After two years of solo and sub-unit releases, all the members of rising girl group LOONA have officially been revealed! The final piece of the puzzle in this elaborate rollout came as the third sub-unit, consisting of Yves, Chuu, Gowon, and Olivia Hye. The acronym YYXY stands for “youth youth by young.”

"love4eva"

With a different feel from their group unit counterparts LOONA 1/3 and ODD EYE CIRCLE, LOONA YYXY capitalizes on a mixture of sound that differs from each member’s solo release, yet somehow fits together well. The concept that goes along with the track is the traditional and popular schoolgirl concept, with a light, happy track to go along with it.

Like most of LOONA’s somewhat cryptic story releases, there is a dark side to this upbeat track. How this fits into the LOONAVERSE itself is up to the interpretation of fans, but it appears that Olivia Hye is left alone in the darkness, a stark contrast to the bright, colorful dance scenes that contain all four of the girls. As expected, YYXY has its own flavor like its other group counterparts and provided a strong debut track for their unit.

The Mini-Album

The new mini-album beauty&thebeat contains five tracks in total, including the title. I found the introduction track “dal segno” incredibly intriguing upon first listen. The song appears to be a happy, upbeat dance track on the surface, but it quickly becomes haunting and ominous toward the end, which fits very well with the concept message of the music video for “love4eva.”

Overall, the rest of the B-sides of this album really focus on the vocal talent of the four remaining LOONA members, with a traditional dance track in “frozen” that complements said vocals, followed by a soft and emotional ballad in “one way.” The album wraps up with “rendezvous 18.6y,” a funky track similar to AOA’s recent release “Bingle Bangle,” which is an interesting change-up in the sound of the overall album.

All in all, I think it’s safe to say that this is a solid debut from the final LOONA unit. With the elaborate storyline of the LOONAVERSE and the two-year long release of members, it’s easy to see LOONA gaining even more attention now that a full group debut is on the horizon. If you haven’t been paying attention to these girls, it’s time to do so!