After teasing new music for around a month, KATSEYE’s new single “Pinky Up” was released on April 9. The group announced the single a little over a week before its release, and during this time they dropped photo looks and snippets of the music video. The song, once again, focuses on the genre of hyperpop. With continuing to explore the hyperpop genre, it has only fueled the online hate train against KATSEYE.
As someone who prefers the groups older and softer songs, like those in the “Soft is Strong” EP, “Pinky Up” isn’t my favorite. It’s good, but some parts just stick out in the song.
The chorus is something I’m trying to get used to, the beat is catchy but repetitive and the high pitched spamming of “P-P-Pinky Up” sounds off. If the chorus had more than just “P-P-Pinky Up” it would be a lot more enjoyable. Instead, it feels boring and overall lazy. The members have so much talent that is being wasted on a cheap, money grab song.
The chorus isn’t the only bad thing within the song. Just a few lines in, main dancer Daniela Avanzini sings the line, “Going hard like we’re robbing the Louvre” I don’t understand why this was written, as the Louvre robbery was months ago and this lyric is straight up degrading. To keep the Louvre joke going, the next line is, “We Mona Lisa with a cute attitude.” Words can not describe how shocked I was by these lyrics. It feels like KATSEYE is trying to cater to chronically online children again.
The lyrics aren’t the only issue. Manon Bannerman, KATSEYE’s Visual, has been on hiatus for nearly two months now. Most fans, including myself, hoped for a surprise return in the single. I believed it was all a promotion stunt, but when she didn’t show up, the song was less exciting.
With Bannerman’s absence, Avanzini has been pushed front and center of the group. She even had more lines in “Pinky Up” than the lead vocalist, Lara Raj, did. Jeung Yoonchae, the youngest in the group, had one line in the entire song. Her line however, was arguably the best one.
Although my dislikes do outweigh the likes, verse two is actually really nice. Specifically the lyrics, “Fancy is a frequency” and “A mind of delusion, philosophy, I kinda know nothing just like Socrates.” I love this line, it’s catchy and stands out from the rest of the song. It showcases Jeung’s vocal skills and finally gives her time to shine.
I still love KATSEYE and “Pinky Up” does not change that. I do think the team working on the group should put more effort into the music they give them. I would love more songs similar to “M.I.A” or “My Way” or even have the members compose their own music. All six girls are talented and deserve songs that represent them and their skills. As for their future music, a new EP, “Wild” was just announced and is expected to drop Aug 14. For this, I’m hoping for more than just poor attempts at hyperpop.
