ITZY Declares Their Fierce Ambition with “TUNNEL VISION”

Photo: JYP Entertainment

It’s hard to believe ITZY is already in their fifth year on the K-Pop scene; in that time we’ve had a number of different concepts, but one message has remained a core part of their music–self-confidence. I’ve always loved that the core message of ITZY has been this emphasis on poise and confidence, which I think is a message that is lacking for other K-Pop groups, at least in the sense that it’s not a center focus. Sometimes a cutesy love song really just doesn’t cut it, and I’m glad we can always count on ITZY to be there to pump women up. 

“TUNNEL VISION” is incredibly catchy upon first listen, and one thing we absolutely love here is a title track longer than two minutes. The pressing beat kicks off the intensity from the first note, constantly driven by each verse into the chorus. The tempo of the track isn’t actually that fast, but it feels very much so when the vocal lines are all in double time. That powerful and intense melody is complemented by ITZY’s talent-heavy vocals, though there is a fair amount of rap and spoken vocal lines as well. The track blends Korean and English pretty intermittently, making the song about 50/50. Despite my own bias toward preferring less English in Korean pop, I think this track does a great job of balancing so it doesn’t feel like they’re forcing the use of English in an attempt to boost popularity in the west. This hip-hop focused track reminds me a lot of previous K-Pop generations, which may be why I found it so captivating immediately. In my opinion, this is one of the best girl group releases this year.

ITZY’s visual direction tends to employ some particularly quirky elements in their music videos, and that’s no different with “TUNNEL VISION.” The concept is darker (we love), like a very light post-apocalyptic scene mixed with Hollywood glam. The quirky elements in the video are super fun, lighthearted to contrast their determined and fierce energy showcased in their expressions. We get glimpses of ITZY’s dancing prowess through the video, but I suspect the full performance is stellar and creative. The video setting is as fierce as you would expect based on the track itself, and that cohesion makes this comeback even more stellar.

Check out the music video for “TUNNEL VISION” below!

Edited by Cara Musashi