Billlie's debut is one of the best in K-pop

I've seen my fair share of group debuts and to be frank, nothing has impressed me more than Billlie's. Their title track, Ring x Ring, is by far my favorite title track of the year. It might be quite polarizing at your first listening but once you give it a chance, you'll find a lot of things to admire about it.

Form of Therapy did a cohesive review of it which elaborates most of the general sentiment about the title track and added some of his takes too which I recommend if you want to discover more things to appreciate about the music. The EP is also pretty good and the b-sides are pretty good (my favorites are everybody's got a $ecret and the eleventh day) though Ring x Ring remains my favorite release from them. The members fit their novel concept well too. (Moon Sua ) Interviews of the members and the people behind their debut also give me an impression that they are dedicated and put a lot of thought into formulating their debut.
Hopefully, they keep this concept going and take off. With Kim Suyeon's addition, I hope they get more traction and develop a good following. I really do recommend you to at least give Ring x Ring a listen.

The likes of aespa and Billlie will definitely make the 4th gen more interesting to follow for sure.

Quote from Baeggi

I love the creepy sound, reminds me of Ice Cream Cake (but darker). Billlie is bringing something new to the table, and I love to see it.

Yeah, I like how the creepy sound, although central to the song, is quite subtly exhibited. I've noticed some groups starting to try the dark/creepy concept but it feels forced so Ring x Ring was nice to see (and the aesthetic of the MV is amazing as well). The reference to the Carols of the Bells and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was fun too!

Quote from superyeah

I like how different it sounds. It sounds like something you'd hear from J-pop or J-rock. I appreciate that a lot.

Definitely! I do think that they were gearing towards that sort of effect and were fairly inspired by J-pop, if that's the case, they surely knocked it out of the park. I appreciate how they didn't just simply copy and paste but infused it with aspects that are quintessentially K-pop which led to the birth of their unique concept.

Quote from SooYoung

i can't believe that the two GG i was the most excited to see debut

debut with some of the best concept i've ever seen in Kpop

Billlie have a bright future, i can't wait for what they'll do with Suyeon

i know a lot of people hate the song, but i'm so fking in love with it, especially the pre-chorus is so good

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Moon Sua's rap parts and Haram's vocal part after the first chorus were definitely the highlights for me but given how the good the song is, nearly all of it would be a highlight for me (and I actually like how the mixing is kind of crappy lol).

Quote from cxsey

Its sound is so unique and different from what everyone else is doing currently, I love it. I mean they sampled Carol of the Bells and they did it perfectly. That alone brings the whole thing to god tier level. I hope they continue this way and don’t go more generic to become more accessible.

I do hope the same. I read an interview of one of the people behind their debut and from the looks of it, they won't be abandoning this concept any time soon seeing how enthusiastic they were describing it as well as the members. Of course, we should pray obstructions, e.g. budget-cutting and sound deviations a la LOONA, away

Quote from superyeah

I agree! I can't say I love the song just yet, but that's how it is for me when it comes to new sounds I haven't heard before. Then, after a while, I will appreciate it much, much more. That's the thing with innovative music like this. Now even if you don't like this particular song, it gets you accustomed to this style, so you might appreciate future songs from them. This is how music evolves, and it's a great opportunity to see it firsthand.

Certainly! A lot of people are a bit on the fence about the recent spotlight on musical experimentation in K-pop but it's something I think I'm going to embrace with open arms, it's intriguing to see how some K-pop artists are making people more open to more bizarre sounds that would've been considered ridiculously niche a while back. Surely, there will be a point where everyone's trying to emulate the experimental music if the likes of aespa, NCT and Billlie make significant ground in the industry but for me, it's something I'd rather see over concepts like girl crush and teen crush as these concepts have been pretty much beaten to death while I feel experimental music will more likely grant more innovative sounds.