Release Date: May 6, 2026
Track Listing
- $ECRET no more
- Zap
- Work
- TBD
- B’yond me
- SOUPASTA
- OFF-AIR
- Zap (Ultraviolet Remix)
- Work (Anonymous Remix)
- SOUPASTA (Unconscious Remix)
- DOMINO ~ Butterfly Effect (Korean Ver.)
- Cloud Palace (Collective Soul Remix)
Review
billlie is a group I have been aware of since their 2021 debut, but I have not followed them as closely as some of the other acts that emerged that year. At the time, their introductory single RING X RING didn’t (and still doesn’t) resonate with me, and I was hesitant to spend any more time exploring their music.
Eventually, I listened to their debut EP, and aside from the lead single, the rest of the release was strong enough to put them on my radar for future comebacks. Their late-2021 winter single, snowy night, had me more convinced of the group’s potential.
However, seasonal releases often serve as unique moments within an artist’s catalogue, making them difficult to use as a reliable barometer for future projects. It wasn’t until 2022’s the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one that I started to get billlie.
Four years later, that storyline returns with the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two, the group’s first full-length studio album. The album features the pre-release digital single Cloud Palace ~ False Awakening, the title track Zap, and the sub-title track Work.
While chapter two is billed as a full-length album, a significant portion of its latter half consists of remixes. As a result, this review will primarily focus on the newer tracks, which form the core of the album’s original material. Across those songs, billlie places a greater emphasis on dance music, combining club-ready rhythms with the pop melodies and R&B-inflected vocals that have long been part of the group’s identity.
Of the featured songs, Work is the one that pops the most. It has the classic hallmarks of a peak-time club track and takes billlie into some unexplored musical territory with exciting results. The accompanying music video reinforces that shift by placing the members front and center. While billlie has traditionally distinguished itself through its concepts and storytelling, Work feels more comfortable letting the group’s charisma, styling, and screen presence drive the experience.
This spills over into the title track Zap, which also has a harder dance edge compared to many of billlie’s previous A-sides. While not as immediately engaging as Work, it gradually works its way into your head through repeated listens. If Work showcases the group’s confidence through performance and styling, Zap takes a more maximalist approach, delivering a visual feast packed with CGI effects that match the song’s larger-than-life energy.
Lastly, Cloud Palace ~ False Awakening, in its original form, falls more squarely into the conventional billlie mould, showcasing the group’s vocal versatility. The version included on this album aligns more closely with chapter two’s club-influenced sound, leaning toward a mainstream, pop-friendly house groove.
As a result, the arrangement relies heavily on chopped vocal snippets that become part of the instrumental texture, while the full vocal performance takes a more restrained role. It is the kind of remix that could benefit from a longer running time to develop its ideas further. Still, it remains an enjoyable addition that successfully ties the song into the album’s broader musical direction.
The remaining six non-remix songs are split between the high-energy floor-shakers TBD, SOUPASTA and DOMINO ~butterfly effect (Korean Ver.), and the groove-oriented $ECRET no more, B’yond me and OFF-AIR. Together, they showcase the two sides of chapter two’s musical identity: one focused on dancefloor momentum and the other on vocal-driven songwriting. Which camp you gravitate toward will likely depend on your mood.
While both sides of the album are well represented, I found myself gravitating more toward the songs that place billlie’s vocal strengths at the forefront.
My personal preference leans toward the slower, vocal-driven material. Tracks in that vein are what ultimately changed my mind about billlie, so whenever the group returns to that side of its sound, I’m always happy to give them a few repeated listens. Listeners who gravitate toward billlie’s vocal strengths should make a point of spending extra time with $ECRET no more, B’yond me and OFF-AIR.
That doesn’t mean the higher-tempo songs should be skipped. Of the three, SOUPASTA grabbed my attention the most. It doesn’t follow the same template as many comparable songs and avoids pounding the listener with nonstop four-on-the-floor beats. Instead, it embraces a more eccentric approach, led by what sounds like a slightly off-kilter flute melody that lingers in the background throughout the track.
Collectively, the original songs reinforce the album’s balancing act between dancefloor energy and vocal-driven songwriting. While individual listeners may gravitate toward one side or the other, billlie rarely commits so fully to either approach that the album loses its sense of identity.
billlie has released a substantial amount of material in the four years between chapter one and chapter two of the collective soul and unconscious series. Rather than feeling disconnected from that journey, chapter two benefits from it. The experience gained through the group’s other recurring series, standalone singles, collaborations, and OST contributions is reflected in an album that displays a level of growth and maturity rarely seen from groups operating outside the industry’s largest companies.
This is an album that I have listened to on repeat many times since its release, and it has become a mainstay in my current music rotation. It has been my favourite release of the first half of 2026 by far and may ultimately end up as my album of the year if no stronger contender emerges in the latter half of the year.
There’s no sense in preaching to the converted; you already have this album either in digital or physical format. My recommendation for this album would go out to the casuals, the fence-sitters, or those looking for something fresh to add to their girl-group library. Give this album a go and, if you like what you hear, dig deeper into billlie’s back catalogue to discover what you’ve been missing.
