4th Gen chart monster group IVE, has officially comeback with their highly anticipated first album titled “I’ve IVE”, and their appropriately named title track “I am”. I like many others, have been very much looking forward to this album, and interested in how they will be defining their “sound” in the vast k-pop music sphere.
Looking back to their previous title track releases (Eleven, Love Dive, and After Like), we have yet to see or hear any real cohesion of sound or concept. Of course there is nothing wrong with this, in fact, in this day and age of k-pop, having an open concept can allow for groups to be more flexible and open to trying different things musically. IVE’s debut track “Eleven” was a hypnotizing and deeply melodic track, which instantly put them on the map. “Love Dive”, was a highly addictive moody pop song lead by tight percussive synths and haunting harmonies, which landed them the acclaimed song of the year at the MAMA awards. Their last title track took a bit of a turn with “After Like”, which followed the ever popular disco pop trend by sampling the iconic instrumentation of Gloria Gaynor’s “I will survive”, which also stayed at the top of the charts for a significant amount of time. Although there is no doubt this title track will be a chart topper like the rest… How does their new song and album compare to their previous discography? Let us “dive” in!
“I AM”
Starting with their title track “I am”, we get a song that sounds straight out of the latest Eurovision competition! The song is extremely well produced and mixed, with the instrumentation sounding clean as a whistle and the vocals being clear and layered to near perfection. One of the strongest aspects of this song is the catchy melodies in both the pre-chorus and chorus, which has a glittery and uplifting quality to them. I specifically enjoy that this track takes its time building to the chorus, which gives it an even stronger impact. However, even given the catchiness of the song, for me, compared to their other title tracks this one feels a bit forgettable and overly vanilla. I understand they are producing music that is made for a broad appeal, but this one felt a little too safe. “Eleven” and “Love Dive”, although similarly catchy and highly produced to “I Am”, still has a uniqueness to them that gave them a haunting and ethereal quality, that just feels missing from this latest title track. Overall, it is a nicely produced pop song that just leaves a little to be desired in terms of creativity for me.
Rating: 7/10
“Kitsch”
On to IVE’s pre-release track “Kitsch” we get a much bolder and quirkier sounding track from them. I particularly like the bouncy bass of the instrumental, as well as the slightly off sounding bird whistle throughout. The pre-chorus is slightly interesting, as the melodies sort give me country pop feel. Almost like a song you would sing around a campfire with your friends (the best way I can describe it lol). This is then followed by a very strong switch up for the chorus, which is super bass heavy; accompanied by cult like chants from the IVE girls about their “carefree nineteens kitsch”. I like the risk they took with the song, but it sounds very out of place compared to their previous work. Unfortunately, the chorus just really does not work for me. I’m all for a weird and experimental track, but there needs to be some sort of flow or cohesion for it to work. This overall felt a little lazy to me. Not to mention the worst crime of this song was the very unnecessary rap. Let’s just say the word yolo should have stayed in the year 2012.
Rating: 5.5/10
“Blue Blood”
Our introduction into IVE’s album is the first track “Blue Blood”, which is produced by the same team behind “Love Dive”. When I saw this, my interest in this particular song was immense. Blue Blood gives a sort of “marching on the battlefield” atmosphere with its deep and powerful drums. I particularly enjoy the elastic sounding synth that drives throughout most of the track. The post chorus is especially interesting with an instrumental break with a sort of distorted horn/string instrument. The vocals are quite nice as well, with the girls singing in a comfortable sounding lower register. My biggest complaint is this song doesn’t have a bridge and feels a bit stagnant in its progression and becomes repetitive. Overall, I think this was a solid track to kick off the album, as it still has that haunting quality that previous IVE songs tend to have, as well as a catchy hook.
Rating: 7/10
“Lips”
With their next track “Lips”, we are transported to a more sugary sweet world where clouds are light pink and the water is turquoise. In other words, a very easy listening song! I enjoy the bossanova influence on this song and the hook “my lips dont lie” is very much an ear worm. The song is quite cute and fun, however I could hear a number of other groups on this exact same song, making it feel just a little less memorable.
Rating: 6.5/10
“Heroine”
Next up we have the track “Heroine” which is a more minimalist track, lead by a very clappy percussion accompanied by soft airy vocals from the girls. For me this one feels very much like a filler track and also lacks any real progression. The bridge was pretty but ultimately fell flat returning to the same repetitive post chorus “ooh nana” with little variation.
Rating: 5.5/10
“Mine”
Coming in at track number 6 we have “Mine”. Sadly for me this feels like another filler song… Overall it just feels incredibly sleepy and forgettable. However, the vocals sound very nice and polished. Liz has some very pretty vocal moments on this song .
Rating: 5/10
“Hypnosis”
Coming to the halfway point in the album we have our next track “Hypnosis”. After being close to falling asleep after the previous two tracks, let me tell you, this one woke me right up! The glitchy and growling intro leading into those thick electric piano cords sounded absolutely epic. The production goes OFF on this one, and the sort of talk-rapping sounds super fun and catchy. Not to mention that crazy electric guitar that is bombastic and badass. I also absolutely loved the little drum and bass break up we got in the second verse! Such a sultry and sassy song. The most memorable track of the album for me!
Rating: 8/10
“Not Your Girl”
Perhaps the antithesis to the previous track, next up we have “Not Your Girl”. I’m not going to lie, this song, although super bright and happy, almost made me tear up a bit. This song transported me to the summers of my teens listening to Sistar’s songs like “Loving you”, “Shake it” and “touch my body”. To me this song almost feels like a sort of homage to starships prior girl group. Overall, the song isn’t anything new or revolutionary, but you just cannot help smiling and jamming along to it and getting all those summer feels.
7.5/10
“Next Page”
Cooling down from the previous strong summery track, next we have “Next Page”. This is a sweet little track with some nice rich sounding production. I enjoy the girls voice and tone on this one. I could do without the raping in the pre-chorus; although, it still gave the song a little more character, than if it didn’t have that little switch up.
Rating: 6/10
“Cherish”
Reaching towards the end of the album, next we have the track “Cherish”. Overall, I am really liking this track! The production is smooth and the grooves are nice. I really enjoy the progressions on this song, which has felt lacking from previous tracks on the album. The little piano added after the second chorus was a really nice touch as well! I also don’t mind the rapping too much on this one too!
7.5/10
“Shine With Me”
It would not be a k-pop album without a ballad to close it out! As a fore warning, i’m not always the biggest fan of ballads, and unfortunately this one was not an exception. The vocals on this track sound almost a little too over processed and overall the instrumentation feels a little corny. The mixing is also quite iffy on this one, as it just comes across as loud and abrasive with the instrumental and belting vocals.
Rating: 4.5/10
Overall Thoughts + Score
Overall, I think this was a pretty solid effort for the IVE girls first album. I do have to give credit for being an actual album with 11 songs, although it is rather sad to say that! Many strong moments on this album with their tracks, “I AM”, “Hypnosis”, “Blue Blood”, “Not Your Girl” and “Cherish”. I enjoyed the cohesion especially on this album in terms of each song having a strong direction and catchy melodies. I’m still interested to see how they grow and improve from here!
Overall Rating: 7/10
Best Song: “Hypnosis”
Worst song: “Shine with Me”
The K-Pop Critique 