YUNA, the maknae (youngest member) of ITZY, is the group’s second member to go solo, following YEJI’s solo debut with Air last year. She made her solo debut earlier this week with the single Ice Cream and mini-album of the same name. This release also comes during the re-emergence of the group’s That’s A No No on the Korean music charts.
Ice Cream is another pleasant song. But unlike the other songs I recently mentioned as pleasant but not in a positive way, I do think Ice Cream does enough to earn a pleasant descriptor in a positive sense. It is the retro-esque, synth-based instrumentation that wins me over, striking a balance between lightness, upbeatness, and funkiness. YUNA also sounds very sweet, which is fitting for a song titled Ice Cream. The song’s melodies and hook have also been growing on me since its release at the start of the week, and it has actually evolved into quite an earwormy track. YUNA’s rap-speak sequence was actually the most surprising aspect of the track to do just that. The biggest weakness of Ice Cream is its repetitiveness. I noticed the first time around that after Ice Cream progressed past the first chorus, it no longer offered anything new or developed further. Instead, it just repeated everything that had been heard earlier, which is a bit disappointing. Glad it has grown on me. Otherwise, I don’t think Ice Cream would have attracted too much attention because of this.
Right from the start of the music video, I wondered whether there would be a falling scene in each of ITZY members’ solo debuts. Both YEJI and now YUNA fell and landed in very model-like poses, and if every other member did the same for their solo debuts, this would be quite fun. Anyhow, the video shows YUNA getting ready to become someone’s ice cream, as expressed in the chorus. I really like how they infused a melting concept into some of the imagery, which was rather cool (ha!). This really highlights the idea of YUNA and the dancers being ice cream. I liked the little stop-motion of the dancers chasing YUNA at the end of the video, and the music video does an amazing job showcasing YUNA’s visuals.
The performance has a mix of fun and sweet elements, both of which make the stages engaging to watch. YUNA’s stage presence was also notable, and I enjoyed the bouncy aspects of the routine. The rap-speak moments of the song are where the routine is most memorable for me.
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10
KPOPREVIEWED 