[Review] Do The Dance – ILLIT

Almost 10 days ago, ILLIT made their comeback with Do The Dance. I am now finally getting around to reviewing the lead single from their 3rd mini-album BOMB. This comeback follows the release of Cherish (My Love) and their second mini-album, I’ll Like You, which I have not reviewed yet.

Something I appreciate about Do The Dance is how ILLIT is staying true to their cute and catchy sound, which they have established for themselves, while also stepping up other aspects to make the song different from their last single. In Do The Dance, they have amped up the upbeatness, which made the music more fun and likeable. You might also notice some nostalgia strings being tugged in Do The Dance, as the instrumental does sample Elegant Escape (Yuga Naru Dasso – an instrumental piece from The Five Star Stories anime film from 1989). I like the way this blends with the modern house beats, uplifting into trendy territory. The “Dance, do a little dance, do ya, do ya, do you wanna dance?” is such a cutesy and catchy hook that has me wanting to come back to the song each time it wraps up. Vocals, I thought, were nice. The way they kicked off the song was interesting, and I liked how they maintained their youthfulness as the song progressed. Do The Dance could have been better had it developed towards a peak of some kind. It felt neutral and remained fairly consistent throughout, which unfortunately holds back Do The Dance‘s potential.

The song speaks to the excitement and other feelings one feels towards a first date, which in the case of ILLIT, makes them want to dance. In the music video, we see the members head from the seaside to the city and the festival to go on a date with the guy. Of course, things don’t go their way, with the members stacking it on their tandem bike. But in the end, they successfully went on that date that had them dancing along the way. I liked the refreshing vibe that came off the music video, as well as the old-school uniforms they wore at the start of the video. I also really liked the whole montage on the elevator. That looked pretty basic nowadays, but it was pulled off coolly in this video.

Watching the performance for Do The Dance has me feeling giddy. The members do a great job on so many fronts, which makes the routine feel solid and robust. Synchronisation was the standout that I wanted to mention in particular, because even the slight jerky movements in the routine were so well synchronised between the members. I liked the many cat references (which are due to the song’s Korean title), as well as the elegance behind some of the moves when those nostalgic samples came into play.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10