Song Review: IVE Make An Astonishing Comeback With "Baddie"

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IVE (아이브) - Baddie 

Review 

"Baddie" showcases IVE’s diverse and versatile talents while never diverging from their signature sound full of youthful energy and pompous soundscapes. The song was described by Starship Entertainment as a 'dark charm' song led by a strong trap beat and electric bass rhythm, with lyrics conveying the message of self-confidence. In terms of musical notation, it was composed in the key of F major, with a tempo of 160 beats per minute. "Baddie" introduces a fresh sound to the group's repertoire, incorporating a deep bass and a strong trap/hip-hop color. Regrettably, the chorus feels more like a chanted phrase on repeat and it is not as catchy as its producers intended it to be. The music video for "Baddie" is weird in a good way, portraying the group as "cat humans" causing havoc and fooling around, although to be fair I had no idea what I was seeing or why most of the time.

While the concept of "bad-girls" is trendy nowadays, it is becoming less compelling each time an idol group unveils their new iteration and IVE is no exception. The song's simplified production holds potential, occasionally veering into the weird, however, the song's biggest issue is its monotony, relying too heavily on its sticky groove. The melodic pre-chorus could use more bite, and the adlibs need to be more engaging. The rap interacts with vocal harmonies towards the end of the track, creating a fuller texture. This isn't a bad comeback, but it is one of their weakest title tracks so far. But that is mostly because the group had an exceptionally good discography till now.

Release Info & Mini Bio 

IVE, the six-member girl group under Starship Entertainment that debuted on December 1, 2021 with their single album “Eleven”, made a comeback today on October 13, 2023 with their first EP album "I've Mine" and the the songs "Either Way", "Off The Record", and "Baddie" as the album's triple title tracks. "Baddie" was released today while "Either Way" and "Off The Record" were pre-released on  September 25 and October 6, 2023 respectively. The album will contain six tracks and the physical release on a CD will come out in ten versions: four photobooks versions: Either Way, Off The Record, Baddie, Loved IVE and six member-specific digipak versions. This album is the follow-up to the group's first promotional single "I Want" that was released on July 13, 2023 as part of the 2023 Pepsi X Starship Project and their first Japanese EP Wave released on May 31, 2023. 

Track List 

  1. "Off The Record"
  2. "Baddie"
  3. "Either Way"
  4. "Holy Moly"
  5. "OTT"
  6. "Payback" 



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