Rookie SM girl group Hearts2Hearts are throwing their hat in the J-pop ring with their first original Japanese single. Iconic Heart arrives on the heels of a very successful 2026 in Korea. The group’s bright pop sound seems tailor-made for Japanese tastes, but Iconic Heart lacks the effusive hooks of their best work.

Right off the bat, we’re greeted with stabs of synth, predicting a quirky and somewhat unsettled instrumental to come. The production throws 2020s sonic tropes into a blender — a little garage here, a little hyperpop zaniness there. The instrumental doesn’t commit to any one thing, which will likely be to its benefit in the long run. However, this also makes it tricky to establish a core identity. I feel like I could throw a stone in any direction of the current K-pop/J-pop landscapes and hit another track that sounds very similar to this.

Of course, familiarity is par for the course when it comes to trend-conscious pop music. This is where dynamic songwriting comes in. More and more, I look for the kind of song that could be reinterpreted in just about any genre and sound just as great. In other words, I’m hoping for melodies and hooks that are strong enough to stand on their own. Iconic Heart‘s songwriting mostly just echoes the production, placing the girls’ vocals atop the stabbing synths until both become fused into one fitful sound. To me, this lacks the dynamism and interplay that makes pop music fun. Sadly, it’s a rare miss from SM’s usually-fantastic in-house composer Kenzie.

Grade: C