[Review] IU - Chat-Shire EP

Another solo artist returns, this time it's the lovely IU, fresh(?) off of news about her relationship with Jang Kiha. Moving on, "Chat-Shire" seemed to tease a fairytale world / concept, so let's see how she executed by taking a look at the mini album. Brief note about the links, I'll obviously have them available when I first publish the review(s), but if in the future they get taken down I'll just have to either not include them, or have like the lyric versions of the videos or something. Hopefully the sources / accounts won't get banned too too quickly.

1. New Shoes

"Chat-Shire" starts off with the inviting "New Shoes." Everything about this track screams chill (perhaps not screaming, ha). It's a perfect match for the season as the weather turns colder. Upon my first listen I thought there was more English sprinkled in the lyrics but thankfully I was just mishearing things. IU alternates back and forth between the charismatic verses and clean runs in the chorus. I'm still not a fan of layered vocals in the background but when you're a soloist you need that to help out. "New Shoes" has arguably the strongest bridge in the album, with the fake key changes and how comfortably she takes on some of those long notes. It's a shame the bridge couldn't be longer. This song sets the stage to style of the album, and does a damn good job.

2. Zeze

Following on the heels of "New Shoes," we're treated to the blues-infused "Zeze." The steady piano chords in the background pound away while the extra sounds of the instrumental are groovy and add more character to the context. Scattered throughout the song are short inflections at the ends of lyric lines, a teaser of more to come. Curiously, both "Zeze" and "New Shoes" end the same way: quite abruptly. This works better for "New Shoes" as the final chorus sounds more like an ending. In "Zeze" it's just "climb on me" to finish (that in and of itself is an interesting line). Despite that, the active sounds of this song are engaging and make "Zeze" a delightful listen.

3. Twenty Three

Thankfully, this song isn't similar to Jieun's "25" in how much the age is repeated throughout. IU is the sassiest and most charismatic I've seen in "Twenty Three." The song is swift, and her personality is vibrant, flitting back and forth as her lyrics contest each other. Her words are laced with attitude, charisma, and even aegyo at times. In contrast, she uses more mature tones to represent the older "personality." It's very refreshing from start to finish, despite the weakest part of the song being undoubtedly the chorus, where the rash instrumentals obstruct IU, preventing her voice from being heard clearly. The entire bridge is also a little suspect, with rap-singing but given it's more personality and keeps with the narrative it's good. While I personally prefer the vibes of "Zeze" and the awesome collab "Red Queen," all my respect is to "Twenty Three" for being simply brilliant in execution, personality, and of course, the music video.

For starters, the MV is quite unpredictable. From IU faceplanting into the cake 17 seconds in, pouring cereal on herself, acid trip moments at 2:26, and stuffing apples into her shirt, this video is just fun all the time. IU constantly makes an effort to refer to her lyrics, putting on makeup now that she's grown up, passing out when wanting to live "silently as death," taking the role of the fox and bear, etc. At the same time, she plays out various juxtapositions, at the 1:00 mark she's acting / recording before angrily giving up, or the baby IU drinking from the milk bottle (absolutely adorable!) and subsequent "mature" woman. This characteristic is followed up on by the choreography, from facial expressions to writing lies. It's a shame she won't be performing this live so we could see the whole dance. The backbone of the MV keeps with the fairytale / Alice theme, including bright vivid colours, rabbits and cats, plus more cake. The video takes you on a crazy journey and there's something new to be seen every time. Despite all the weirdness, "Twenty Three" is perhaps a top 5 MV of 2015.

4. The Shower

Ayy, now that we've had a fantastic start to the album here's that traditional IU ballad waiting for the opportunity. "The Shower" slows down and relaxes as IU's graceful voice glides through "The Shower" with serenity and lovely adlibs in the final leg of the song. The song itself is simple, but not lacking in any facet. As the title implies, this song is perfect to match gloomy / rainy weather, and when I make my "Rainy Days" playlist this is certainly going right in. Compared to the opening tracks, the ending of this ballad is a slight improvement but I still find it a little rushed.

5. Red Queen (feat. Zion.T)

Another solo comeback, another excellent featured artist. The combination of IU and Zion.T generated much deserved hype, and all I can say is, this should be the prologue for many more to come! The unique qualities of each singer is brought out nicely, though admittedly Zion.T's presence could've been amplified more. Still, from the rap bridge and harmonization in the chorus, Zion.T continues his exquisite performances and adds another track to his resume. Meanwhile IU keeps up with her charismatic flow, injecting character left and right through her cute and confident inflections. Her pronunciation of the tricky "queen" is admirable even though it's certainly not perfect, and outside of "Knee," "Red Queen" has the best ending on the album.

6. Knee

Technically speaking, "Knee" was released about 10 months ago (the "MV" was released much later, for some reason). It was a simple yet lovely ballad with lullaby-esque qualities. The kind of song where you just listen to on repeat late at night before falling asleep. Now from what my pedestrian ears can tell, the vocals have remained unchanged, and the only difference is the piano accompaniment as opposed to the original's guitar. "Knee" is a beautiful composition and using different instruments doesn't really change anything for better or worse. While this rerelease is welcome, I think I still prefer the original.

7. Glasses

"Glasses" reminds me of "4AM" from the "Last Fantasy," from the swingy tunes to how IU projects and harmonizes her smooth voice. Considering that "4AM" was one of my favourite from that album, this only means good things and is a pleasant way to end this mini. A signature difference in "Glasses" is that the chorus is noticeably slower than the verses. Now the verses aren't super fast or anything but it's just interesting. The opening chorus is accompanied by some eerie piano (more appropriately timed for Halloween) and chanting at the 1:27 mark which adds another attribute to the whole fairytale theme, but the awkward break and return to chorus is also a bit odd. "Glasses" is definitely the weird one in the "Chat-Shire" family, but that doesn't take away from any of the song's charm.

Korea and indeed the international fanbase has been dearly missing IU for a long time, and IU has certainly delivered. The trio of "New Shoes," "Zeze," and "Twenty Three" is a powerful 1-2-3 that many other albums can't brag about having. Each song flows into the next while keeping distinct characters to themselves. "Red Queen" is a delightful dance pop track with Zion.T as another unique complimentary voice. "Knee" and "The Shower" fulfill the ballad niche that IU excels in, while "Glasses" is a tacky song to close out the album. Considering how lacking the summer block was for soloists, IU joins Taeyeon and Ailee in a remarkable rebound as we near the end of 2015.

[ Overall: 94 / 100 ]