ILLIT Says to “Cherish (My Love)” In First Comeback

It’s been a bit of a rough go for ILLIT since their debut, with so much scrutiny surrounding their parent company, HYBE, for much of the year. With constant plagiarism allegations, criticism of live vocals and even accusations of potential bullying (via lack of greeting). It seems like they haven’t been able to catch much of a break even as their debut track “Magnetic” went mega-viral. Since “Magnetic” was so big, many were curious what would be in store for the rookie groups’ first comeback. Despite all the tomfoolery of the business side, let’s take an objective look at this comeback. 

“Magnetic” gave us a classic super cutesy and dreamy girl group concept, setting the precedent for this type of theme for the group. While some of the teaser images for this comeback weren’t quite as cutesy, the youthful vibe remained strong, so it’s no surprise that the new title track “Cherish (My Love)” would follow the pattern of the previous release. Upon first listen, there’s not really a hook similar to “Magnetic” that has virality potential off the bat, to me at least. The driving pop beat of the track remains stagnant throughout, so there’s not a buildup of anticipation or huge drop at the chorus. The vocal tone of the members certainly portrays a cutesy image, so if that’s your thing, you’ll love this release. I will say that overall, the vocals are pleasing to the ear and mixed well together so they flow together without much interruption, which presents a more cohesive group sound.

The concept of this music video is an interesting one to go with–unique for sure. Would you believe me off the bat if I said that teeth were the center of this concept? I don’t think we’ve seen that before in K-Pop, at least not any time recently. I do like that the concept is unique, and how they incorporate something unexpected into the cutesy feel of the video. Since they have been receiving criticism for copying other groups (whether warranted or not, I’m not here to comment on that), it seems like adding this distinction helps to differentiate them from those accusations. They incorporate this into a school setting with a touch of dreamy supernatural, which gives it a particularly creative feel. It’s fun, it’s cute, and it’s unique. What’s not to like about that?

Check out the music video for “Cherish (My Love)” below!

Edited by Lacey Diluvio