Arriving with their fourth EP VERSUS on November 2, 2023, VIVIZ showed an alluring yet resentful side of themselves. The two concepts of the EP’s aesthetic, “FAKE” and “FATE,” show a contrast as well, with the white and elegant images beside the black and girl crush images. Regardless of the concept listeners prefer, VIVIZ delivers a variety of music and performances to explore. VERSUS contains five tracks: the title track “MANIAC,” and the B-sides “Untie,” “Overflow,” “Day by day,” and “Up 2 Me.”  

The Title Track: “MANIAC”

Composed by Jack David Brady, Jordan Michael Roman, Chloe Copoloff, Austin Nicole Wolfe, and TMM, “MANIAC” goes for more sentimentality in comparison to past title tracks. It’s emotional but still retains powerful bits from “Pull Up.” The lyrics, penned by Koo Yeoreum (구여름), focus on a toxic love that makes it hard to escape from its clashing attractiveness. From the start, the lyrics already hit listeners with the reality of a fractured relationship: a bouquet of roses, now thrown to the ground, can’t mend this crumbling situation. 

The hook, “this love is maniac, maniac, maniac, / But I can’t killin’ it, killin’ it, killin’ it,” signals the speaker’s struggle throughout the song. Something keeps them drawn to this relationship despite the constant hurt. By the bridge, they come to terms with their feelings, knowing that this relationship needs to end: instead of being hesitant to “kill” this bond, they’re okay with letting go. In the music video, this trajectory of love takes the form of a band breaking up and getting back together. It’s angsty and dramatic in a way expected from young adult band break ups. 

The Promoted B-Side: “Untie” 

Onto track two, the EP switches from a toxic romantic relationship to a toxic relationship with social media. Composed by Ryan Jhun, Lenno Linjama, Elsa Curran, and Kella Armitage, “Untie” discusses the trap of social media which dictates people’s behaviors and obsessions.* In lyrics written by Ellie Suh, “Untie” also ties in with the “FAKE” and “FATE” concept of VERSUS: the speaker constantly questions where their true self lies. This reliance on social media causes them to feel disillusioned with themselves, even becoming a “stranger” to themselves. Like in “MANIAC,” the bridge of the song begins the speaker’s escape from this mentality—they finally want to capture their true self in a space away from screens. 

Choreographer Kany Diabaté Ahn created the moves for both “MANIAC” and “Untie.” Both choreographies have gained attention online, stemming from Ahn’s involvement and some iconic moves. The main hip movement in “MANIAC” has now been humorously dubbed the “Pop your ondong” (엉덩, meaning “buttocks”) dance by VIVIZ themselves. As for the B-side, Ahn stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that “Untie” is one of her favorite choreographies she made. The performance video helps highlight the powerful moves as well as the contrast between reality and illusion. SinB and Eunha standing out side-by-side with platinum blonde hair feels like seeing double at some points, and no doubt Umji's presence helps bring everything together. 

*Note: lyrics taken from English captions from the official videos.