Release Date: March 9, 2020
Track Listing
- WANNABE
- TING TING TING with Oliver Heldens
- THAT’S A NO NO
- NOBODY LIKE YOU
- YOU MAKE ME
- I DON’T WANNA DANCE
- 24HRS
Review
JYP Entertainment’s ITZY have returned with their first release of 2020 titled IT’z ME. This 7-track EP features the song WANNABE, a track that follows the group’s pattern of dropping high energy dance-pop with the themes of self-love and empowerment.
The video for WANNABE features the group in bias wrecking mode. If you thought you had a favourite member, you might end up changing allegiances after watching this. Ryujin, in particular, could end up with more peeps hopping on her bandwagon.
WANNABE also sets the tone for the remainder of the EP as the songs that follow it are mostly similar in musical feel and lyrical themes. The dance music intensity continues with the club-friendly collaboration with electronic music producer Oliver Heldens (TING TING TING), and THAT’S A NO NO. Both songs are further examples of ITZY working well within their comfort zone.
While it would be easy for them to coast on goodwill, there are some changes to their musical template present on this EP. The first is NOBODY LIKE YOU, a track that strips away the pop polish and firmly places ITZY in a gritty drum and guitar-driven soundscape. Second is 24HRS, another simple production that allows the group to drop some attitude by chanting over some heavy synth bass. One could think of it as the bratty counterpart to IT’z ICY‘s CHERRY.
If you have followed this group from the start, you will figure out that ITZY has not strayed too far from what they are good at after listening to this album. Despite it being mostly more of the same, one cannot deny that WANNABE is a quality EP.
