Quick Reviews: (G)I

IATFB 05/15/2023 K-Entertainment Leave A Comment

(G)I-DLE have always been popular, but around last year they really kicked it into high gear, combining physical sales with digital chart toppers. While I came around on "Tomboy" and "Allergy" is similarly growing on me, "Nxde" was a disaster for me, and unfortunately "Queencard" seems to have more in common with the latter than former two.

Things actually start out promising, as it features a riff that reminded me of "Seven Nation Army" in a way. (G)I-DLE themselves always stand out performing songs, and the pre-chorus was a nice setup for what seemed like a potentially significant pop chorus … that just never came.

Based on some comments around here in the past, I’m probably preaching to the choir, but why is Soyeon the primary player in the lead chorus (Yuqi‘s is much better after that, but still)? It basically neuters the possibility of giving this the rousing vocal chorus, but instead has her sorta whining "I’m a queencard" over and over, along with the superficiality parody in the lyrics. "Tomboy" is the obvious comparison here, but that hook was far less grating and repetitive, and the punchy guitar riffs worked better as a carrying force for the instrumental of the chorus as they danced and whatever else.

And yes, I get the meaning behind all this and feel like the satire is of a worthy target, plus the music video and (G)I-DLE themselves look great. But as I’ve said over and over, despite any of a song's intentions, it sort of loses its punch if it either devolves into what it aims to satirize and/or simply doesn't sound good.