Fresh from concluding their first world tour, (G)I-DLE marked their latest comeback with I Love. Unlike their previous concepts, (G)I-DLE went for a cabaret-like concept that’s far from their edgy concepts. Those who have been following them in the past few years know how they are experimental with their concepts, and their approach to I Love is their most unconventional to date.
We have listened to the album a few times to give our thoughts on the approach (G)I-DLE did with I Love:
A Concept that’s Practically New to Them
One of the things that make (G)I-DLE unique is that they love to explore different concepts, and the title track Nxde is no exception. With this music video, they explore a cabaret-like concept for the music video. No, the title track does not really depict them naked; instead, they went for provoking the audience about the sexualization of women.
As much as I love how (G)I-DLE is experimental with its concepts, the main problem with Nxde is that there is a disconnect between the music track and the music video itself. The disconnect is more apparent when you realize how mellow are the rest of the tracks of I Love. We get the intention of the song–we just felt that execution for both the track and the music video could have been better executed
Generally mellow compared to their previous works
With I Burn as the closest comparison, all of the tracks of I Love are on the softer and mellower side compared to the music (G)I-DLE usually releases (there are a few outliers like DUMDi DUMDi and Uh-Oh). It veers away from the edgy girl crush vibe that they would often do, and focus more on their mellow side.
What’s nice with this approach is that the album as a whole does a better job of showcasing the vocals of each member. This is evident with tracks Change and Reset, where you are treated to Minnie’s soothing voice. Especially with Change, the rap parts are more subtle to keep the album’s mellow vibe consistent. If you’d asked us, (G)I-DLE could have omitted Nxde from I Love and pick a more suitable title track–perhaps DARK (X-File) could have been the better title track.
Makes for easy listening
With the generally mellow vibe of I Love, (G)I-DLE chose to use more instrumentals for their songs on this album for an easy listening experience that you’d play the album on a loop while relaxing. It’s far from the current KPop trend, and we welcome albums like this as a breath of fresh air.
The overall vibe of I Love is also refreshing, as we get to see a different side of (G)I-DLE without deviating too much from their own identity as a group–one reason why we had mixed thoughts about their 2020 summer single DUMDi DUMDi.
(G)I-DLE I Love Album Verdict
Pros:
- A fresh take on their songs
- More mellow than previous albums
Cons:
- Title track has a disconnect with the MV
While there’s a disconnect between the music video of Nxde and the track itself, I Love is a breath of fresh air from (G)I-DLE, with the whole album showcasing their more mellow side with an emphasis on their vocals. The album could have been solid if they did not select Nxde as the title track.
Hype Meter: 8/10
Check out (G)I-DLE’s I Love Album now on Spotify and Apple Music
