Review: Itzy - Sneakers

Itzy had a fantastic intro into the K-Pop world, with one of the best opening trio singles in the music world, with some strong b-sides assisting. After the fantastic release of It'z Me, however, the group somewhat fell off the map. Part of that was due to the massive success of their debut singles, resulting in everyone copying the brash sing-talk sound. It also could be their extremely successful partnership with production team Galakticka came to an end, leading to a drop in song quality.

Sneakers has been the conclusion to this rapid descent, with teasers so iconically bad that many genuinely believed that it was intended to be a fake-out for an epic, royal track. Well, here we are, it was not a fake-out.

Sneakers' instantly infamous chorus is slightly muted in the full version compared to the overly -boisterous teasers. That said, it still is irredeemably terrible. It sounds loud and boisterous, with a hilarious hook in "Puuuuuuuuuuutttt MY snEAkers ON", and each further repetition just drives in the ridiculousness of this overly-saccharine refrain. It works in a so-bad-its-good way, but not in any other form.

The verses are mildly less terrible, at best. The hooks are still lacking, but at least they don't cause an aneurysm like the chorus. They are still terrible nonetheless. The pre-chorus provides a bit of melody amongst this random assemblage of bright and random paint splatters, but all the focus is soon lost the moment the hook comes back reminding us to put on our... you know.

That said, Sneakers has just enough restraint to succeed ironically. Last year's MAFIA In the Morning grew to become one of my guilty pleasures of the year, and while I doubt Sneakers can gain the same level of notoriety in my playlists, it certainly has a chance to succeed, if only ironically. Objectively, Sneakers is cartoonish and immature.

Rating: 4.5/10

Purchase Itzy's Sneakers and the accompanying album right here! I mean, if you want to... that is.

Image Source: KBIZoom