Release Date: December 1, 2021
Track Listing
- ELEVEN
- Take It
Review
In the aftermath of IZ*ONE’s disbandment, several members have continued their careers in music. Two-thirds of the J-line have returned to their 48 groups, while Kwon Eun Bi, Jo Yuri and Kang Hyewon have the Korean contingent covered with their solo releases.
In November, Starship Entertainment announced that the twin towers of IZ*ONE (Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin) were to re-debut in a new six-member group called IVE.
IVE’s roster consists of:
- Yujin (Leader, Lead Vocal)
- Gaeul (Rapper)
- Rei (Rapper, Vocal)
- Wonyoung (Vocal)
- Liz (Main Vocal)
- Leeseo (Vocal, Maknae)
With an average height of 5 feet 7 inches, the members of IVE are probably not on the level of a WNBA team, but as a collective, they are taller than the average K-Pop girl group member.
One last fact to mention about this group before I get to their songs is that Wonyoung is no longer the youngest in the group. She has been promoted to Unnie status thanks to Leeseo, the youngest member at 14 years old.
Let’s move on to the two songs on this single. On December 1, IVE made its official debut with ELEVEN. The song’s lyrics express the heart of a girl in love. The music surrounding those lyrics consists of a sparse beat with light touches of Indian and Middle Eastern instruments.
ELEVEN may be a slow burner for some listeners. If you are like me then on first listen, you may have felt the chorus section lacked some punch. However, after many repeated listens, I still think there could be a further ramp-up in energy there, but it doesn’t annoy me as much anymore. Or you can be on the other side of the fence and find all of ELEVEN fine just the way it is.
The b-side Take It is a mid-tempo piece of contemporary girl group K-Pop. I found this song to be easier to take in than ELEVEN, perhaps because it’s more straightforward in its approach. Take It isn’t breaking any new ground musically, but it sounds like a more solid fit for IVE than ELEVEN. At least in my opinion.
Given that ELEVEN has already made several achievements (fastest music show win at seven days after release, selling 152,229 copies in its first week, charting at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart), it’s safe to say that the song is a hit.
All that support is a good sign for IVE since they have already gotten a head start on upcoming rookie girl group competitors, who will be battling them come 2022.
As for ELEVEN as a whole? Despite my nitpicking, the entire package is a solid start to their journey as a group. If Starship doesn’t fumble their next releases, IVE will probably have a bright future.
