One of the releases kicking off this big week of new songs and albums is ITZY with their newest single CAKE and their 7th mini-album, Kill My Doubt. Their comeback also features two pre-release tracks Bet On Me (released on July 3) and None Of My Business (released on July 24), both of which I have not reviewed just yet (but I will return to review some day in the near future). CAKE follows the group’s CHESHIRE era from November of last year.

CAKE is a solid track for ITZY. I just wish the verses weren’t such a bore (in the case of the first verse) and didn’t ‘switch it up’ (in the case of the second verse). Something more riveting and cohesive with the rest of CAKE would have better appreciated. Also, the vocals sound off to me in these segment. I don’t think it is the members’ fault for this, but rather the vocal processing just doesn’t feel right. Those were the biggest issues for me in CAKE, as they do stop the momentum that the pop melodies in the choruses and the growing CAKE repetition does create. These were the best parts of CAKE for me. Those pop melodies just bring a lovely dose of sweetness and brightness to the song that just makes it feel right for this season, while the CAKE repetition adds just the right amount of sass and attitude to the song to not fall into bubblegum territory. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the repetition in the instance when I heard the song earlier today. But with the help of the catchy brass and the pounding beat, the CAKE repetition has really grown on me and I can see the song continuing to snowball further from here on out. It is just a pity that the verses just didn’t do it for me.

The editing at the start of the video where the members are appearing out of thin air makes for a really cool opener to the video. Other than that, I thought the music video was a fun and light-hearted accompaniment to the song. Yuna falling from that height because of another member being distracted and making impact with that vehicle, but later getting up and acting pretty was one of my favourite examples of this. I also like all of their looks in the music video, from the brighter tones to the darker outfits to the factory tracksuits. ITZY looks stunning throughout the video.

Choreography-wise, CAKE features a solid routine. Everything that we do see in the music video fits in with the music of their respective parts quite well. But my favourite part from what I can see is the CAKE repetition sequences. You know I like a bit of edge and that part of the song, music video and choreography had it all.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10