Song Review: ITZY – Ringo | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

ITZY have been releasing Japanese material for some time now, leading up to the release of their first J-pop album next month. Prior to this, they’ve dropped the music video for the album’s promotional single. Ringo (or “Apple,” if you want an English translation) feels like their K-pop sound transcoded onto Japan, which should please fans.

Ringo finds me in the same place I’ve been with ITZY’s music for awhile. It turns out their bombastic sound is something I appreciated during its initial burst, but it hasn’t sustained in the long run. There’s plenty of energy and verve stuffed into this track, but it centers around a messy arrangement that fumbles more often than it succeeds.

The contrast between Ringo‘s more tentative verses and explosive chorus should work better than it does. The changes in percussion make for an exciting backbone, but without engaging melody the end product doesn’t quite stick. ITZY have gotten a lot of flack for their vocals — some of it unfair. However, the performance here only cements those concerns. The chorus is pitched far too high and you can hear the strain. There are ways around this, and a smart producer would utilize unison singing and vocal layering to create a rich texture. J-pop idol groups have been employing this strategy for decades, so I’m not sure why JYP is so averse to the technique. In Ringo‘s case, the rawness of the performance only adds to the song’s sense of chaotic sloppiness. It’s a tough listen.

Hooks	7
Production	7
Longevity	7
Bias	6
RATING	6.75

Grade: D+

9 thoughts on “Song Review: ITZY – Ringo”

As someone who dislike Cake and most of Itzy’s post Loco Korean tracks, once again this validates my belief that JYP japanese music is by far superior to their Korean ones. I enjoyed Ringo enough that I even put it on repeat a couple times. Hasn’t topped previous Blah Blah Blah yet, but we’ll see if it’s a grower
8/10

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This is literally the best song they’ve realeased in A WHILE

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I actually really like this. In general I’m not a fan of their singles, with the exception of ICY, which I love, and Cheshire. However I do love quite a lot of their album tracks (loved the entire Kill My Doubt EP except for Cake). I think this is my favorite ITZY single after ICY now. However I do agree with you about the high vocals. Could be a touch lower without any problem. I thought that about Cheshire too.

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I just think the vocals at any pitch are tinny and whiney. Why the producers have them sing like that, I have no idea. As I often say, who thinks this sounds sonorous?

Anyway, the high note in verse and chorus is E5. Not many kpop girl groups can hit that cleanly, though they should. Oh My Girl comes to mind as a group who could.

Me, I just think JYP stick Itzy with the leftover songs and concepts laying around. Why, no idea. The Vcha YOUniverse song is a helluva lot more catchy.

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orbitingaround says:

September 27, 2023 at 4:59 pm

“Why the producers have them sing like that, I have no idea.”

Edginess. Somehow very squeaky timbres are easily perceived as edgy – HARVEY from XG or Soyeon is a clear example, although in their case it’s just their natural.

In case of vocal direction, the way BEP directed STAYC’s vocals are somehow making them sound whiny. Their b-sides with no BEP usually have a more natural vocal approach.

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