(G)I-DLE, well-known for their parody music, fell short in their latest release (2).
Rising KPOP group (G)I-DLE released their second full album “2”, which is centralized on common girl group themes of feminine independence and simply being a “baddie.” The album is rather short, with only eight songs, two of them already in their top five most-listened to releases: “Wife” and “Super Lady.”
For the group’s second album since SOOJIN’s departure in 2021, “2” is not what it was hyped to be. As great as singing about being a baddie is, this concept is rather on-brand for K-Pop girl groups, and repetitive for the genre as a whole.
According to (G)I-DLE’s profile on Spotify, “‘G’ in (G)I-DLE is a short for Girl ‘Girl,’ and ‘I’ means ‘I’ as in myself,” and ‘DLE’ is a Korean compound word used to form plurals.” The group, currently made up of MIYEON, MINNIE, SOYEON, YUQI and SHUHUA, have seen insane success after their debut single “LATATA” in May 2018. The group is well-known for their hard work and extensive efforts in recording and writing, with Billboard naming their single “Tomboy” the best K-Pop’ Song of 2022.
(G)I-DLE is already well-known for some of their parody tracks, particularly “Queencard”, a song satirizing Korean pop culture. Similarly, “2” is an entire album attempting to satirize the music’s genre. The album is rather reminiscent of iconic KPop group BLACKPINK who are known for their baddie anthems like “How You Like That” and “Shutdown”. The entire album appears to miss the mark of what (G)I-DLE is known for: distinguishing themselves from other iconic girl groups in the industry.
The album suffers from the TikTofication of music, coming across as repetitive and cyclical in beat. Many of the weaker tracks on the album, such as “Revenge” and “Vision” suffer especially from this TikTokification, feeling as thought each track were an audio loop and without any sort of additional stimulation. The entire album struggles to stand out, getting lost in the constant stream of new K-Pop. For a group with only two albums, it is rather unfortunate. As well as (G)I-DLE is doing in Spotify monthly listeners and popularity, “2”falls into classic Kpop stereotypes and struggles to stand out from the genre.
The majority of the album (“Revenge,” “Doll”, “Vision”, and “Fate”) all particularly suffer from running lyrical circles. The songs really lack an edge following the anthemic, opening track “Super Lady”. “Super Lady” is (G)I-DLE’s third most-listened to song and for good reason. The song incorporates transitional sounds like a car starting to begin not only the song, but the entire album as well. As cliche as it may sound, the apparent trope is played on well, and excitedly sets up the rest of the album. The energetic change in instrumental elements throughout the entirety of the song makes up for the lack of lyrical genius.
“Revenge” and “Doll” are, by comparison, especially generic, coming across as rather stereotypical Kpop songs, like IVE’s “Baddie” or “CAKE” by ITZY. Playing back to back on the album really make the two songs blend together, considering they were cut from the same cloth and used to make the same song. Both “Revenge” and “Doll” come across as an amalgamation of other girl group songs, with both songs feeling so generic and forgettable in a stream of modern music.
Both “7Days” and “Fate” bear similar issues, sounding standard for the genre as a whole. However, both tracks have lyrical features that help them stand out from the album itself.
“7Days” is the first song on the album entirely in English, including some really cute lyrics like “You’re stuck in my head, spinning ‘round, wishin’ you’d stay here/ Monday to Friday or everyday.” The themes conveyed in “7Days” also help the song stand out, as the vision of feminine independence in a lot of Kpop songs can exclude feelings of falling in love or wanting to pursue a partner, which are also relevant experiences in feminine empowerment.
“Fate” is similar, as though the song does not entirely stand out on its own, it is a good addition to a rather underwhelming album release. It is a song you would not want stuck in your head, practically sounding like a loop of the same lyrics over and over again, there is a thematic meaning behind the song. The lyrics write “Start the day the same way / Ice Americano in one hand all day long” and “Did I see this scene in the subway in your dream yesterday? / Oh, every day passes by, oh, oh.” When looking into the actual lyrics, which were translated from Korean, the song does appear to play off the fact that it is so repetitive. A little self-awareness is always a lovely touch to any music.
The biggest thorn in the whole album is “Rollie.” The lyrics are severely lacking, and the song itself plays like a parody of BLACKPINK’s “How You Like That” . There are only so many times that a single song can be retreated and revised, with particular themes and ideas recycled across different groups until it really is no longer interesting. The lyrics are especially ridiculous, writing, “Don’t you know I rock? I’ma hit that brand new diamond / Rocking like a Scott, do you see my limited Nike?” At the point of “Rollie” in the album, it raises the question of how many songs are necessary about “not needing a man” or being a baddie?
The album, as a whole, is not bad. Of course, it meets all standards for Kpop, about being a baddie, “cooking cream soup,” and having some good songs to have on in the background. (G)I-DLE is well-known for their efforts and their unique music, like “$$$”, which is not even one of their most popular songs but is on an entirely different plane than “Rollie”. It is unfortunate to see the devolution of such a prominent group, especially after they try to bounce back from losing a member. As much as it is not worth crying or complaining about, it is important to look at the art and not just the artist before pouring the art with praise.
