ifeye’s “Hazy (Daisy)” Marks a Transitional Period

Photo: ifeye Official X

ifeye’s third EP came with many changes for the group. The timing happened after their management overhauled their internal staffing team and during the hiatus of main vocalist Sasha. Prior to the release of As If on April 15, Hi-Hat Entertainment replaced the group’s production team, including former creative director RyuD. Though ifeye only debuted last year, drastic staffing changes for any group would create a shock. As If and its title track “Hazy (Daisy)” bring the first look at a potentially new direction. 

Identity of Previous Work 

ifeye came from the mind of RyuD, an individual with years of experience as a producer and choreographer in the K-Pop industry. Hi-Hat Entertainment reached out to him to make an idol group, and he selected the lineup, oversaw the training process, and produced ifeye’s first two EPs. “NERDY” from their debut EP, ERLU BLUE, piqued interest with the song’s ominous perspective on a schoolgirl concept. The rest of the EP also drew attention with backing from former in-house producers RyuD, LEEZ, CALi, and De view—their combined credits include songs from ATEEZ, Dreamcatcher, AB6IX, and WJSN. 

ifeye moved from nervous to boisterous through “r u ok?” in their first comeback. That title track from last July expressed an elevated perkiness compared to the timid reluctance seen in “NERDY.” Heading their sweet tang EP from last July, “r u ok?” rushes in like a “hurricane” with an intense percussion-focused instrumental. Its bold nature makes “are u ok?” an unexpected follow-up. 

“Hazy (Daisy)”   

Composed by Naasim, imsuho (also known as IGGY), Dr. Han, and Itsoona, “Hazy (Daisy)” is ifeye’s take of the subdued drum and bass (DnB) sound. The song comes themed for the spring season with its light and airy sound. The concept that comes with it also shows an innocent storyline, suiting ifeye up to tackle “love complaints” as cupids. With “NERDY” and “r u ok?” contrasting drastically, “Hazy (Daisy)” using another genre does not come as a surprise.   

However, “Hazy (Daisy)” lacks a concept that stands out like its predecessors. Where previous title tracks come off more distinct, “Hazy (Daisy)” lacks major identifying elements. Though recent K-Pop groups’ discographies often include liquid DnB, the softer subgenre this track highlights, many enhance their songs by including other aspects. Artists such as NewJeans and tripleS own songs of this genre with varied sounds across their albums.

The issue lies in the lack of creativity in the track, not in the genre. Take RESCENE’s “Runaway,” released a week before “Hazy (Daisy),” for example: it contains a liquid DnB instrumental with acoustic guitar and uses a mysterious concept of RESCENE escaping into another dimension. The tweaked instrumental and story-rich video give it more appeal. “Hazy (Daisy)” takes a risk, but not in the way that ifeye’s past songs did. It brings familiarity and accessibility at the cost of individuality. ifeye’s newest title track needs additional elements to make it more memorable.

Edited by Clark Royandoyan