The K Pop industry is a cutthroat business. New groups pop up daily, and the veterans must be on top of their game to keep their name in the public zeitgeist. What is generally not advised is changing your group's name after seven years, but that’s just what i-dle, formerly known as (G)i-dle, have done with their 8th mini-album We Are. This comes after all five members, Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua, renewed their contracts with CUBE Entertainment, marking the next step in their careers.
Ok, enough of this preamble; I won’t try to give you an in-depth review of this album. I don’t know enough about songwriting, composition, or whether a song checks all the right boxes to be considered good. What I am going to talk about today is how this album scratches that specific part of my brain that has kept me coming back to each of these songs every day since the album's release.
Soyeon (the group leader) can always be counted on to create banger title tracks for i-dle’s albums, and she hasn’t disappointed. “Good Thing” has been on repeat in my head since it was released, and I can’t get enough of it (it was the inspiration behind this article). The whole song is a banger, but the pre-chorus specifically scratches the right part of my brain, making me listen to those specific parts too many times to count. Miyeon and Yuqi in the first pre-chorus are fantastic, and their interaction in the music video is hilarious, with Yuqi smashing a bottle over Miyeon’s head. But the second pre-chorus is by far my favourite, with Minnie’s perfect vocals. Then you combine them with Miyeon’s, and it’s no wonder I adore this song as much as I do (Miyeon and Minnie bias here).
The other song composed by Soyeon for this album, “Girlfriend,” is also a banger and has a more fun vibe. It’s an upbeat track that wouldn’t be out of place on a party playlist, which is consistent with other i-dle b-sides such as “Allergy” and “Fate.” It also uses the word fuck quite liberally, with it being a main part of the chorus and whatnot, which is kinda refreshing for a K-Pop song. Both of the Soyeon songs, despite having polar opposite vibes, still sound like i-dle, but also like an evolution of the group's music, which is nice.
Something I wasn’t expecting from this album was that all of the members would compose a song each. This shouldn’t really have surprised me, with most of them already releasing solo projects, but I still didn’t expect it. “Love Tease” is Yuqi’s contribution, and if you’ve listened to her solo album or “Last Forever,” they have a similar sound. A lot of English lyrics and a more low-key sound compared to the other members. It’s a bop, and I was pleasantly surprised by hearing Soyeon sing the chorus when she usually only does the rap parts. It was a fun way to make the song stand out.
Minnie’s song “Chain” is quintessential Minnie, and I adored every second. It’s giving massive “Change” vibes (my favourite song from I Love), a song she also wrote. The synth-pop sounds are her staple, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It also reminds me a lot of “Blind Eyes Red” from her solo debut earlier this year. Comparisons aside, it’s probably my second favourite track on the album behind “Good Thing,” and I definitely want more Minnie songs now!
I thought I knew what types of songs Miyeon and Shuhua would come up with, but I was very wrong. Instead of a vocal-heavy song from Miyeon, she gave us the R&B-inspired “Unstoppable,” which was the last thing I expected from her. It’s one of the slower songs on the album and would be right at home in a jazz bar or RPG menu screen. I like how she’s branching out from her usual style, and I wouldn’t be surprised if her next solo album has a couple of songs with a similar vibe.
Shuhua’s song was the one I was most curious about. While the rest of the group has had solo debuts, Shuhua hasn’t, so her song was a complete mystery. She ended up going with a ballad called “If You Want,” and it’s the best way to cap off this album. It slows things down and is just a nice, chill song. The vocals from all the members are ethereal, with Shuhua finally getting a chance to showcase her beautiful voice (give me the Shuhua solo now!)
We Are was the perfect album for the rebranding of i-dle. It showcases each member's strengths while maintaining the sound that makes this group so special. I’m keen to see what the group's future holds and hope they come back to Australia so I can see them again soon (I need to hear “Good Thing” live).
Have you listened to i-dle’s new album? What did you think? What was your favourite song? Let us know in the comments where we can discuss i-dle biases (Miyeon and Minnie FOREVER!)
