WILD - KATSEYE
Updated: 5 hours ago
On August 14th, five of the six members of KATSEYE––a global girl group formed in Dream Academy, a two-year training and development program turned Netflix docuseries––released their highly anticipated second EP, WILD.
After the sudden hiatus of the group’s sixth and “visual” member Manon months before the album’s release, the buzz around KATSEYE has largely centered on the group’s sound after they already proved themselves visually. It’s no surprise that with hyperpop and house music being on the rise, the popularity-hungry labels behind KATSEYE, Hybe and Geffen, would want to get their girl group involved. No doubt they noticed the market for fast beats and glitchy vocals, especially as they watched previous singles “Gnarly” and “Touch” climb the charts. So, at their Coachella debut they tested the waters with a performance of “Pinky Up.” Shifting between hyper, classic and k-pop, “Pinky Up” signaled that KATSEYE is done being cute pop girls, launching themselves into the more mature and edgy hyperpop world.
Despite attempting this sonic transition, KATSEYE may not fully understand the genres they’re attempting to emulate. Seemingly determined to prove that they‘re making dance music, two songs on their 13 minute EP include a dance break where they repeat a version of the word “dance” over a rhythmic beat. The EP’s main dance numbers, “Pinky Up” and “Hootie Fruitti,” play on this idea, where their choruses repeat two words overtop of heavy backing bass and synth beats. The songs are simple, but effective in their goal as they give ample opportunity to showcase intense and visually stimulating choreography on tour.
Unlike “Pinky Up” and “Hootie Frutti," whose lyrics read so incoherently they’ll hurt your head, “Animal” was written by 4 time Grammy winner, Ed Sheeran. Alongside Sheeran’s iconic vocals and chill beats, the song builds nicely as each of the members sings a verse and the instruments remain at a reasonable volume for their vocal range, avoiding hyperpop completely.
The EP’s last three songs, “Bel Air,” “That Way,” and exclusively released “UNLOVEU,” function as great breaks for the members when they’re on tour. Beyond a reason to let the members rest their bodies and continue taking voice lessons, the songs don’t deliver much. “Bel Air” unfortunately, or fortunately, fades into the background; starting with a quick tempo and an echo effect, the song emblematizes the era of 2015 Halsey and late night drive songs LA tweens might’ve listened to. The chorus is grating, and the effects of being the longest track on the EP are certainly felt. So, the happy fact that “That Way” is as catchy and enjoyable as it is gives the EP some bonus points. The song doesn't overpower the listener like “Pinky Up” or “Hootie Frutti” might, rather it grips your interest and keeps your head absentmindedly nodding along.
“UNLOVEU,” the limited released song with contributions from KATSEYE’s main vocalist, Lara Raj, works perfectly as a chance for the group to show-off vocally. It’s melodic and soft, and demonstrates beautiful vocal range in each of the members. Though it’s wonderful that Lara contributed to the EP, its exclusive release at Target highlights the fact that KATSEYE’s members have little to no say in their work. Rather than mass distributing the song, the labels know that fans want to support the girls as individual creatives and are capitalizing on fan interests.
Between constant press opportunities, practicing choreography, or taking vocal classes, the group is constantly busy. But it seems that right now, rather than honing their own voice as individuals or a group, they’ve chosen to lean into the voices of other genres and cultures. This is most explicit in “Hootie Fruitti” where their one latino member, Daniela Avanzini sings the intro in Portuguese. It remains unclear as to why they didn’t do a number channeling Daniela’s actual heritage, or how this connected to any of the other members, but here we are.
Stuffed into “Hootie Frutti” are also Tic Tac and Gui Gui ads, which only raises more questions about who the group’s music is really for. Including a slime ad in a hypersexual music video seems counterproductive to supporting their cute-to-edgy brand transition, but KATSEYE has proved to have a steadfast audience. Be that because of the die-hards who watched Dream Academy, or the kids who have no idea what they’re looking at, KATSEYE overwhelms on all cylinders, always finding a way to land on their feet––and usually not thanks to their music.
WILD encapsulates the push and pull that KATSEYE is under at all times. Performing as five, shifting genres, languages, styles and diving deeper into the music industry, WILD is a touchpoint to this richly complex moment in KATSEYE’s career––when the fame is hot and the brand deals are hotter. As the group continues to make new music, the hope is that the girls will get to contribute more to the art they perform, because ultimately their fans are here for them. That said, the staying power of “Hootie fruit fruit fruit…” as an earworm is worse than “Boba Tea, Gnarly,” and what’s more of a sign of success than that.
Read the published piece on the Tastemakers website:
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