It’s been too long since we last heard from ifeye, especially given their status as rookies needing to get their name out there. Their summer single R U OK? was a slow-burn hit for me, growing more addictive as the season went on and building expectations for what they might return with on future comebacks. With Hazy (Daisy), they’ve sadly sipped from the overflowing well of muted drum-and-bass girl group trends of the last four years.

Yes, you read that right. These trends have persisted in one form or another since about the middle of 2022, which is an incredibly long time for K-pop to latch onto a specific sound palette. No wonder I’m so sick of the sound! Hazy (Daisy) does nothing to convince me of this style’s durability. The song is mostly comprised of cutesy sing-talk. Hazy daisy mazy wazy… something like that.

Sonically, Hazy fulfills the meaning of its title. It’s as if the producers placed a heavy gauze over the entire track, smothering it and preventing any element from venturing too far from a flat line. When it comes to energy, segments are barely identifiable from each other. Even when the girls move from talking to singing, the melodies droop and melt into each other. It’s all quite boring and mundane.

Grade: C-