It only took an eternity, but Girl's Day are finally back. From their previous spot as the #1 girl group to being clouded in inactivity (music-wise), they've suffered trying times since their last release "Ring My Bell" was underwhelming in many aspects. Not to fear though because "I'll Be Yours" teased some of the Girls' Day power that we love: classic visuals, sexy choreo, and Minah's wonderful voice. How do they during these promotions will be critical because so many other (new) girl groups are rising and rising fast.
This chorus is underratedly good. I don't think "underratedly" is a word but whatever. It's powerful and emphatic, and the repetition of "I'll be yours" isn't as grating as it could be given how many times they say this line. Of course, the killer punch is Minah's run at the end which is all sorts of wonderful. In fact, everything that Minah does in this song is really good: verses, chorus, bridge, and final run. Give me all of it! Sojin is also really impressive playing second fiddle to Minah, and it's more of praise to Sojin than it is a knock on Minah. Furthermore, Yura and Hyeri each receive a significant portion of each verse (and parts of the bridge) and it's their best showing as support vocalists to date. Backed by the funky instrumental, "I'll Be Yours" is a fun jam that keeps momentum for most of the song.
Unfortunately, "I'll Be Yours" isn't without faults. This song can't escape some of the uncomfortable English that accompanies many songs. This is especially evident in the verses with random words scattered here and there. Random male voices and chanting is present like during "Ring My Bell" and I don't like it. Also, Yura has gone back to having really bad and uneventful raps. Considering that she had bursts of promise in "Ring My Bell" and the best rap in her history during "I Miss You," this is a step backwards. Awkward flow and it's generally quite forgettable. The song might have been better off without a rap. Thus, the plight of Yura as a rapper: short good raps or long bad raps. Or, they could let her do her "I Miss You" thing. Here's hoping this changes next time, and that we don't have to wait another two years for said next time.
Even though it's been forever, I can notice a fun Girl's Day dance when I see one. "I'll Be Yours" has hit that sweet spot of being fun and eye-pleasing, much more than dances of Girl's Day past. "Darling" was overloaded on the cuteness factor and "Ring My Bell" was too awkward (ignoring the incredible bicycle move of course). Speaking of, this dance utilizes the backup dancers pretty well. Throughout the various formation changes and the sitting parts all the backup dancers feel like an important part of the dance - something that isn't always true for most Kpop dances, and especially true for Girl's Day songs (think "Expectation" or "Something"). The choreography grows a little weak at the end with the leg-shaking thing they do but all in all this is a refreshing dance, both because we've not seen Girl's Day in a long time and because it's energetic in the right way.
Nothing too exciting here. This is your run-of-the-mill music video, full of close-ups, choreography shots, and general eye candy. Appearance-wise this might be the best Girl's Day have looked as a team since the days of "Expectation." The main reason for this is because Hyeri has finally grown out her hair and it looks beautiful. I'm not joking when I say that she looked better with long hair. I'm also not underselling the importance of uniformity. Everyone looks fabulous and Sojin continues to defy the aging process. This comeback alone might be enough to push her back into relevancy on my Bias List.
"I'll Be Yours" gave its MV a little too much caffeine because it's very jumpy. It's not on T-ARA levels of cuts but it does feel excessive. The colors are vibrant as expected of a Girl's Day song and their outfits during the choreography shots are quite flattering (a shame their live performance outfits aren't). I really enjoyed Hyeri and Yura's scenes: Hyeri being a champion boxer (while wearing a dress!) and looking badass, while Yura is playing a piano that's on fucking fire. I hope she was playing the right chords, too. That would give this MV so many bonus points - I love consistency and accuracy. Not to say I didn't like Sojin and Minah in the video (Sojin absolutely slays with glasses) but they were more fanservice and not as memorable. A fairly traditional Girl's Day MV, all things considered. Maybe even the best with Yura and Hyeri's parts.
Since it's been forever, I try to not let the Girl's Day drought cloud my opinions on this song, but it is good. Minah is absolutely divine, they all look amazing, and the choreography is one of their better showings. Yura's rap sucks and the MV is pedestrian but that makes "I'll Be Yours" a product that is a good song with small faults rather than a bad song with moments of glory. Doesn't matter if you promoted two months ago or two years ago, I'll always appreciate a solid song. Please don't make us wait another eternity before their next comeback!
