Introduction 

Global superstars (G)I-DLE have recently released a new album titled ‘Heat’. During their world tour, it was announced that they would be releasing an all English EP. This is the group’s first time releasing an album that’s entirely in English. This album is a collaboration with the company 88rising. They released their first English single “I Do” on July 14, 2023. The EP was released on October 5, 2023, and includes 5 tracks, with the title track being “I Want That”. 

Background 

Before talking about the EP, I want to give a little background on who (G)I-DLE is. (G)I-DLE is a K-pop group that was formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. They debuted on May 2, 2018 with their debut song “Latata”. The group consisted of 6 members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Yuqi, Shuhua, and leader Soyeon. While three of the members are Korean, the group also consists of 3 non-Korean members((Yuqi is from China, Minnie is from Thailand, and Shuhua is from Taiwan). Since their debut they have released 4 albums (some of my favorite songs being Lion, Oh My God, Maze, and Latata).

However, on August 14, 2021, one of the members (Soojin) left the group. Ever since then, the group has been continuing on with 5 members. Although the group was popular before, they found even more global success after the release of their lead single song “Tomboy” on March 14, 2022. The song climbed up the billboard charts and debuted at number 14. Since then, the group has released songs such as “My Bag”, “Nxde”, “Allergy”, and “Queencard”. 

The Review 

The EP includes 5 tracks: I Do, I Want That, Flip It, Eyes Roll, and Tall Trees. I’m not sure how to explain it, but the songs on this EP have more of an electronic and technological sound compared to their previous songs. This isn’t necessarily a criticism, it just has a different vibe. Releasing “I Do” was a smart move. The song is a slow, pop song that would be easy for the audience to digest (considering that this would be their first English single). This song is one of my favorites on the EP. The lyrics are melancholy, yet relatable, and the girls deliver beautiful vocals as usual. Although I like the song and think that it should’ve been the title track, I can understand why “I Want That” was chosen to be the title track. It’s a fun and funky pop song that people can dance to. The song was also bound to get popular on Tiktok. I think the song is a bit generic, however it’s still a good song to dance to or listen to casually.

Now, my personal favorite song on the album is “Eyes Roll”. This song is more risqué than their previous tracks, but that’s the charm of it! Although I’m not a huge fan of electropop, this song just makes it work. Soyeon’s rap along with Yuqi’s mesmerizing vocals definitely contributed to my enjoyment of the song. The other two tracks “Flip It” and “Tall Trees” were decent, but overall just didn’t stand out to me. That being said, the song “Flip It” definitely took Gidle’s hip hop roots; it reminded me of one of their older songs titled “Uh-Oh”. The track “Tall Trees” was a slow, and beautiful ballad. 

Final Thoughts 

I was actually a little nervous when I found out that Soyeon did not write or produce any of the songs on the EP (since she has written and produced the group’s songs since their debut). I was worried that it wouldn’t sound like Gidle. Although that’s partially true, the EP still turned out to be pretty good. As an artist, it doesn’t hurt to experiment with a different sound. Even though I do still enjoy their music, the songs on this project are still certified bops.

Overall, I give this EP a 7.5/10.