Three years after CLC, Cube Entertainment is bringing us another girl group with the tragically-named (G)I-DLE. I'm honestly going to avoid typing their group name out as much as possible, it's that bad. The Korean name isn't much better, either. Anyway this new squad is headlined by Soyeon, a young rapping talent that did extremely well on Produce 101 and Unpretty Rapstar Season 3. My immediate fears are that this is the start of a new Hyuna and friends but that may be the 4minute PTSD in me talking. Can't think negatively about a new group already, let's check out their debut song "Latata."
You can tell right away that this song is similar to other Cube girl group releases. That's because Big Sancho is behind "Latata." He also worked on past Cube hits like Hyuna's "How's This" and CLC's "Hobgoblin." It's a lot slower-paced than those examples, but the similar sound persists. Both the bridge and rap break helped mix things up while still maintaining the same speed of the song. Almost nothing feels out of place. Minnie's part was very awkward and definitely the weakest part of the song, though thankfully for her Yuqi makes up for it immediately afterward (more on her after the jump). There's nothing intricate here. "Latata" is a simple, balanced, and effective song. It's a good safe choice out of Cube's third girl group.
With those formalities out of the way, allow me to talk about my first impressions of the members. Soyeon is first so I can get her out of the way. She is the truth. I've not been this excited about a newbie girl group rapper since Yuna of The Ark. Her charisma and swagger is awesome - she's like a younger version of LE. There will be a new writeup coming out soon that'll also talk a bit more about her. Hopefully she won't dominate all the headlines for this group. Shuhua, Minnie, and Soojin appear to be the frail awkward trio of the group so far. They didn't really stand out in any way, but that's amplified by Soyeon's presence. Miyeon was apparently cut from Black Pink and YG for dating rumors? I can see how her vocal color would've been a nice match with Rose. Speaking of voice...Yuqi. Man I wasn't expecting such a strong voice paired with her pretty face. It's actually crazy. Her part at 0:42 sent shivers down my spine and still does. Yuqi has to play second fiddle to Miyeon but man she's got something special. She and Soyeon are my early favorites in the group.
If this debut is any indication, then (G)I-DLE will be the inferior Cube girl group in terms of choreography. CLC has far more interesting and intricate choreography, even if we're just comparing "Pepe" to "Latata." Still, the dance does have moments. The slow tutting during the break is nifty and so are the setups during the end of the song. Another thing this group has going for them is an even number of members, which makes positioning and formations more interesting. For a first taste, it's not inspiring but maybe that's the point. It would be good to have one group be more or better known for their dancing / choreography anyway. Nobody wants two copies of the same girl group under one label.
Meh. Whatever. Thus the cycle of average Kpop music videos continues. There really isn't anything that hasn't been said about some other video of some other group. Pleasing camera angles and various backdrops dominate the visuals, while the choreography shots are spliced in here and there. Those peach outfits look quite awkward. My sister described them as "frumpy" and she's definitely got the right idea. I did enjoy the tennis scenes, and the thought of them hitting a bowling ball and other assorted items was amusing. Some members clearly have more presence than others (hello Soyeon), but hey these girls are rookies so free pass. They will have plenty of time to develop. Not much to talk about, not much to complain about.
Maybe I've been starved for strong girl groups, but even so, "Latata" was a solid debut. They had good moments: a powerful rapper and a mesmerizing vocalist, with a song that was safe but teased what's to come in the future. Dance-wise and video-wise they were uninspiring but perhaps the former is to differentiate them with CLC, and the latter isn't uncommon with many groups nowadays. "Latata" is definitely a good start for them, and right up there with other impressive debuts like KARD's "Oh NaNa." Cube might be looking at a two-headed monster with CLC and (G)I-DLE.
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