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Review: (G)I-DLE addresses insecurities and why there’s no need to be flawlessly perfect in ‘Allergy’

The addictive rock track comes a week before (G)I-DLE drops their sixth EP I Feel on 15 May.

Ashley Cheah

| May 14, 2023

South Korean girl group (G)I-DLE is ready to tell everyone they’re making a comeback.

Ahead of the release of their sixth EP I Feel this coming Monday (15 May), the quintet dropped a pre-release track Allergy on 9 May.

And fans love it.

The band’s track addresses insecurities and their shortcomings when they can’t woo their ideal man. It reminds me of 2NE1’s Ugly (2011) where the quartet sings about how they’re ugly, and never good enough.

Lyrics

The lyrics of (G)-IDLE’s new track is penned by leader Soyeon. It reflects the tender and honest sentiments of an everyday teenager who’s on social media.

“Why ain’t I pretty/ Why ain’t I lovely/ Why ain’t I sexy/ Why am I me,” member Miyeon sings in the chorus of the track.

These lyrics are relatable and they hit close to home. And it’s a great step forward that the girls are making these issues visible. While sending a message through their music.

What stood out was her wit to include subtle references. “I also want to dance Hype Boy/ But in the screen I’d look like Tomboy”, member Shuhua sings.

Hype Boy (2022) is in fact a NewJeans track that dropped last year. And Tomboy is the group’s track from their first studio album I Never Die (2022).

Music video

Visually, the music video of the track is shot like a 2000s teen movie. There are various chapters in the video to segment the scenes.

Filled with scrapbook cuttings, members are also dressed in Y2K outfits for the first part of it, a trending style now.

It also contains some visual references from other pop music videos like Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero (2022) and Little Mix’s Black Magic (2015).

The girl group executed their pre-release track well. And it’s clear that they didn’t disappoint.

In fact, they paved the way for the actual release of their album next Monday (15 May), along with the music video of their title number Queencard.

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Ashley Cheah

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