[Review] Girlfriend – i-dle

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the group formerly known as (G)I-DLE will be making a comeback under the new name, i-dle. Alongside this announcement, the group released a special mini-album titled We are i-dle, which features 5-member versions of their past singles from their debut track LATATA to 2021’s HWAA. This rebrand also follows their contract renewal with CUBE Entertainment, which was announced at the end of last year. Their newly released single, Girlfriend, comes from their upcoming 8th mini-album WE ARE, which will drop in 10 days.

Girlfriend leans into the pop rock genre a fair bit, more than usual for i-dle. I was geniunely surprised (in a good way) to hear how pop-leaning the chorus was, while the verses shows more of the rock elements to make it pop-rock overall. The chorus actually reminds me of a KPOP track from the early ’10s, thanks to the upbeatness, the simplicity of the hooks, the straightforwardness of the pop sound, the slight toots and the all-members sing-song chorus. The simplicity of Girlfriend‘s hooks comes across quite effectively. The “I don’t give a f*ck about love cause we are i-dle” is very catchy and addictive. At first, I was disappointed with how repetitive it was and thought it was wasted real estate. But I am not too bothered by it now. The vocals and rapping are clear and crisp, as usual. Overall, the saying ‘simple is best’ applies well for Girlfriend. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us on the 19th with the rest of WE ARE.

i-dle in the music video seems to be some sort of underground group that goes hunting down bad exes to scare them away from their former lovers, who sought out i-dle’s services. At the same time, they also provide company to those who sought them out, referring to themselves as the ‘girlfriend’ in the lyrics. Again, simple is best and I liked how clear and straightforward the video was. There is nothing to confusing and I liked how the story is on par with their other music videos in the past.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10