kiiikiii's new ep came out and i want to talk about it! i am not a music critic nor do i know proper genre names! but i am better than fantano (that was for you, julian). - 20260810
ever2late! is a very pretty song, i adore the production of this one. the gentle vocal and consistent melody really suits it and the vocal chops are a cool touch. the song feels refreshing and almost as if you are floating. the melody switch in the outro with both the more emotional vocal and the violin being introduced really tied it all together. as much as i want more of this song i dont think it really needs a final chorus (which is surprising because as you will see that is a sweeping critique i have for the rest of this album). if the violins were maybe extended i feel as if that wouldve been a nice emotional send off to the track. overall pretty song and a fantastic opener for this ep.
hey hi is very shuffly, even more than pop offx2. a completely unrelated track but for some reason it reminded me of stars by pink pantheress? the song is groovy as hell and i think this is a great dance floor song, maybe the instrumental could be a runway track if you squint (a quirky runway though!) i think it has a phenomenal prechorus, contrast with the like high vocal with the more spoken chorus is very nice. good news we have a final chrous this time! perfect track, no notes.
popoffx2 the title track! the synths are very 2010s or at least what the idea of the 2010s is (since their overarching concept is anemoia). i adore the chorus and its incredibly catchy too but im not used to the beat switch in the post chorus and i feel like the verses couldve been more interesting. i think that the song is way too short and couldve benefited from both a bridge and final chorus. they wouldve hit their concept of "the idea of the 2010s" much better if they extended the all the songs on this ep. unfortunately, i think i prefer 404 as a title over this one. still great song but just not hitting the most, they couldve done a lot more :(
sweet sour is a fun one but the "kiiikiiikiiikiiikiii" chants in the post chrous and intro are kinda annoying haha. the instrumental is fun, bridge and final chorus spotted too! fun time and just a good vibe overall. not much to say about this one its just fun i guess? im realing i just kept calling it fun but i don't know how else to describe it, it really felt like they were chanting that chorus with a smile on their faces.
CANDY PINK MAGIC HOLE FLIP PHONE!!! it's still my favourite track! it was the prerelease so ive had more time to digest it but wow what a song! so addictive so energetic. the production is very incredibly complex, there are a lot of layered noises throughout the track (specfically very digital sounding ones, i think they actually did sample the noises from a flip phone in this which is like genius??). the song also has these quieter sections where some of the sounds are pulled back and it allows the song room to breathe and then swings you right back into it. also talk about a chorus switch! it hit me so hard when i listened to the final track because i was so used to listening to the prerelease version but it didnt feel out of place at all, it shared the same melody as the previous chorus but just loaded it with more technical/scratchy noise. it was very welcome. i wouldnt say the song encapsulates 2010s in sound neccesarily but it has that like 2010s unapologeticness. its fun, its cutesy, its genuine. it feels as if f(x) gifted kiiikiii a custom imac g3 and they all started throwing glitter at it (it made sense in my head.) absolutely fantastic track, already thought it was a 10/10 but that extension bumps it up to an 11/10.
Blue hour, again very pretty song. it feels like a synth and rnb mix but more laid back and elegant compared to what we had with sweet sour (by rnb i mean kpops interpretaion of it rather than true rnb). theres this constant like string instrument thats being plucked throughout the instrumental and i found that very sophisticated. theres also another sound it almost sounds like a marimba its just a very echoy dong its nice. unfortunately this is the shortest track on the album and thats heart breaking, i dont mind the outro but we surely couldve gotten more out of the track, it wouldve been such a nice groove. but its a nice album closer.
if i had to rank the tracks id say
i know blasphemous to put the title track last but it just felt as if it was weaker than the rest of the songs, still a great track though! kiiikiii have been on a generational run with their concepts. everything about this group feels so carefully crafted and creative. despite not listening to kpop much anymore (except for a very small handful of groups i keep up with just out of attatchment), i can tell kiiikiii are going to be a powerhouse. im so excited to go and purchase this album physically cause again just everything they do has such a nice aesthetic and very mindful designs, the whole vacation and flight itinerary was cute as hell and it gave me something to look forward to. also theyre straight up releasing a camera with one of the album versions??? isnt that sick??? if i end up getting it i will share it either here or on my instagram (@oysterrrfield). i do think this album is better than uncut gems but im still helplessly attatched to delulu pack. i prefer the aesthetic they were trying to replicate in delulu pack over the one here in whykiiikiii. also i still long for the day dancing alone gets a physical release... maybe ill burn the cd myself since starship wont give me what i want.
in conclusion, a 7.5/10 or 8/10! go check out kiiikiii you wont regret it!
- trevor