Even in the terrifyingly interconnected K-pop sphere, Izna are a rookie girl group with crazy connections. Taking into account their formation on the second season of Mnet’s survival show I-Land, their dual management by The Black Label and WakeOne, and member Jeemin’s high-profile past survival show appearance on R U Next, Izna have concrete ties to Enhypen, Illit, ZeroBaseOne, Meovv, Taeyang, and more.
That type of K-pop pedigree usually comes with the upside of immediate public interest and the downside of immense pressure. Izna have some of that, but with a touch far lighter than comparable groups. I-Land 2 garnered a respectable amount of viewership, but nothing approaching the fever pitch of peak survival show success. Rather than treating that as a disadvantage, Izna seem to embrace the opportunity to re-introduce themselves to the world (sans the weight of heavy expectations) in their debut mini album N/a.
Uncharacteristically for a debut EP, N/a is full of a confident ease that manifests musically in a series of refreshingly classic pop tracks. The album is a delightful breeze to listen to — and not just because it’s barely over a dozen minutes long. That being said, the EP’s slim size is indicative of a certain shallowness and lack of initiative that pops up across the album. N/a’s nonchalance is both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness.
One of N/a’s boldest moves is to include an abundance of previously released music: Three of the EP’s five tracks are re-recorded songs from I-Land 2. On face value, this choice seems like a red flag for laziness. However, the inclusion of these three songs is actually N/a’s most successful gamble, and the place where the EP’s relaxed approach pays greatest dividends.
I-Land 2 stood out for the quality of its original songs, all produced by the Black Label’s production team, helmed by Teddy Park. Not only were “Iwaly,” “Drip,” and “Fake It” each individually catchy and polished, but together they telegraphed a clear and consistent message about the kind of group the Black Label hoped to make. Could the Black Label have started from scratch for Izna’s debut EP? Sure… but what a waste it would be to consign to the survival show dungeon three excellent pop songs that were literally designed to set the tone for Izna’s concept. Waste not, want not!
The tone is question is a potent mix of nostalgia, romanticism, and bubblegum-tinged girl power. “Iwaly,” which was I-Land 2’s unofficial signature song (the number of times the contestants performed it was truly staggering), best exemplifies these qualities. The nostalgia comes from a distinctly 2010’s style of production, favoring a deliberate beat, airy empty spaces, and (mostly) charmingly on-the-nose instrumentation choices. “Iwaly,” which is a kitsch abbreviation of “I will always love you,” has a sweet, upbeat musicality that contrasts with its melodramatic lyrics:
Your lie that I was your last woman, I guess we’ve come too far now
Though it makes me a bit sad
I’ll keep our memories beautiful
So goodbye, have a nice day, Just remember one thing
That I-I I will always love you
Each of the individual elements of “Iwaly” verge on the cliché, but their combination creates something comfortingly familiar yet intriguingly novel. It’s easy listening music with a bite.
“Fake It” continues the romantic intensity of “Iwaly,” fleshing out one of Izna’s two main lyrical focuses. “You are my oxygen, but you take my breath away,” they sing amidst a familiar yet immensely satisfying synth-pop soundscape. It’s no mistake that the emotive “Fake It” is N/a’s final track, closing the EP on the wings of the song’s fantastic melodic outro. In this way, “Fake It” serves the purpose that many obligatory ballads fulfill, of providing climactic emotional catharsis, but in a much more interesting way.
The final of the three I-Land 2 tracks, “Drip,” introduces Izna’s other narrative interest: confidence. With its subtle hip-hop influences and explicitly girl power message, “Drip” most resembles the girl crush tracks Teddy made his name writing, complete with likely well-meaning but deeply cringe lyrics:
You got that wave
When I walk by, people will be rolling around
There’s no answer to falling into it
Swimming because of your charm, swimming
You pass that drip check, super lit, yeah
Despite its shortcomings, “Drip” is a wildly catchy song that — thanks to its watery musical softness — avoids completely falling into stereotypical girl crush territory. It is also the I-Land 2 song that has been given the biggest makeover since the show aired; the brand new final post-chorus is a downright inspired move.
N/a’s two original songs, title track “Izna” and b-side “Timebomb,” follow in the footsteps of “Drip” in their subject matter, though each takes a slightly different angle. “Izna” is a pure self-hype song, with the group using rather clever Korean-English wordplay to declare that “dat girl is na,” naming themselves as ‘that girl’ while literally naming their group. “Timebomb” is a more sentimental creature, with Izna proclaiming their rookie determination to “blow it up and make a scene” together.
Unfortunately, “Izna” and “Timebomb” do not take after “Drip” in terms of musical creativity. Both songs are in the same vein tonally and production-wise as all of the I-Land 2 tracks, making N/a a superbly consistent journey. However, the EP’s newer songs suffer in comparison to the trio of veteran tracks, falling short in terms of sophistication while failing to bring anything new to the table.
“Izna” has the most issues. The title track is full of earworm melodies and has a relaxed flair, but the transitions between most sections of the song are choppy and “Izna” never reaches a satisfying crescendo. The song’s strongest part is its final bridge, where Jiyoon and Jungeun bring a much-needed punch with their powerful vocals.
As satisfying as that moment is, it actually points to a further issue that N/a struggles with across its tracks. Since N/a sticks so closely to the dynamics established in I-Land 2, the members who stood out most in I-Land 2 continue to dominate. That includes vocalists Jiyoon and Jungeun, center Jeemin, and especially performance juggernaut Koko. Meanwhile, members who had less defined roles in I-Land 2, like Mai, Saebi, and Sarang, are often in danger of fading into the background. That isn’t necessarily a reflection of their particular talents, but rather a criticism of a creative team that has failed to evolve to provide highlight opportunities suitable for these members. One of the most fun things about following a group through a survival show to debut and beyond is watching as unexpected members come into their own. To their detriment, Izna are currently missing that boat.
Compared to “Izna,” “Timebomb” is a much more successful track. It’s bursting with good vibes that match its rookie-coded ‘let’s do this’ message. Indeed, with its effortless bubblegum charm, “Timebomb” had real potential to be N/a’s strongest track, and will likely still be a fan favorite. What holds the song back is its overzealous loyalty to the EP’s hollow 2010’s production style. The exuberance of the song’s melodies needs a fuller sonic backing to burst into full life. “Timebomb” comes close to that in its lush outro (thank you again, Jiyoon and Jungeun), which only makes its slight overall shortcomings the more painful.
The same thing could be said of N/a as a whole. The EP is a cohesive, enjoyable debut that radiates largely deserved confidence. At times though, N/a plays things too safe. There is a version of N/a in an alternate universe that took a few more risks and was just a bit more adaptable, and that (imagined) album is a gem. What we have instead is a solid, but not slam-dunk, effort. N/a is the kind of album that comes from a creative team that is totally certain of their rookie group’s ultimate success, and that calm conviction is part of N/a’s charm. In the future though, just a dash more imagination and effort would be very welcome.
(YouTube[1][2]. Lyrics via Genius[1][2][3][4], YouTube. Images via The Black Label, WakeOne.)
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