Many acts have come out of Iz*One, most notably groups such as IVE and Le Sserafim and many soloists. It’s a mixed bag; On one hand, Le Sserafim and IVE have strong releases whilst soloists like Jo Yuri and Yena are not for my tastes. But, out of all the members, Kwon Eunbi is ahead of the league, releasing consistently strong albums whilst including musicality in her work.
Lethality is Eunbi’s best album yet, incorporating a range of genres into well-executed tracks that all have a hint of dreaminess to them. My favourite feeling when listening to songs is this sense of freedom, like I’m ascending or floating in space, and many of the songs on here do that for me. The entire EP screams confidence, through the production and songwriting, and through Eunbi’s voice as well. She’s obviously not timid or insecure with her life as a soloist, and I love how we get to see that through her vocals. I don’t have much thoughts upon the album itself, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Lethality sneaks its way into many people’s ‘top albums of this year’ list.
Tracklist:
WAVE (intro) (will not review)
Underwater (single)
Croquis
Simulation
Flash (prod. PARKMOONCHI)
Hi
Underwater
Written by: Cho Yoonkyung, TOYO, Gabriel Brandes, Arineh Karim
Lyricism by: Cho Yoonkyung
Arrangement by: TOYO
Composition by: TOYO, Gabriel Brandes, Arineh Karim
I’m not someone that does tropical house, so I was surprised when I listened to Underwater. It’s a perfect example of how K-pop can twist tropical house into something so unique. The rhythm foreshadows the melody, and waivers throughout the entire song. It’s strong, and glues the single all together. The beat snaps in the verse, and drives throughout the segment. Eunbi’s vocals are airy, high, but light, ethereal. She knows how to control her voice, and that is shown through the pre-chorus and chorus. The energy from the beat is transferred to her head voice, as the tension rises through the bass synth. The chorus slaps us with the rhythm getting upgraded to synths, and the drums being the centre of power for it. Eunbi finally showcases her powerful vocals as she switches to chest voice, with the addictive melody foreshadowed. It can get repetitive, but know it’s an earworm. I’d rather have the chorus longer, get a second part, because it is a crime that the chorus lasts this short, and therefore the track is under three minutes. The bridge implements a house piano (I loveeeeeeeee house pianos) and we hear another side of the song that I would’ve loved to hear. It’s more melodic, more dancy and consistent than the ups and downs we've seen through the majority of Underwater. The outro is nice, but again, we are robbed that the outro and chorus are oh so small and short. I do like Underwater, however, it would have benefited from more ideas on their lyricism.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8.5
Croquis
Written, Lyricism, Arrangement and Composition by: TAK, Corbin (NEWTYPE)
Starting off with the sample found at the end of the amazing single Glitch, Croquis is likewise her sister in many of the same respects, but instead of being a rollercoaster with many high and lows, this deep house stays consistent however may be unfulfilling for some people (like myself). The beat stays constant throughout Croquis, it’s only the final chorus where the beat is replaced for other percussion instruments. The verses are minimal, but they create this soft layer of tension using the rhythm and this instrument (idk what it’s called) that wavers from the left to right ear. The hi hats that enter create this dancey atmosphere (my favourite!) as the piano also enters, adding to the dance song. The song writing throughout the track has been melodic, not wordy, connected. It only becomes wordy during the pre chorus to build up energy in Eunbi's fantastic voice. I can’t stress this enough; Eunbi has such an amazing voice that she controls so well. I possibly can go all day about her performance in Croquis, how her light voice aids the light production itself. I’m not going to though, this would be too long of a review if so. The hook is when the electronic influences enter and everything else, except the beat, leaves. The bass forms the foundation of the chords, as extra percussion kicks in and the effect quickly prepares us for the chorus. A guitar forms the rhythm as the beat amplifies. The song writing is simple but nice, less is more. The chorus itself is detailed and wordy, but finds its own melody. The bridge, which could be argued for the dance break, is my favourite segment of the song, as we are given time to take in the last few minutes before being left on our toes with the final chorus. The track keeps the energy; Many K-pop songs nowadays stop and go, stop and go, but Croquis really keeps the energy, letting go just at the right moments. We are then knocked back into the outro, which leaves us on kind of a high note. If anything I wish the hook came back to end us off, because I do think this track is cut undeservedly short. But it’s such a consistent dance song, where for the club me thinks!
Hooks: 8
Production: 10
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 9
Simulation
Arrangement by: James Keys
Written, Lyricism ,and Composition by: DD!, James Keys
The intro is so atmospheric, it’s like a transition into a dream, which I’ll be referring to a lot because I think Simulation is one of the most dreamiest songs I’ve ever heard. As the constant beat kicks in, we hear the electronic bass play the simple rhythm. When Eunbi’s vocals kick in, we think we’re not going to be in for much, just a simple song with simple production and simple song-writing, but the guitar teases us otherwise. The pre chorus adds nothing new but Eunbi’s perfect head voice. We left again with neutrality, the calm before the storm, until the strings waver in. Then the chorus hits. Oh my fucking god. The rhythm is amplified by a electronic sound notes higher than the bass, the drums bounce from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4. The strings add this dreamy texture as Eunbi hits new highs with her flowing from chest to head. Simulation’s lyricism is absolutely perfect during the chorus. It’s catchy, yet simple, short and sweet. The post-chorus leaves us wanting more as the rhythm and strings disappear. Then, we are hit with the atmospheric segment of the track, foreshadowed in the introduction. The beat is fragile, uncontrollable, as the strings reappear to add this sly feeling, telling us to stay on our toes. The bass lays the foundation as the electronic effects make me feel like I’m underwater (pun unintended). The second pre chorus feels so majestic, as the percussion clashes and the bass grows louder and the synths bring the dreamy texture back. Truth be told, it took me time to let the second verse grow on me, but Simulation does need the second verse, so the final chorus feels so much more powerful and strong. Simulation is really not your traditional K-pop song, despite genre changing from pop to ambience. I think just because of its uniqueness that this track is really something great in K-pop. Not many personal thoughts, just know I love it.
Hooks: 9
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 9
Flash
Written, Lyricism and Composition by: Park Moon Chi, Heo Seong Ju, Yoon Da Hye, Deulrejang
Arrangement and Produced by: Park Moon Chi
Apologies if there aren’t many thoughts written.
I think Flash is a cute little RnB-jazz song. In the verses, the jazz piano is comforting, the percussion is unique and I quite like it actually. The song writing flows, but is quite unpredictable. Not as choppy unpredictable, but surprisingly unpredictable. The pre chorus builds up tension. I don’t really like the guitar here, but I like the chords. The background vocals are quite nice in the chorus, and Eunbi’s voice always sells what she is singing. The song writing is the best here. It’s smooth, flowing, and velvety. The post chorus is quite good. The outro adds more texture through the layering piano and the effects of the background vocals. There isn’t really much to say. It’s a coffeehouse song, not really for me. I can fuck with it, that’s enough.
Hooks: 7
Production: 7
Longevity: 7
Bias: 9
Total: 7.5
Hi
Written by: KWON EUN BI, FRANTS, Melanie Joy Fontana
Lyricism by: KWON EUN BI
Arrangement by: FRANTS
Composition by: FRANTS, Melanie Joy Fontana
The verses are the most lacking segments of Hi. The percussion is choppy, the bass rhythm doesn’t really add much, the effect on Eunbi’s vocals is really annoying. The writing at this part is not the best as well, it’s straightforward, breaks, it’s stiff, that’s the word: stiff. It’s a shame; I really like the intro of that whirlwind effect. The spots of brass foreshadow what’s to come, but it’s not enough to save the verses unfortunately. The pre chorus is when the atmosphere changes though, everything stops, the drums are muffled. Eunbi’s voice recovers the lost energy from the intro, and we meet the spiralling drums as we enter the chorus. The drums clash, as the guitars form the foundation. The lyricism here is absolutely addictive and great, such an earworm. The rock pop segment of Hi is pretty great, with solid production and song writing. The post chorus is alright, but we are met with the same weak percussion from the verses but we also hear the brass that I desperately want more of again. I think the rock pop parts of Hi are easily the strongest segments of the track, but the song really is hit and miss with the glitchy verses. It’s okay, I usually just listen for the chorus though.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 7
Bias: 9
Total: 8
Total: 8.4
Credit to TheBiasList for the rating system
