i-dle are one of those K-pop groups that actively reach out to global audiences and try to incorporate cultural touchstones they may not always be well-versed in. This has led to valid criticism in the past, though their music has leaned in a more generic direction the last few years. With new digital single Mono, they attempt an uplifting rallying cry in the vein of songs like Lady Gaga’s Born This Way or the Black Eyed Peas’ Where Is The Love (one of those songs being leagues better than the other, of course!). However, once again things land in a different way than intended… at least for fussy listeners like me.
I try very hard not to be political on this blog because The Bias List is meant to be an oasis from politics and my readers generally hate whenever I bring it up. And, one of the reasons I enjoy writing about K-pop as an English-language speaker is that I can choose to ignore the lyrics and focus solely on the music. That, of course, gets tricky when a song is recorded in English and pitched toward a global audience. That gets even trickier with a chorus like Mono’s. First, I want to acknowledge that the intent behind this song is laudable. Promoting peace and unity is always welcome and featuring non-binary rapper skaiwater adds credence to the song’s inclusive vibe. However, given the current climate in my home country I struggle with the “You’re from the right or from the left” lyric that kicks off each chorus. Presumably, this lyric attempts a double meaning: the left and right channels of a speaker and the left and right parties that exist in many political systems.
To give context to my reaction, the United States is currently under siege by “the right,” up to and including innocent people being shot and killed on the streets. So no, I don’t want to “play the whole world in mono” with “the right” at this moment in history. As far as I’m concerned, the right needs to look hard at themselves and decide if they truly want to stand for blatant cruelty and authoritarianism. Those still supporting current right wing policy are not “the same” as me. Maybe we were once the same, and hopefully we can be once again. But at this point in time, that feels like a naive idea to be bopping around to with a pop song.
I guess a more critical message wouldn’t sound as nice over the ultra-sanitized dancefloor production on Mono. So, what we’re left with is well-intentioned platitudes that come across as patronizing. To be clear, I don’t want to denigrate i-dle’s stance itself. In general, I believe that extending an olive branch is always the best approach, but when one side is offering a branch that has been sharpened into a weapon it would be foolish to assume you won’t be stabbed. I guess I’m simply tired of hearing how both sides of a system need to work toward unity when one side bears all the power and actively uses it to squash the other. I would love a civil discussion about the benefits of working together in spite of our differences. That discussion only ever seems to spawn from one side of the aisle.
For those who believe I’ve completely misread the intention of Mono by bringing politics into the equation, I’ll simply say that each of us brings context to any piece of art we experience. Of course, i-dle are not from America and have no obligation to represent that audience. They are not burdened by the assumption that any English-language material will or should be aimed at just one of the many English-speaking regions in the world. But, when you release a globally-minded song like this you do so understanding that the music will be seen through a variety of diverse lenses. As always, I can only speak to how I receive a song, knowing full well that my takeaways may not match others’ perception or experience.
Mono may inspire someone somewhere to make a powerful and positive change and I love it for that. But even taking personal thoughts out of the equation, I struggle to understand the core message we’re being asked to contend with. “Mono” is confusing symbolism given the song’s plea for the embrace of diversity. In audio terms, mono results in a central, focused sound. In visual terms, it’s kind of like “2D” to stereo’s “3D.” It seems like a track with Mono’s theme would urge listeners to “play the whole world in stereo” instead. I think the lyrics are trying to say that, despite differences of opinion, culture and sexuality, we all have a common thread of humanity that links us together and that connection can be harnessed with something as universal as music. But then, the song encourages listeners to dance to their “real vibe,” highlighting their uniqueness and loving themselves. It’s all a bit clunky and vague. Maybe the core message is simply: “whatever your demographic may be, please stream this song!”
I’m sure a number of you are screaming at this review and wishing I’d stop over-analyzing what’s meant to be a simple, good-natured pop song. And this, readers, is why I choose not to write about English-language pop music. I’d be insufferable! (even more so than usual) Simply as a piece of music, I find Mono fashionable but quite dull and flat. It’s certainly catchy, though the lyrics muddy the overall effect of the melody. Regardless, the rating below does not take into account those lyrics and I promise I won’t be framing my reviews this way on a regular basis.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I like the song😍(that’s all I say because this political stuff is so terrifyingly real and sad and I don’t feel like getting into it😢
8.5/10❤️
LikeLike
Im also not well educated enough to comment as I don’t keep up enough to formulate an well based opinion an do not live in the us
LikeLike
Also do not feel like fighting with the right winged because I’m certainly not like them idle! 😑
LikeLike
There is a Korean phrase in the song said by Soyeon, “이제는 머린 뮤트해, 심장 박동 노래해”, which means “Now mute your mind, let your heartbeat sing its song” in English. I’m sure I didn’t need to point it out as people probably heard that while listening to the song. I’m just pointing out that it’s not all in English, and there’s that one part sung in Korean. Anyways, I enjoyed the song way more than I thought I would.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nick, thank you for all your thoughtful commentary. It really is reassuring that there are other sane people. Don’t let commenters silence you! These are not merely small disagreements or opinions on minor political issues, it’s is the fabric of a democracy that’s being dismantled.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Louder for the people in the back‼️‼️
LikeLike
As an avid consumer of (curated) well-written essays, reading this made me happy. I know churning out a 6-paragraph essay will never be sustainable with a 7-days-a-week blogging routine and variety *is* the spice of life…but I’m glad I read this post today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly, as someone from a heavily right-wing country (India), I understand why you feel iffy with that line (honestly, Indian right-wingers are even more diabolical than anything but I’m gonna avoid getting too political here) cause tbh… I too wouldn’t wanna vibe or dance with the rw of my country 🥴
But anyways, for this song, it’s a serviceable dance track, prolly the type you’d hear at your local H&M.
Rating’s the same.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I’m not very well-versed in US politics so I can’t comment much on it but I can draw parallels between the politics of our countries, how it’s getting more right-centric, almost an oligarch and divided heavily, but most importantly, the democracy’s dying. It’s truly the dark ages if you think about it but I hope for the best for this mid-terms and for 2029 here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Nick,
Thanks for sharing your opinion! What you’re saying is completely valid and I hope that this song doesn’t affect you negatively. Though I’m not well-versed in the current political climate/situation in the US, please continue to stay strong and hang in there! It’s perfectly fine to primarily focus on traditional K-Pop and disregard global pop songs like this when it comes to music journalism.
Thank you so much for your courage in writing this incredibly thoughtful article for all the Americans and hopefully all things would heal eventually.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just want to say that I appreciate your thoughts Nick! Don’t feel that you shouldn’t be able to speak about politics, especially in times like this. Even though I’m in Canada, it’s incredibly scary seeing what’s happening and anyone speaking up is much appreciated.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I ain’t listening to this song but you ate with this review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One last thing I think is important to note is that idle( more specifically soyeon) had no part in the production, composition or writing of this song!
LikeLike
As someone who also lives in the shithole known as the United States, I’m gonna choose to belive that I-dle meant that no matter who you are, you should just be ok with yourself. Of course, there is a chance I could be wrong about this and I completely understand your points if tha line sounded tone deaf to you
as for the actual song itself, it’s a nice little dance track. Might not blast it often but it’s cool
8/10 (7, 8, 8, 9) for me
LikeLike
I live in the south. The Monks for Peace just walked through our town, bringing more poignant and timeless message of hope and unity than this song.
And boy do they walk at a brisk pace, far faster beats than this song. We followed them in their walk for a few miles and it was a good 4-5 miles per hour. Each day, every day since November.
Also, the best protest song these days is a thirty-year old one from David Bowie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i mean political stuff aside im a huge fan of many artists in/adjacent to the scene skaiwater comes from so to say i got whiplash seeing their name on this is an enormous understatement. a true polar bear in arlington texas (iykyk) moment if ive ever seen one
LikeLike
As a long-time i-dle fan and a queer person… Yeah, I agree with your review. For how centrist the message of the song ends up being, I suppose this bland uninspired sound is oddly fitting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always found i-dle’s output very hit or miss. I don’t think they’ve got a recognizable sound, though I mostly associate them with pop-rock, it’s crazy to see them dropping these types of bland dance-pop tracks but also the cringest overproduced and uncatchy stuff like Super Lady.
As per the other aspects of the song, I feel like i-dle and their songwriting teams have always missed the mark with English lyrics. Most of the times, they sound cringe or a bit out of touch, with the latter being the case for Mono.
It’s a bit crazy to me that their team, which I pressume has English speakers, heard this song recently and didn’t feel that something was slightly off? I’m not saying the lyrics are super offensive. I just think given the current climate, (not only in the United States but also more countries across the world) I would’ve had that “from the left or or from the right” line rewritten, because I feel like it automatically raises eyebrows.
LikeLike
You are right about i-dle in general, especially when it comes to English in their songs. If your boob and booty hot, sometimes you just gotta holy moly shit.
However, I must disagree with your assessment of Super Lady. The overproduction is glamorous and glorious!
LikeLike
Thank you Nick. I appreciate your honesty here. I had similar reactions when I heard this today.
I agree there were good intentions. And it’s absolutely true that not everything revolves around the US, especially kpop. But intentions are not impact and this is not just an American issue. Authoritarianism is on the rise globally. As of last year 72% of the world is now considered to be living under authoritarian rule, either fully closed or partially through democratic backsliding. Which is all to say your feelings are completely valid and “both sides”ing a human rights debate, particularly in this dark period of our collective history, comes across as woefully tone deaf. It misreads the room, significantly so. We’re long past “can’t we all get along” “gay or straight it doesn’t matter” platitudes. Because it does matter and real lines have been drawn. I can feel your frustration because I feel it too. At this point, either make a real strong statement or don’t wade into the conversation.
Purely speaking about the melody, I thought it was pleasant and a little different from what I’ve heard from I-dle in the past. I don’t think the feature adds much if anything to the song sonically, which is disappointing. Minnie sounds great in the chorus though.
I don’t mean to rip the girls, especially when they didn’t take part in the writing here as another commenter noted. I like I-dle and “good thing” was one of my most played songs last year. But we’re in a precarious moment and I would guess even their home audience could’ve used something stronger than this. It definitely missed the mark for me.
LikeLike
I simply have no interest in this song or anything else right now. The frustration mixed with sadness and a sense of powerlessness is at a peak.
maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
LikeLike
I felt that this song was unlike anything G-IDLE would do.
I looked it up and found out that the members were not involved in the production of this song.
It’s very refreshing because it’s different from something Soyeon would create.
So far, I haven’t been able to confirm that the members have spoken about the meaning of the lyrics of this song.
https://news.nate.com/view/20260127n03842
My guess is it’s meant in a broad, simple way — like “it would be nice if the world had less conflict.”
LikeLike