(G)I-DLE Brings the Heat In New Release “화(火花)(HWAA)”
(G)I-DLE is back with their fourth EP I Burn and they didn’t come to play, unlike their last 2020 release, “Dumdi Dumdi.” This album showcases their darker image in a more developed way and it shows how the group as a whole is maturing with every comeback they make. This album has a storyline connected to their 2018 title track “HANN (Alone)” and it was highly suggested by the members themselves to listen to that release before listening to the 2021 version of “HANN (Alone in Winter)” and “HWAA” to be able to understand better. That aside, more of the members are getting to have a say in production and slowly their compositions are being revealed, which is amazing!
Let’s Talk Music!
Tracklist:
“한(寒)”
“화(火花)” ♔
“MOON”
“Where is love”
“LOST”
“DAHLIA”
“화(火花)”
The title track, “화(火花),” is beautifully done and honestly it was a little unexpected. Something about (G)I-DLE releases that always strikes a chord is the instrumentation and the little stylistic choices they make in regards to their music. For example, in this track they aimed to emphasize the traditional Korean feel by utilizing certain traditional instruments and choosing to use specific phrases in Korean that resemble the way of speaking from the period they were drawing from. Another stylistic choice they made that is important is that they didn’t use any English lyrics, and the layering for the harmonies during the song made it sound more regal and enchanting. Vocally this song is amazing for them, because they can emphasize the unique tones from Minnie and Yuqi in ways that they can’t normally. Miyeon was also a surprise because a different color was brought out in her voice that you don’t hear in their usual releases. Soyeon is also worth mentioning for this track because she starts the song off with vocals and she even gives us a rap with a new and completely different flow, something we’ve never heard from her before. This whole song is intriguing— it starts off a little brooding and daunting, but as it goes on it blooms into something that gives off a feeling of hope with lyrics like “I shall make a fire a bigger fire to win back spring that I’ve lost.” That in itself is inspiring especially because instead of ending the song with the same energy it started with, it ends with a high energy dance break that you see in the performance.
B-Sides
Starting off the B-Sides with ”한(寒),” this track by far was the most surprising, especially because they chose it as the album starter. That choice in itself is telling because it’s setting the tone for the rest of the album and the story that they could be trying to convey. Right off the bat, the dissonance presented by the piano creates a feeling of discomfort that slowly evolves into a more certain feeling of dread or sadness. The instrumentation is purposeful and it perfectly highlights the overall theme of pain, heartbreak, and the struggle of getting over something that was once so important and cherished— love. The nature elements like the sound of wind, birds, and water droplets add to the aura of loneliness. The strings and traditional instruments that are brought in gradually throughout the song are so well-placed and they fill the void that could have easily been silence. The vocals on this track are haunting and they highlight the members’ vocal colors in a unique way. Yuqi, Minnie, and Miyeon shine very much here. ”한(寒)” is mesmerizingly beautiful and it speaks volumes without trying too hard. Props to production!
“MOON” was composed and arranged by Minnie with the help of Soyeon and other producers, but Minnie’s tracks always have a certain flair that immediately brands them as hers; that’s very refreshing in an industry where some, but definitely not all, elements are carbon copies. The atmosphere in this track compared to the first two is way lighter in terms of feeling— it still has that residual feeling of loneliness and sadness, but it’s not as overbearing and in your face like it is for ”한(寒)” and “화(火花).” Minnie starts out the song and her tone confirms the atmosphere mentioned above. Shuhua does so well with her lines and her vocals sound so pretty with this type of genre; it also sounds like she’s getting more and more comfortable singing in Korean, so hopefully we’ll get to see more lines from her in the future. One thing to note is that there’s not much of Soyeon in this song at all, which was a surprise. The synth that comes in with Soojin’s lines complements her vocals that float on the track nicely. The muffled electric guitar that comes in toward the end adds a little bit of a mystic vibe as well as the “dum dum dum” parts that the girls masterfully harmonize with. It’s a great track that gives you a rather neutral feeling, like you’re in the middle stages of realization, denial, and recovery.
“Where is love” is a bright-sounding dance track with a bit of retro funk laced into the bass line that gets introduced right at the beginning. The synths in this track were very standard for this genre, but the way they play with them through the song makes it stand apart from a typical dance track. The chorus of this track is quite the banger; it’s very catchy and it will definitely get people up to dance and sing their hearts out if so desired. Yuqi gets highlighted in the chorus a lot and it’s nice that she gets to show more of her abilities this album. Soyeon gives us a new rap flow on this track as well and it’s very rewarding to see how she’s growing and changing things as (G)I-DLE matures. One thing I will say about this track is that the line distribution for the members’ vocals could have been a little bit better. On some parts Soojin sounds slightly like she's straining and that’s not good for a vocalist's vocal chords, though there is also a high chance it could have been that the mixing for her vocals during these parts wasn’t done as well as it should have been. We’ll never know. Lastly, the recurring clock sound effect that can be heard in the pre-choruses could be symbolizing that time has passed and/or keeps passing and things are changing over time, tying it to the album’s overarching theme.
Yuqi wrote and composed “LOST” with the help of Soyeon. It’s a pop track with contrasting elements of both acoustic and electric guitars, giving the song well-blended melodies and harmonies that the vocals can easily follow — it’s interesting because these two elements could have easily been songs of their own, but they chose to incorporate them to create this nice fusion. The song strongly tugs at feelings of longing and regret with lyrics like “I don’t want to think about you without you” and “I don’t wanna think about you without you. Now I... I lost you.” Every member sounded amazing on this track, everything was nicely distributed, and all the parts fit the girls’ vocal colors, but Miyeon, Soojin, and Yuqi just hit different in this song. Soyeon once again brought in a new rap flow which helped emphasize the feeling of the song because it was more intense. Shuhua and Soojin’s lines were also very significant because from what was noted, they were the only parts in the entire song that followed the bass line that first came in with Minnie’s vocals.
“DAHLIA” is the second track written and composed by Minnie on this album, but this song is completely different in terms of the vibes it gives off. The beat it starts off with is pretty pop standard but as the different elements and instruments begin to come in, the overall sound turns into something more captivating and mysterious. The bass in this song is actually one of best uses of bass on this album. The vocal intonations that Yuqi surprises with in her first lines add such a nice touch and they might be one of the highlights of the entire song; this is because they lead into how production plays with the beat by dropping everything completely out when Yuqi sings "I want to keep you to myself and see you*" and then it builds back up when Minnie comes back in with her vocals. Definitely another highlight are Shuhua’s lines—although she doesn’t get that many, they stand out and are like a breath of fresh air because production always emphasizes them somehow. Every song that Minnie writes becomes a favorite because she has this way of creating tracks that suit every member's unique vocal color.
“화(火花)” Title Score: 9.5/10
“화(火花)” Music Video Score: 9/10
I Burn Album Score: 7.5/10
Total Score: 8.6/10
*Lyric translation taken from here.