While first impressions are important for any K-pop act – and ILLIT’s debut with ‘Magnetic’ was certainly one for the books – it is often the following releases that cement their staying power. In ILLIT’s case, though, it’s also an opportunity to show the ability to grow beyond the inspirations (PinkPantheress, Odd Eye Circle and, to address the elephant in the room, fellow HYBE labelmates NewJeans) of their debut mini-album ‘Super Real Me’.
The quintet managed to captivate the world with the infectious, bubbly tracks of ‘Super Real Me’ – each telling facets of a teen’s heartfelt thoughts and everyday emotions as they discover their real, true selves. This time, it seems they’ve progressed on their journey of youthful introspection, now shifting their focus outwards to a “you”, along with the brilliant kaleidoscope of emotions that come with developing a crush on someone – especially after thinking you have it all figured out.
All great affairs of the heart begin with that thrilling first glance, and it’s this jubilant love-at-first-sight electricity that kicks off the ILLIT’s sophomore project ‘I’ll Like You’. The aptly titled opening track, which shares its name with the record, will immediately feel familiar to fans: a bouncy, shimmery sound that beats with a house-driven, electro-pop heart. Here, the group give themselves a much needed pep talk (“Alright, alright / Okay, okay / I’m the daring type / I can’t hide anything”) as they attempt to finally declare the words “I’ll Like You”.
At first listen, the understated vibe of ‘Cherish (My Love)’ comes off as an interesting choice for a lead single – but one that works surprisingly well for the group. Wonhee opens it with one hell of an opening line (“You know what? Not even God can stop me / I’ll like you”), as soft, unhurried guitars and cheeky vocal repetitions swim gently over each other throughout the song. It’s a showcase that ILLIT can thrive even when production is stripped-down – the rest of their discography is markedly busy – even if the result isn’t quite as sticky as ‘Magnetic’.
While describing your affections as “My ugly pimple baby” is certainly novel, the dream-pop track ‘Pimple’ is unexciting at best. Similarly, the slick ‘IYKYK (If You Know You Know)’ is a middling foray into the saturated UK garage trend, as the group playfully sing about a smile that feels as warm as sunshine even in the gloomiest of weathers. Both are airy and pleasant for consumption, but quick to vaporise as soon as they’re over.
Buried under all that, like a diamond in the rough, is the hypomanic ‘Tick-Tack’. It’s an easy standout, and one that gleefully scratches the itch that’s been felt since fromis_9’s underappreciated 2018 single ‘Love Bomb’. The song takes all the 8-bit arcade suggestions from ‘Super Real Me’ one step further into an unapologetic chiptune-heavy fare, providing no courtesy to the easy-listening trend in the best way possible. A maniacal reinvention of the self in the pursuit of romance has never sounded this good.
The ‘I’ll Like You’ mini-album reaches for but falls short of the magnetism of their debut, even if both releases are largely cut from the same sonic cloth. One thing the group’s offerings never fail to do, though, is leverage ILLIT’s unique vocal texture – finding that spot between cloyingly sweet and youthful zest. If anything, ‘I’ll Like You’ casts ‘Super Real Me’ in a different light, bringing newfound appreciation and revealing complexities previously hidden in the dark.
