A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
ITZY’s Yeji made a splash this week with her solo debut — a lean, consistent collection of four songs. Like many K-pop solos, the album feels very targeted to a global market, sharing much more in common with Western pop music than what we might consider idiosyncratic K-pop sounds. Within this framework, the songs are solid and well-produced with a surprising synth-pop sheen.
258 closes the album with an addictive pulse. Yeji opens the track with an impressive vocal run before moving into a moodier verse. I love the melodies here. They feel very familiar, but that nostalgia works to 258‘s benefit. Their rhythmic sound plays to Yeji’s strengths, melding rapid-fire deliver to a softer instrumental. This continues into the chorus, which sees her returning to the speedy vocal run that kicked off the song. Her vocals sound wonderful here. ITZY songs often force the members to perform in a strained pitch, but Yeji’s material maintains that intensity in a different way, drawing upon a lithe airiness that’s much more compelling.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
That very slight asyncopation in twenty-five-eight is everything for this song. The “twen-nnie” comes in ahead of the beat, and then there is a slight hang before “five” with a neat “eight” closing. Actually I think its a triplet against 4/4.
Plus a key change.
Its hard not to like a pop fluff like this, it just breezes along and doesn’t ask much but instead offers us all a couple minutes of a nice cool breeze on a hot summer day.
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yess this is definitely the song i was expecting for you to feature as buried treasure!
now im curious, how would you rate invasion and can’t slow me down?
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oh, btw better dayz as the buried treasure for seulgi’s album?
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I’m a very casual itzy listener and most of the time it’s their first four singles. So, I’m really surprised how much yeji’s solo has kept my attention
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Does anyone get the similar vibe to 360 or 365 by charli xcx in the intro and parts of the song? I feel like there must be some inspiration.
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I’m guessing the producers did use some Charli XCX or her producer A.G. Cook for some references. I can hear the similarities but they take me back to Charli’s older discography, not her most recent album.
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I was very surprised by Yeji’s mini-album. I thought it was just going to be an okay project and that I’d never return to it, but it’s actually pretty solid. It has great melodies, the production goes hard and like Nick says, it plays to her strenghts.
I agree with Nick when he says that the ITZY songs have the members sing in a strained way, I often feel like they’re a little shouty and that it doesn’t come naturally. This is not the case on this EP-I’ll admit I was expecting one of those shouty vocal moments lol-
This track in particular reminds me of Charli XCX on her “Charli” album or the deluxe songs on “Crash”
A 10 to me!
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I enjoyed this! Can’t pinpoint why, but the type of nostalgia this is triggering and some of the melodic flourishes kind of remind me of Rina Sawayama.
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