On August 17th, ITZY released their 3rd mini-album titled Not Shy. The title track for this album is also “Not Shy”

ITZY is a South Korean female pop group managed by JYP Entertainment. The group consists of five members – Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Lia, and Yuna. They officially debuted on February 12th of 2019 with the single album – It’z Different.

(Please note – this is a real-time review, meaning I am typing down my exact thoughts while listening to each song.)

Reaction to Official MV:

• I enjoyed their debut song, but I never got the opportunity to check them out after then.
• I love when groups include their names in music video intros. ITZY is new. Some people might still not be familiar with all the members.
• The old west intro is well done.
• The beat for this song is quite groovy, and I love the way Ryujin came in. Nice flow.
• The progression towards the chorus is excellent. I like that the drop is not overly intense.
• The chorus itself has a beautiful melody and rhythm.
• The visuals for the music video are cinematic and exciting.
• I love the choreography and how the girls scream ITZY during the chorus.
• In their debut song, Yeji stood out to me, but this time Ryujin is giving me presence and energy. I love her vibe.
• Ooo, the matching white outfits are stunning.
• The chorus is my favourite part. It’s so catchy with the ITZY scream. The rest are 50/50 for me, and the liked 50% is mainly rap parts.
• I enjoyed listening to this song. The rhythm is beautiful, and I might come back to it a few times.

Album Review:

This mini-album has a total of six songs. Here is a preview –

1. Not Shy – The chorus is still the best section.
2. Don’t Give A What – Another electronic sound. I’ve noticed that ITZY’s songs are always empowering. The beat on this one is intriguing. I’m enjoying the vocal colour and progression on this one more. However, I don’t know how to feel about the chorus yet. The rappers are hype, and I love that for me. “Don’t Give A What” will make a great girls’ night theme song. I love the energy, and the guitar instrumental is top-notch.
3. Louder – Okay, I love the marching band vibe of this song. The melody is already catchy, so let’s see how the entire song goes. I love the instrumental. It’s so bouncy and groovy. The chorus intro threw me off a bit, but “Louder” is my song. It had me right from the start. Plus, the production on this sick. I will be dancing to this song for a while 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼.
4. iD – I’ve noticed that all the songs follow a similar electronic pop/disco pattern? I’m not complaining, though, because each still has distinctive progression styles and sass. Like in this track, I can hear a cowbell. I love every section of “iD” I can party out to this once in a while. It seems like something that will grow on me with more listens.
5. SURF – The falsetto entry is beautiful, and the drumbeats on this one are perfect. I’ve noticed a lot of claps and finger-snapping in this album. This song sounds more pop-ish in comparison to the rest. “SURF” is another song with a great rhythm that makes me want to move. The vocals on this song are lovely. I am enjoying the harmonies and background vocalizations. So far, nothing has beat “Louder” for me, but I’m enjoying this EP’s energy.
6. Be In Love – Being the last song, it is quite slower than the rest. I love the harmonies and soft vocal runs. Plus, the melody for this song’s verses is beautiful. The girls did a fantastic on this track. “Be In Love” is giving me strong summer vibes. I like it. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I love the energy of this album. My favourite songs are “Not Shy” & “Louder”, and I could equally dance to all the other four tracks. I truly enjoyed myself. The only issue is that, as of now, this record does not strike me as something that I can come back to often. I like ITZY’s 3rd mini-album – Not Shy, but I’m not in love with it. Therefore it gets an 8/10 from me.