(G)I-DLE – I Never Die Review

(G)I-DLE I Never Die Cover

Release Date: March 14, 2022

Track Listing

  1. Tomboy
  2. Never Stop Me
  3. Villan Dies
  4. Already
  5. Polaroid
  6. Escape
  7. Liar
  8. My Bag

Review

After releasing their fourth mini-album, I Burn, in 2021, (G)I-DLE spent the remainder of that year wrapped up in turmoil because of Soojin’s bullying allegations. With Soojin on hiatus, they released a collaboration track with the UNIVERSE app titled Last Dance as a five-member group awaiting Soojin’s return while also focusing on individual activities.

That was not to be as by August of 2021, Soojin officially left (G)I-DLE and radio silence about the future of the group for the remainder of the year. In February of 2022, it was revealed by CUBE Entertainment that (G)I-DLE would return as a five-member and would drop their first full-length album in March.

And that brings us to the current day, where we look at this album a few months after its release. With the loss of (arguably) their most popular member, would (G)I-DLE be able to deliver to the level expected of them? Based on what I hear on I NEVER DIE, (G)I-DLE hasn’t missed a step. Never ones to rest on past glories, they have evolved their sound to incorporate elements of rock in their music.

The sonic shift is very apparent in tracks such as the playful and cheeky title track TOMBOY, the pop-tinged Never Stop Me and later near the end of the album in the form of the kiss-off song LIAR. The real standouts on I NEVER DIE are the more relaxing songs like ALREADY, POLAROID and ESCAPE. Those songs left the most significant impact on me after listening. POLAROID, in particular, is a beautiful song that I could play on repeat easily.

I NEVER DIE ends with the all too short My Bag, a hip-hop piece with a clever callback to Uh-Oh in its first verse. It’s an excellent way to end the album, but again too bad it’s so short.

Even with one member down (G)I-DLE does not disappoint. The quality of their music continues to be incredibly high, and hearing them branch out and incorporate different genres into their brand can only mean even better things for their future releases as the five-member version of the group.

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