[International Song Reviews] IVE, Kep1er, STAYC, YENA, ITZY

It has been almost a year since I posted an International Song Review post, a segment where I do mini-reviews for non-Korean songs released by some of our favourite KPOP artists. While I have covered some non-Korean songs this year, I have practically neglected this area of the blog, unfortunately, due to time pressures. Over the coming weeks, I will be looking to revive this segment to cover some great releases I have yet to cover on the blog and have chosen not to write in a separate standalone song review format.

Today, I will review non-Korean songs released in the last year by IVE, Kep1er, STAYC, YENA, and ITZY.

All Night – IVE ft. (SAWEETIE)

Language: English
Release Date: 19 January 2024
Release Type: All Night (1st English Single)

IVE’s All Night is a remake of Icona Pop’s song of the same name and is marketed as their debut English single. The dance-pop instrumentation was fine, and Saweetie’s rap part was my favourite sequence in All Night. But I question what value IVE add to All Night. Yeah, their parts ring in my mind for a bit. But the members had no separate lines, and they all sang together for the entirety of the song. The promotional material could have easily said it was just one singer singing in the track, and I wouldn’t have known the difference. Furthermore, their vocals were oddly plain and lacked any characteristic that allows us to call it an IVE track. They were literally stripped of any identity in the song. There were some ad-libs towards the end, but they were very in the background, and I didn’t notice them until today.

As for the music video, most of it was IVE and Saweetie stuck in a small windowless office. If the video ventured anywhere else, it was either to the office lobby, the hallway or the elevator. Surely, the music video could have been a little more exciting and featured some choreography. I don’t think I am asking for much here. As for the performance, it was okay. Again, it was plain. But the members were all smiles, making the routine feel and look much better.

Overall Rating – 5.9/`10

Grand Prix – Kep1er

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 22 November 2023
Release Type: FLY-HIGH (3rd Japanese Single)

Ending Kep1er’s busy 2023 was the release of Grand Prix. While most of Grand Prix was simply fine, the chorus was a big miss for me. I appreciate that it tries to be different, but it was just too much of a disruption from the flow and energy the verses were building up. The weightiness and heaviness didn’t match the brighter vibe the verses were going for. The dragged-out refrain just ended up feeling sluggish and felt awkward. To revisit an earlier point, ‘simply fine’ doesn’t mean that Grand Prix‘s other parts are okay. The verses didn’t have much to grab onto and were largely forgettable. But considering the entirety of Grand Prix, the verses were not the weakest parts of the song. Sorry that I don’t like this song, but I would recommend their more recent Shooting Star comeback in Korea.

As for the music video, it is obvious and logical to go with a racing concept. While it did, I expected more of the video to focus on the members in a car or the race track potentially, rather than in a store selling toy race cars. Also, their outfits could have better aligned with the concept. For the choreography, I thought it was a good form of edgy when it comes to the chorus. I may not like the song, but I can see past that to appreciate the performance.

Overall Rating – 5.9/10

LIT – STAYC

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 6 December 2023
Release Type: LIT (3rd Japanese Single)

To be honest, I also don’t remember too much of LIT after nine months. Relistening for the purposes of this review, I recognise LIT‘s potential, thanks to its catchy chorus. However, the final product played it fairly safe. The instrumental keeps to plain synths and a cutesy sound, thanks to those twinkling sounds in the background of the choruses. Most Japanese tracks by KPOP artists follow this formula. Rarely does it work. More often than not, like in LIT, it feels constricting and forced. The members appear to contribute to this cutesy demeanour with their playfully toned delivery, though I am not as upset with this as it is their hallmark in KPOP. The ad-libs and the follow-up to the first and second choruses were definitely the best parts of the song, which is where the relevant members break away from the consistency of the track and do their own thing. I think the instrumental could have been reframed to be slightly edgier, which could have given LIT a breath of new life.

The music video shows the members enjoying their lives, reminding us it can be lit wherever you are. The choreography was okay, and there was nothing groundbreaking or new from the group here.

Overall Rating – 7/10

DNA – YENA

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 7 February 2024
Release Type: DNA (2nd Japanese Single)

YENA’s DNA is her first original Japanese single. Based on her solo releases in Korea, DNA‘s venture into the pop-rock genre isn’t much of a surprise to me. What surprised me is how muted the song comes across despite the presence of a rock band alongside YENA in DNA. I am unsure what caused it, but I keep feeling an imaginary barrier prevents DNA from realizing its full potential. The fact that DNA doesn’t sound electrifying weakens the song’s appeal for me. Her vocals were solid and consistent throughout DNA, but the thought of it coming off plainly and too sweet also lingers. This dampens the appeal of the song further but doesn’t do as much compared to the instrumentation.

The music video shows YENA rocking it out with the band in the background. Her attire fits the JPOP landscape well, ticking the cutesy and edgy boxes. The post-production was an intelligent move from the production team, as the various sketches and effects give the video a little more than just the industrial-esque backgrounds.

Overall Rating – 7.4/10

Algorhythm – ITZY

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 15 May 2024
Release Type: Algorhthym (3rd Japanese Single)

Personally, I enjoyed Algorhythm. The upbeat deep house instrumental was quite remarkable, and their delivery was fun and classy. Had they stopped after the second run of the chorus, I think I would have been fine with the track—though I can’t promise that I wouldn’t comment about its length if that were the case. The change-up that we get right after the second chorus was really unnecessary. It was obnoxiously abrasive and loud (relatively speaking, which says a lot if that comment is coming from me), which did not complement the rest of the song. And that is a pity, as I liked everything except the change-up instrumental break. It does make for a good performance piece, however.

For the music video, the first half features the members as robots. The glitches during this section made the footage look rather cool. Halfway through the video, it is revealed that the members were simply shooting a fun video within the music video, after which they attempted to go on a holiday (I presume). But when you think the video ends, the members disrupt that thought and have a dance break at the airport. Interesting concept. As for the performance, it is the best out of the five releases that form this post. The routine started off doll-like, and then the moves became much more human-like. But the peak of the routine is undoubtedly the powerful dance break, which is aligned with the disliked instrumental break.

Overall Rating – 8.5/10