Okay, let’s get this straight before we move on. Break Ice (얼음깨) is a charity release, with proceeds benefiting pandemic relief. For that reason alone, you should stream the song, watch the ads and do what you can. Or, simply donate to the cause yourself. With that said, I’m here to write about what I think of the music itself. Taking its good intentions out of the picture, how does the song stack up?
Break Ice pairs ITZY with comedienne Kim Shinyoung, operating under her moniker “Second Aunt Kim DaVi.” Knowing this, I expected the track to have a more comedic concept that fully embraced novelty. But even though Shinyoung is far from what most would consider an idol, her knowing, trot-influenced vocals fit surprisingly well alongside ITZY.
Instead, Break Ice plays as the latest in a long string of midtempo percussive pop tracks. This one’s got more summery bounce than most, but doesn’t take any chances to distinguish itself from the pack. I like the injection of guitar (or ukulele?), but other than that the instrumental feels overly busy.
ITZY’s vocals are often layered to create the brash sound that’s become synonymous with K-pop’s “girl crush” movement. This approach, coupled with the limited range of Break Ice’s instrumental, makes the track feel a bit cluttered and claustrophobic. A knockout melodic break may have helped. Instead, we settle for the first half of Break Ice’s chorus, which clears space for a contrasting volley of low and high-pitched refrains. Nothing is the least bit offensive about this amiable head-nodder, but none of hooks really sink their teeth in either. Check out STAYC’s ASAP for a similar-sounding song with much more bite.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
This song sounds to me like “Juice juice juice juice juice” without the “Juice juice juice juice juice” and all the juicy fun parts. Or like “Fun” without the “Fun”.
I swear they could all even be in the same key.
That said, sure, fun, why not, let’s not overthink this one.
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(I like this better than Juicy – it’s got less of that annoying ‘juice juice juice’) And that’s probably the most offensive I’ll ever get on this blog.
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I seem to be the outlier here in that both ASAP and Juicy never grew on me (or only for the worse, in Juicy’s case).
Those songs aside, I think this is pretty alright. Second Aunt Kim DaVi really does fit in well somehow. I deem it a background bop.
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If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t the only one! ASAP is fine, but I don’t love it like everyone else seems to. And Juicy…I just can’t with lol.
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Yes, same. I could never warm up to asap or juicy. In my case, I actually find asap a bit annoying.
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