s final minute thrills in a way we don’t often hear from K-pop anymore. Its well-calibrated bombast brings the song home with the kind of confetti drop aplomb that makes pop music so satisfying.
Hooks
8
Production
10
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
9
Mục Lục
Grade: A-
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