Sometimes it takes a few songs for a group’s sound to totally click with me. I enjoyed ILLIT’s 2024 megahit Magnetic as much as anyone, but it wasn’t until this year’s fanciful Do The Dance that I totally understood what the group could be. Lately, their music has veered closer to third-gen groups like Lovelyz than contemporaries like NewJeans, and that’s a very satisfying spot for them to be.
Unfortunately, new single Not Cute Anymore takes them back to the boring wallpaper music of their past. I can’t imagine an A&R team hearing this and thinking, “Yes! That’s our title track!!” The song is two minutes of ultra-subdued fluff with one idea repeated over and over again. It’s finished before you know it without presenting any kind of musical scope or climax. The song is truly a waft of air, swirling once around your ear before heading back out the window. If I was a huge ILLIT fan, I’d feel very cheated by this after five months of waiting for new music.
While Not Cute Anymore barely registers as a song, does it work as a “vibe”? HYBE seems to think so, as they’ve already commissioned a twenty-second “meme version” of the track. To be honest, all you need is about twenty seconds and you’ve experienced everything Not Cute Anymore has to say, so maybe just save your time and stream that version. Otherwise, this is getting ridiculous.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
TWO MINUTES AND ELEVEN SECONDS?! I am severely disappointed. I’m going back to “Do the Dance”, which is over three minutes.
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a meme version 💀 they are that desperate.
this bored the life out of me. it doesn’t go anywhere at all.
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i have never seen such a desperate and manufactured attempt at a TikTok viral challenge from an “artist” ever. I got cringe chills when listening to it and imagining the execs giving the go ahead for this. Just so so desperate and inorganic, unsurprising from HYBE.
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I sense some potential in the instrumental, but the energy’s kept down quite low at a “7” when it could easily be a “9”. Quite a disappointing comeback after the ridiculously catchy Do The Dance
7 (7, 7, 7, 7) for me
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Bob Marley from temu💔
6/10💔
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It strangely has a Last Christmas reminiscent beat. The song is too monotone and one note to work for me (it’s actually like a nothing burger). I rate it a 6.5. Also these song runtimes are really starting to piss me off, genuinely
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This song dazes you, then NOT ME knocks you out with its stupidity, just in case you were wondering if you’re missing something here…
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it’s got a strong British pop vibe. Like a Lily Allen song, but you need a tongue in cheek kind of voice for that. Subdued cute vocals are not going to work at all.
please go back to the hyperpop sound!
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They never did a “hyperpop” sound lmfao.
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even if they don’t do EDM their production is very sharp edits/ quirky video game like, things popularized by hyperpop. But yeah I’m hoping they actually do a hyperpop EDM track!
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I also hear Lily Allen, she also works better because her lyrics are usually really biting and contrast with the instrumental. Illit doesn’t have that just for the fact that a lot of us don’t understand Korean (though I just looked up the English translation and there isn’t much lyrical substance either).
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*Not that pop music has to have lyrical substance a lot of the time.
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Definitely not, but if there’s nothing else going on the lyrics become more important.
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Yeah it sounds a lot like Smile
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Dee dee mega doo doo 0/10
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In other news, Kesha’s 15th anniversary release of Animal + Cannibal was a great blast from the past to play over the weekend. The last song on the tracklist is a beauty, can’t believe she had it sitting in the vaults all this time.
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Sounds like a B-side from a lesser New Wave 80’s group, a song made in a hurry the last hour of the last day they had the studio booked because the record company rejected all the others. (Since I am old, I have a few very particular examples in my mind, even off of favorite albums that I wore out playing, but I will spare everyone.)
Why HYBE thinks this is lead off single material, I have no idea.
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just as i thought illit was back with their amazing “Do the dance” they decide to release this utter, boring, mundane, monotone, and forgettable crap.
6/10
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it’s such a shame that they came back with this song :(( i was soo ready to root for them after loving their work this year, especially do the dance and secret quest,, their producers basically took away everything that made those songs exciting in favor of a viral tiktok moment 😩
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yeah i hate this. almond chocolate -> do the dance (one of my fav songs from this year) -> toki yo tomare -> secret quest were everything i wanted from illit and this just kills their momentum. complete waste of money and a comeback just for a quick “concept change” gimmick not even two years into their career
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I’ve found myself incredibly disappointed by the lack of even a bridge->chorus finale. I don’t know why this is anything more than the 20 second snippet for dance challenges. I find myself confused how we have very similar thoughts, but you end up giving it a 6.75 when I couldn’t justify giving it over a 4.5. Significantly below average, significantly below Illit’s average as well, very disappointed. Was really hoping for a solid release from the kinda nothing the TripleS comeback was, but it was somehow less than nothing lol.
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“If I was a huge ILLIT fan, I’d feel very cheated by this after five months of waiting for new music”
I am a huge ILLIT fan and I feel kinda cheated after waiting, I think 3 months, for new music after their Japanese debut.
The creative direction is *everything* but BELIFT is actually starting to make me angry with how short they’ve been making their title tracks recently
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we know there will still be many fans eating this “song” up though…they’ll probably just say “it has a dreamy vibe!” “they’re just going for a different sound!”
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They could have built a decent song out of this. It is too easily pleasant to hate, but also too threadbare to get super excited about. 8,6,6,8 = 7
But, yes, they are still cute, so… mission failed?
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Imagine having this as your title track.
This is giving NewJeans at home.
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Lol don’t disrespect NewJeans’ discography with this mess.
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First ILLiT song I can actually listen to from beginning til’ end😂. I mean, it’s just 2 minutes long, but also, I think it is the first time they sing in “young women’s voices”, instead of the “little school girls” sound they (and many girl groups) usually go for, so that’s a win for me. I’ll give it a 7
Considering HYBE’s slogan is “we believe in music”,
HYBE/Belift should be ashamed because it looks like they can’t even pull off songs anymore…we are down to cute 2-minutes jingles at this point.
Maybe this is what the NewJeans’ ladies worried about. On that note, based on TxT’s and Cortis’ recent material, I’m actually lowering my expectations for BTS’ comeback (even more). 🫤
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This is 100% what NewJeans and their fans are worried about, especially with their original producers kicked out by ADOR. Their music is supposed to be widely appealing and pleasant for everyone, hence their explosive success. This song literally appeals to no one but maybe the TikTok algorithm. HYBE: We DON’T believe in music.
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It seems that you really hate HYBE personally from your tone and multiple post in this illit song review.
It is your personal right to hate particular label or group, but I think it is better not bring up fanwars or fandom issues to music review site. That is usually what antis doing
Do forgive me if you are not an anti & I was raising an unfounded concern
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tell me why the meme version is more interesting… the instrumental is really nice but those boring vocals and melodies are killing the vibe.
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They probably started off with the meme version then decided to add a few extra seconds to pass it off for an actual “song”. It’s so sad.
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Well to be honest NewJeans is finished, pretty much guessed they were gonna lose that whole thing from the start…I mean ya don’t just walk away from a contract, least not usually with a clean getaway so to speak. Heck here in the states it ain’t that easy either, when ya make a contract ya are in it til it is up or maybe case could be argued to be released from it early, but doubt it, besides read the fine print before ya sign the dotted line that’s just common sense for anything ya sign to read over it first and something me mum always told me and have always taken it to heart in everything especially when signed up for the service. Plus that whole deal was bloody dragged on for gosh knows how long and they apparently couldn’t take a hint either when they kept trying to fight it which was a losing battle so now they gotta deal with it.
I don’t mind ILLIT’s music to be honest, got nice beat to it and least is much more promising than NewJeans was, least they are going somewhere too.
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You have an interesting way of writing.
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They sound like they’re barely awake…. please don’t let this be ILLIT’s future…. Not after billyeoon goyangi
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What a yawn
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Why was this the title track? I can totally see its place in an album and while the video came out really good, I can’t say I would’ve given it one to begin with
Someone earlier mentioned the instrumental having promise and I totally agree. This is reminiscent of a lot of indie music I listen to, however indie coming from indie is different from indie sounding coming from corporate. If this was in english ( with good lyrics) and had a low budget video with it I think it’d find a spot on my playlist. Time will tell…. but I can’t see what we actually have growing on me
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