Billlie Puts in “WORK” for Shocking First Full Album
Photo: Billlie Official X
Billlie’s the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two seeks to wrap up the story from four years ago. Following the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one from February 2022, this full album tries to bring back ideas established in their rookie years while exploring a new direction. The dual title tracks “ZAP” and “WORK” do exactly that to mixed results.
TRACKLIST:
“$ECRET NO MORE”
“ZAP”
“WORK”
“TBD”
“B’yond me”
“SOUPASTA”
“OFF-AIR”
“ZAP - ultraviolet remix”
“WORK - anonymous remix”
“SOUPASTA - unconscious remix”
“DOMINO ~ butterfly effect”
“cloud palace - collective soul remix”
The Album: Hits and Misses
Billlie showcases the house genre for the album’s double title tracks. The first one,“ZAP,” sports a gritty bass house sound that demonstrates an aggressive mentality. The song depicts how Billlie does not shy away from moving forward in a shocking way. While the song’s instrumental delivers enough zing to back up its title, its disconnect from Billlie’s past identity is puzzling. Artists should be able to explore however they would like; however, “ZAP” and its counterpart “WORK” as title tracks for an album sequel feel misleading.
The title tracks for the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two lack notable references to the first part of the series. Billlie established early on their reputation for lore-heavy promotional teasers and music videos, yet “ZAP” and “WORK” are devoid of this approach. As the group told The Kraze and our fellow media colleagues in February, the album keeps themes from the past installment and shows how Billlie grew since then—the growth appears evident, but not so much the connecting themes and narratives. Though there is a tangential thread of internal realization, it does not explicitly provide a throwback. Neither title track gives off the connotation of deeply exploring unconscious thoughts.
Much like “ZAP,” “WORK” conveys that Billlie will “work” towards the future they want. It comes with an attitude about making a scene through individuality. There is nothing inherently wrong with “ZAP” or “WORK”; however, they would be better separately from the collective soul and unconscious name. The visuals lack a storyline (both focus heavily on choreography shots) and the music leaves behind the dreamy soundscape associated with the previous release.
Luckily, the rest of the album does a better job of balancing a mix of the previous gentle “unconscious” sound and the awakened, tough Billlie sound. For the more lowkey and relaxed songs, turn on “B’yond me,” “OFF-AIR,” and “WORK - anonymous remix.” Barring “DOMINO ~ butterfly effect,” a Korean version of Billlie’s 2024 Japanese title track, the other new songs lean dance-heavy with hard-hitting beats. The opening song of the album, “$ECRET no more,” directly references Billlie’s lore (they can finally discuss what happened to the “missing” girl, Billlie Love) and “everybody’s got a $ECRET” from their debut EP. The song’s only drawback, and a subjectively large one at that, stems from its special video’s generative AI plagiarism controversy.
The Verdict: An Accomplishment Marred by Controversy
A group releasing their first full album represents a large accomplishment. Though the Billlie members undoubtedly put their efforts in the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two, two factors make it difficult to enjoy this release. The minimal connection towards the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one and management label Mystic Story’s vague policy towards generative AI use (mind you, all the confirmed usages happened in visual promotional materials, not the music itself) lessen the positive impact of this album.
Most of the issues with this album stem from its presentation and rollout rather than the way the members interpreted the songs. It has become challenging to not ponder where Billlie’s musical and creative direction is moving. Hopefully future releases feel more grounded in a cohesive image that comes off uniquely Billlie.
Edited by Sandy Ou