By Jenna Rittman
Correspondent
The new and third Kpop girl group under Belift Lab and owned by HYBE Corporation, ILLIT, recently released their first EP “SUPER REAL ME” on March 25. The EP sounds very dreamy, and discusses topics such as love, being confident and being a teenager.
The group was formed through the JTBC 2023 survival competition show “R U Next?”, which aired for three months starting in June 2023. The group consists of five members: Yunah, Wonhee, Minju, Moka and Iroha. There were originally six members, with another member called Youngseo, but it was announced on Jan. 5 that she was leaving the group and exterminating her contract with the agency.
According to The Korea Herald, ILLIT is excited to continue making new music after this EP.
“We will present songs that show the real us, songs that listeners can relate with,” Yunah said during a press conference. “This is just our first step. We will continue to develop to be recognized for our talents.”
The album starts off with the pop song “My World,” which sets the tone for what you can expect the rest of the record to sound like. In this track, the group sings about how this is their world, and that they can achieve anything they want to.
The next track, “Magnetic,” has been trending on TikTok. This is a sweet yet serene song with a catchy chorus about a teenage girl falling in love. This song has been stuck in my head ever since they released a YouTube reel of the chorus on March 21.
“Midnight Fiction” is the third song on the album, and it’s another pop track that describes what it’s like to be a teenage girl. This song utilizes layering of instruments, which goes with the dreamy vibe of this entire album, and also the panning of the groups vocals in the left and right headphones.
The record ends with the positive dance pop track “Lucky Girl Syndrome.” This is the perfect manifestation song, as ILLIT talks about how lucky they are. Just like “Magnetic,” this track has an upbeat chorus that just makes you want to dance. Compared to the other three songs on this album, this one has the heaviest instrumentation, with alluring guitar riffs and a synth in the backing track.
Since their debut, many TikTokers have been comparing ILLIT to another fifth generation Kpop girl group, NewJeans. This may be due to all of them having dark hair, which NewJeans also had when they debuted. The two groups also share having younger members, with the oldest being born in 2004 and the youngest being born in 2008 in both groups. Besides those two similarities, however, the two have completely different sounds. NewJeans has more of a pop and R&B sound while ILLIT has a house and pluggnb sound.
Overall, “SUPER REAL ME” is a solid and impressive debut from ILLIT. The group showcases their pop, house and pluggnb sound through these four tracks. The only complaint I have is that I wish this EP was longer, since it is only nine minutes long. If you are a fan of the girl groups Loossemble or tripleS, this EP and group might be for you.
