Release Date: November 11, 2024
Track Listing
- THE FLASH GIRL
- Breaking Thru the Line
- Tiny Step
- Butterfly
Review
After hitting the J-Pop scene in the summer with their debut single, IS:SUE returns to end 2024 with their second release, Welcome Strangers -2nd IS:SUE-. This time, they doubled the number of songs to four, with the first two tracks on the EP being the featured tracks.
THE FLASH GIRL has the group picking up on the same K-pop-like sound CONNECT had. It digs deeper into the tempo/genre switching than their debut did. So, like I said in my review of their first single, if you like aespa or MAVE:, then THE FLASH GIRL will fit within songs of that nature.
Breaking Through the Line features the members of IS:SUE trying their hand at a more straightforward Hip-Hop track. If you dislike THE FLASH GIRL‘s musical style, this is the more easily digestible of the title tracks. What I found most impressive about Breaking Thru the Line were Yuuki and Rino’s rap flows. They added a little bit of that extra sass to match the beat during their parts.
The back half of Welcome Strangers -2nd IS:SUE- is where IS:SUE goes for something different from the title tracks. Tiny Step has the group firmly within the realm of Y2K pop, similar to NewJeans or ILLIT. So, if you like that type of girl pop, this song should be a welcome addition to your playlist(s).
On the other hand, Butterfly starts with soft keys and strings and progresses into a bouncy and bassy trap beat. I usually avoid trap songs, but this one worked for me since it’s not something one would typically hear from a Japanese idol group.
After absorbing Welcome Strangers -2nd IS:SUE, everything after THE FLASH GIRL is more interesting since it shows more musical diversity. Of all the songs on this EP, Tiny Step was the most memorable. Again, since this group is still young, it’s hard to say what its primary sound will be, but it would be nice if they tried more of the Y2K pop vibe. It does work for them.
This EP was a solid effort and shows this group has a bright future. They’ll be ones to watch going into 2025. Hopefully, they will continue producing more sonically diverse songs to round out their catalogue and keep listeners guessing what they will do next.
