SIS (Soft Is Strong)(Soft Ver.)

KATSEYEがデビューEP『SIS (Soft Is Strong)』をHYBE x Geffen Recordsからリリースする。SIS (Soft Is Strong)」というEPのタイトルは、KATSEYEの核となる信念のひとつである「Soft Is Strong」を反映しており、また、全く異なる文化圏から来たにもかかわらず、姉妹のような絆を築いてきたことを意味している。KATSEYEのメンバーは6人: DANIELA(アメリカ)、LARA(アメリカ)、MANON(スイス)、MEGAN(アメリカ)、SOPHIA(フィリピン)、YOONCHAE(韓国)。

商品内容
CD、フォトカード(全6種中ランダム2種)、レンチキュラーカード、歌詞カード(5種)、フォトブック、ステッカー、ペーパーキーホルダー、ポラロイド、ポストカード(6種)、折りたたみポスター

Formed under a K-pop-meets-American-pop incentive from monolith labels Geffen and HYBE, international girl group KATSEYE debut at the crossroads: These are American pop stars moving with Big-4 routines, U.S. radio anthems promoted by an armada of documentaries and photocards, and artists from Atlanta and Los Angeles trained under the regimes of LE SSERAFIM and NewJeans. KATSEYEs debut mini-album, SIS (Soft Is Strong), runs at a brisk 11 minutes, once again proving that the marketability of two-minute pop songs in the K-pop zeitgeist cant be denied. Lead single "Touch" has all the traits of a viral 2024 hit, adopting the light touch on sound and the bridge-less structure popularized by the 2020s K-pop sound, bringing everything to culmination in its catchy "touch touch touch" chorus. The projects B-sides, "Im Pretty" and "Tonight I Might," offer more unique sounds, the former leading with a beautiful pre-chorus from vocal titan Lara and a smooth set of group-wide melodies; the latter delivering strong piano lines and a refreshing change of pace. Its a very brief look at the group, but one in which their talent shines through. ~ TiVo Staff

Formed under a K-pop-meets-American-pop incentive from monolith labels Geffen and HYBE, international girl group KATSEYE debut at the crossroads: these are American popstars moving with Big-4 routines, U.S. radio anthems promoted by a relentless armada of documentaries and photocards, and stars from Atlanta and Los Angeles trained under the regimes of LE SSERAFIM and NewJeans. Yet, with the unique potential of this type of pop merger, its surprising -- and disappointing -- how safe the two labels are playing it here. KATSEYEs debut mini-album, SIS (Soft Is Strong), runs at a shockingly short 11 minutes; although the marketability of two-minute, snippet-length songs cant be denied, it feels like an obvious mismatch for idols looking to establish their personalities on a global stage. While lead single "Touch" has all the traits of a viral single, it does little to establish any identity for the group: its light-touch sound has been reiterated ad nauseum in the modern K-pop zeitgeist, Auto-Tune warping the girls voices until theyre indistinct before ending abruptly without a bridge or final chorus. Though the tracks "touch touch touch" chorus is catchy -- enough to be parroted almost beat-for-beat on the "say"s and "way"s of subsequent "My Way" -- its too ephemeral to give the track any real backbone. The same can be said of first single "Debut," which, despite slick vocals from the KATSEYE girls, feels like its racing to be over, verses and choruses adamantly hurtling past one another. The projects B-sides, "Im Pretty" and "Tonight I Might," offer more unique sounds, though even these fall a little short in their execution. The former leads with a beautiful pre-chorus from vocal titan Lara and a smooth set of group-wide melodies, but layers them over a sparse instrumental and an irritating refrain reminiscent of Sam Smith and Naughty Boys "La La La." The latter resolves this issue with a strong piano line and a refreshing change of pace, but falls down sharply in the writing room -- "high on life for somebodys kiss" and "the kinda party required to go in fully inspired by" prove particular head-scratchers. What results is a project that does the six-piece few favors. These should be the defining moments of these young idols sound; instead, were given rehashes of contemporary ideas and tracks that give the girls no room to build anything substantial. Theres a lot of talent here -- and a solid premise to boot -- but SIS does very little to showcase it. KATSEYEs idols deserve a better start. ~ David Crone