So far in izna’s discography, there hasn’t been a full single that I’ve loved. Instead, there have been parts of izna singles I’ve loved. The synthpop chorus of Sign. The mid-2010s, vaguely tropical beat of their self-titled debut. Producers Teddy, Kush and 24 have robust resumes but I need them to take every one of their best bits and assemble them together to create a killer track that stays killer from start to finish.
I’d be curious to know when new single Mamma Mia was composed because it feels like a post-ALLDAY PROJECT work to me. I could easily see the song going to that group and it’s quite an aggressive turn for izna’s sound. On the plus side, the girls deliver the confrontational energy surprisingly well, bringing a renewed sense of power to the performance. On first listen, I was intrigued when I assumed the opening bars were the song’s verse. However, it quickly became apparent that this was actually Mamma Mia‘s chorus and I don’t think that works nearly as well. The arrangement is just too empty.
In fact, this emptiness is a problem all around. It makes the girls’ performance feel overly loud because there’s nothing to push against. It’s as if they’re shouting into the void. Mamma Mia finally picks up steam during its requisite YG-style dance breakdown, but this squawky instrumental break lands with a thud because there’s no build-up to make the finale feel earned. With a few more revisions, there might be a good song in here. For now, this sounds like a rough draft.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I find the chorus so affected, it grinds my gears a bit. As you said, the arrangement is too empty for the girls to sound confrontational, especially at the chorus and so it just sounds repetitive. And of course, the requisite Teddy outro at the end, but it just sounds shoehorned in with no sense of purpose but to serve as an outro. It also reminds me of those loud ass Bollywood party songs lol.
7 (6, 7, 8, 7) for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
have you heard the b-side racecar? its quite good
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mamma Mia is by far the weakest track on their EP. Would have loved promotion of Supercrush or Racecar instead. If you haven’t listened yet, those are much more dynamic than this.
7,7,8,8 = 7.5 for me
Supercrush has a great build of energy with some great disco instrumental in the chorus segments. I’d give that 8,9,9,8 = 8.5
Racecar has some interesting movement from setup sections building to excellent energetic, payoffs. That one’s a 8,9,9,8 as well = 8.5
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s sounds very very tinny-ya
LikeLike
I have to wonder if the Teddy-penned Mamma Mia is the title because it will earn him more money than if they went with one of the VVN-written songs as the title. Because Supercrush and Racecar both sound like fully fleshed out title tracks. Makes me wonder if VVN is getting passed over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nick did you like Doja’s album?
LikeLike
I think it has some great songs and a fair amount of filler. So in short: I liked it but I thought I would love it more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeah agree. But I am truly truly obsessed with Gorgeous.
LikeLike
The chorus has such a beautiful melody.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keeping up with the kpop tradition of bad TT= good EP… The most bizarre thing is the combo of Italian word and Spanish/ Cuban percussions? Let’s see what Le SSERAFIM will do in Spaghetti…
This is just not a good song, the chorus is empty, there’s no bridge and not that much personality. The way Supercrush and Racecar are infinitely superior is crazy.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Considering the song writing approach, I guess I like this more than a fair share of comparable tracks. Still don’t care about it too much. It’s always a shame how izna tracks have good ideas but don’t seal the deal. The girls are doing their best to boon the material they’re given
I expected beep to be on the EP… Kinda weird that it isn’t
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, that’s my biggest problem with the EP, that Beep and Sign (the original, not the stupid remix) aren’t on the EP, as they had no physical CD release and were both their biggest hits to date. Very odd.
LikeLike
Racecar sounds so good in the album??!
LikeLiked by 1 person
the B sides are better, I really like Racecar
LikeLike
The song is ok. But the performance lives rent free in my head. That chorus chreo is chef’s kiss.
7/10
LikeLike