Review

Song Review: EL7Z UP – Cheeky

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EL7Z UP - CheekyProject group EL7Z UP hails from this year’s Queendom Puzzle competition show, which aired its finale on August 15th. In only a month’s time, they’ve made their debut with Cheeky. That’s some quick movement! The group consists of members from Lovelyz, CLC, Rocket Punch, WJSN, Purple Kiss, H1-Key and woo!ah!. There’s clearly a ton of talent involved, but they’ve been saddled with a song that pulls from many of the worst girl group tropes K-pop has to offer.

If I didn’t have to listen to Cheeky multiple times for this review, I would have stopped midway through with the understanding that the song is just not for me. There’s only so much “cheeky cheeky freaky deeky” I can take. Cheeky‘s opening verse offers a volley of melody and rap over a rugged beat. The production here reminds me of NCT, which is not what I expected. Things improve from here, but only briefly. The melodic chorus has some bite and it’s nice to hear the group’s vocalists get a moment to shine.

From here, we move into a post-chorus chant that succumbs to the song’s most irritating instincts. It feels like a placeholder moment, as does the sing-song second verse. Cheeky‘s bridge opens up before the final chorus slams back with renewed energy. It’s all solidly constructed if you’re a fan of this style. Personally, I’m struggling to find many highlights worth coming back for.

Hooks 7
 Production 8
 Longevity 7
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.25

Grade: C

24 thoughts on “Song Review: EL7Z UP – Cheeky”

  1. Elzz, I shall pronounce it Elzz. Elzz Up, like 7-Up soda.
    Another one today, this week, what is going on, that sounds like a slapdash pick-a-mix of songs from the recent past. That freaky freaky fish section.
    I mean, it isn’t bad, but sounds like clip art from a dozen other songs.
    (… Who did the freaky freaky fish song, I can picture the dance moves, …. …. Aespa? Sheezz, my brain these days.)

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    • Agree! With “Die for you” you feel that it is a totally different group and you forget Cheeky (for your sake), it brings out the best of the group!

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  4. A lot of disparate pieces here. On the whole, I like the majority of them, but the song is messy in putting it all together. Like a puzzle with random pieces jammed to fit.

    I like the cheeky chant a lot though. It’s a nice twist after the sugary chorus. Yeeun’s verse 2 rap with the bizarre instrumental felt incredibly fresh to me. Sad that the song loses momentum immediately after. Maybe high 7’s for me.

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  6. I rather liked the chorus but overall this song felt rushed and incomplete to me. The ending was confusing, like there’s a key change but then it goes back to the previous key for the following chorus? Overall I just think if you’re going to create a collaboration group with starpower like this, they should have more energetic and inspired material to work with…

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  7. I quite like the ideas of Cheeky especially going from a lyric-filled chorus to a more mellow drop. I think it’s supposed to be a song about juxtaposition, the contrast between having fun and being serious. However, Yeeun’s rap and Hwiseo’s bridge is very awkward. The transition doesn’t work well at all for Yeeun’s part, super random. I like the idea of a rap with some kind of ambient music in the background but this isn’t the song for it nor does that part get enough time to breathe and do its thing.

    With a group full of talented people, they have a wider range of music to try. Hopefully they have more future releases. Die For You is like a mellower, sadder, groovier Cupid.

    Cheeky is decent-ish song for a project group, but wished it was way better.

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  12. It’s well-performed and delivered efficiently, but it’s not a very good song.
    There really is som etrue talent within the group but I think there were better songs on Queendom Puzzle itself. The song just feels so disjunct and afterthought-y
    Kinda a bummer but not really a surprise.

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  13. It’s cute I guess but I’m kind of disappointed because the show gave us plenty of good songs (Bad Blood, IDGA, Puzzlin’, Charismatic) only for them to fumble the bag for the actual debut…

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  15. My ratings for this EP:
    1. Die for You – 4/5
    2. CHEEKY – 2.5/5
    3. Undercover – 3/5
    4. Hideaway – 3.2/5
    5. Cloud 9 – 3.5/5
    I think “Die for you” brings out the best of the group, I was surprised by the vocals of rappers like Yeeun, they all sounded great in the song and it is a much more sophisticated style that I think fits better with the general vibe of the group.

    My second favorite was “Cloud 9”, which is nothing outstanding but very pleasant to listen to.

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  18. I rather liked it but then I’ve figured out that, with a few exceptions, Nick and I have totally different tastes in music. That’s not a jab or a drag…it is what it is. I’ve been in the BTS army bubble for a long time so my knowledge of kpop history is very incomplete and I’m only beginning to learn who is who. Speaking of who is who, who is the one in white? I didn’t care for that verse at all. The rest was fun, energetic and not *shrill*, which is my issue with a lot of gg’s. Cheeky won’t make it onto my playlists, but I won’t skip it when I’m just letting yt play based on my likes.

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