Ever since K-pop made it to the big leagues internationally, the industry has become increasingly sonically homogenised – especially when it comes to new girl groups. Nowadays, female acts in the scene feel like they either come from the BLACKPINK school of bombast or the NewJeans academy of soft and sweet. While KiiiKiii, the new girl group from Starship Entertainment (IVE, MONSTA X), don’t avoid these pitfalls on their debut mini-album ‘Uncut Gem’, they sidestep them enough to keep things interesting.
Take, for example, standout track ‘Groundwork’. Here, the girl group start off with a whispered intro and segue into a dreamy, speak-sung verse with glitchy synths. Then, the instrumental falls away, replaced by an overpowering chanted chorus with bass so heavy that it distorts the group’s vocals. The individual elements of the song might be old hat, but they’re put together in a subversive way that makes it a great listen.
The same can be said for ‘There They Go’, a similarly bass-driven R&B tune that makes great use of marching snare and the sound of the group’s heavy breathing to build an intriguing soundscape. The polarising trap and electropop of ‘Debut Song’, which interpolates ‘Happy Birthday To You’, scores points, too, for the tongue-in-cheek and campy way it recalls the irreverent, experimental nature of old-school K-pop.
But, as ‘Uncut Gem’’s title implies, KiiiKiii and their music are still fresh and can be rough around the edges. While some songs are inspired and push the envelope of what new K-pop groups can do, others on the project play it a little too safe. That’s the case for the 2010s pop of ‘I Do Me’ and ‘One Off’ – both sweet and inoffensive, but songs that lean towards being faceless and forgettable.
Unfortunately, it’s the EP’s focus track ‘BTG’, a hip-hop-inspired tune, that falls the flattest. The rapped verses are played straight but are hard to take seriously (“What’s the dealy? Ain’t no kidding, ain’t no bidness with no money / Got that ice up on it freezy, kill it, fit in, KiiiKiii winnin’”), while the repetitive hook of “been that girl” is monotonous at best and annoying at worst.
‘Uncut Gem’ certainly isn’t a “safe” project for any group to make their debut with in the current landscape – and that must be applauded. While their approach still needs refining, KiiiKiii are bringing back a sense of fun and excitement to the world of K-pop.
