ITZY Is Back and Better Than Ever in ‘LOCO’
ITZY has finally returned with their first full album Crazy in Love featuring “LOCO” as its title track this past Friday. The album includes the instrumental versions of the group’s past title tracks, along with eight new b-sides for MIDZYs to be listening to all night long. ITZY’s constant girl crush concept has reached its final form during the creation of “LOCO” which showcased the member’s edgy style and angst attitude. With uniquely dyed hair, punk-inspired outfits, and a catchy pop-rock tune, many fans credit “LOCO” as the group’s best title track to date. The girls reemerged to the scene with a new liveliness and sharper stage presence than ever before.
In an interview with Soompi, the group’s leader, Yeji, explained the concept in more depth: “I think confidence is a part of every ITZY song. With ‘LOCO,’ the theme that we explored was ‘What would ITZY look like if we were crazy about love?’ I hope that people can look at our passion and go, ‘That’s something new.’ I also want to show that we don’t have any limits.” ITZY is not, and has never been, afraid to showcase its new abilities.
Although they stick to one general theme, they always manage to surprise listeners with their interesting takes on music. ITZY certainly is one of the most flexible groups in the industry at this very moment. They can switch from an energetic western-pop melody to a passionate, hard-hitting tune in a split second.
“LOCO” is an upbeat dance track with a nostalgic rhythm. Typically, ITZY’s songs are so unique and out-of-the-box that it takes a few listens to get used to. However, “LOCO” is quite the opposite, delivering a strange sense of comfort. The girls are accustomed to hip-hop-themed music, and although this song is more powerful and percussion-heavy, it does not stray far from that ideal.
There are a few Latin elements that reveal themselves in certain areas of the track, especially during the bridge’s build-up. In addition, the girls repeatedly chant the phrase “LOCO” throughout, which is meant to convey the message of this track. In fact, the girls chant the album’s title Crazy in Love several times throughout the song, showing their “passion” for love.
#ITZY: five pretty best friends pic.twitter.com/gyVDKgbkOV
— loco for itzy (@midcys) September 27, 2021
So far, the track has been gaining a lot of well-deserved press. JYP Entertainment has been fast to promote the girls on “institutional” K-pop promotional activities such as Studio Choom, KBS, hello82, and a wide variety of Korean music shows. This comeback may possibly be one of ITZY’s most influential tracks to this date and are still nowhere close to reaching their peak as a two-year group in the making. The group’s “In the morning” track that was released earlier this year gained a lot of buzz as well but may become overshadowed by the immense attention this album is receiving.
Going forward, Yeji states that, “I think the energy we give off as a team that is bold is considerable. I think people recognized that we’re a team that honestly expressed the emotions we want to express. Boldness and confidence are two major traits of ours that we will continue to embody. We will also keep working on our growth in talent.” As the girls continue to get a tighter grasp on what type of presence they want in the industry, their music will also grow more complex and improve.
Nevertheless, ITZY’s success propelled JYP Entertainment to announce a new girl group that will debut sometime in 2022. Three members of this upcoming girl group have even been revealed through JYP Official’s press cover video. After ITZY’s immense success, there is only so much left in store for the future of JYP Entertainment’s girl groups. As of right now, the spotlight deserves to shine on the company’s newest creation “LOCO.”
Columnist | K-pop Stan | Tweet me @senaho5
