ITZY Returns with a Post-Apocalyptic Nightmare Story in “Girls Will Be Girls”

Photo: JYP Entertainment

ITZY, for whatever reason, has been through a lot. Once considered the darlings and leaders of the 4th generation girl groups early on in their career, and despite commercial successes with each release, there just seems to be a looming presence of hate surrounding them online. One thing I’ve never truly understood? The ITZY hate train. Girl groups always seem to face the most insane, harsh criticism when they release a mediocre song, and that hate train never ceases to stop even after years. It makes absolutely no sense and it seems like it happens to the groups that were once fully adored by the public. But if there is no logic behind it, logical arguments won’t fix it either, so all we can do is continue to highlight their evolving music releases. Since their debut in 2019, ITZY has gone through a number of genre changes in their comebacks, but one thing has always remained static—the theme of female empowerment and self-confidence in their lyrics. That’s no different with the latest comeback “Girls Will Be Girls.” 

Upon first listen, the title track definitely has a more upbeat sound than you might have expected given the concept imagery for the comeback. The track kicks off with the repetition of “girls will be girls” that comes later in the chorus, obviously a hook meant to get the song stuck in your head, which has been a popular trend in releases lately. KATSEYE successfully transitioned a universally hated song upon first release into an unbelievably popular beloved single in “Gnarly,” so that kind of seems like the angle JYP was going with ITZY as well. They’re hoping the hook is going to be catchy enough to get you all in on the track and perhaps not notice the noisy music base of the melody. I must admit I find that melody rather annoying in the song: I think the track would have been better with a more subdued melody paired with the vocal verses, as both those and the beat do have a strong foundation. The repetition does become less bothersome with each listen, at least. However, the song is under three minutes, my least favorite trend in the K-Pop industry (free us from the lack of attention span, I beg). But I will say that I do like that it sounds like a tried-and-true K-Pop song, which sometimes feels rare these days as a lot of groups are focused on only capturing the western audience.

I love the aesthetic of the music video—post-apocalyptic darkness will get me every time. We love to see girls portraying badass fighters. I mean Yuna using a knife to draw the perfect eyeliner wing? Absolutely iconic. The music video goes full horror style, and if you have a fear of masses of birds you’ll probably want to skip this one. I really like the commitment to the concept; they’re not afraid to incorporate the grittier aspects of the concept (gushing blood and bloodstains? Certainly won’t see that every day in a K-Pop music video). You can tell a lot of money was spent on the production budget, as it doesn’t feel campy with the special effects. And of course, it wouldn’t be an ITZY music video without a dance break. It’s bold, daring, and gutsy, and ITZY nails the concept right on the money. To be able to present a concept so starkly different from “Gold” and totally nail it takes talent, and there’s no question the girls of ITZY have it.

Check out the music video for “Girls Will Be Girls” below.

Edited by Cara Musashi