IZ (pronounced Eyes) are a Korean group, I would probably say their music is more on the rock side than the pop side. If you like groups such as The Rose, N.Flying or Day6 (groups I wish to cover in the future) I believe you will like this group.
IZ debuted in 2017, the band consists of four members Hyunjin (Lead vocalist and guitarist), Jihoo (main vocalist and Rhythm guitar), Woosu (lead rapper and drummer) and Junyoung (bassist). Their fan name is ILUV, which I personally think is really cute.
Onto the music. I have been listening to IZ since they debuted and I really love their music. They are definitely a group that is always changing, which is refreshing.
All You Want is IZ's debut song. It is a lot cuter than their future music, it has a really wholesome vibe to it. When listening to it, it reminded me a lot of second generation Kpop, making me think of many of CNBlues love songs from the time. The song starts with an instrumental before bringing in Jihoo's vocals. It also gives me a little bit of a Jazz vibe compared to their future rock songs. It feels like a song that is perfect for spring as it is playful and sweet. The song is about someone falling in love, there seems to be a lot of back and forth in the lyrics, as they question their thoughts and feelings, then in the chorus they admit their feelings. 'I don't know why but i'm thinking about you' shows that they aren't sure of their feelings yet. However, there is definitely something there, they then go on to list all the things that they are thinking about: their eyes, nose, lips (nearly started singing Taeyang's song) hair, face and freckles. Then in the chorus they realise they are 'in love' as 'love love love is you', they are wanting to know what the person is doing so 'it has to be' them. They also hope to see their love interest in their dreams as they 'keep thinking of [their] soft smile'. This song is so cute, I just love how fun the song feels.
Eden is one of my favourite songs by IZ. It reminds me a lot of Japanese rock and is a lot heavier than some of the other Korean rock bands I have listened to. It has a very similar feel to some of the music Radwimps has created for Kimi no na wa or Weathering with you. It starts with electric instruments before bringing the drums and guitar in, to give the song that Rock style. As I often say, I like when the music fades to bring a focus on the vocals, this song does this as well, it is a really nice affect, it also for some reason makes the song feel like it's directed towards the listener. There is also a nice guitar solo in this song, showing off all the members talents. I was a little surprised as I looked up the lyrics as I wasn't expecting them to talk about God. However, the main theme within the song is having the power within yourself to chase 'the dream' and be who you want to be.'Let's say it like a prophecy' suggests this, it feels like they're talking about the law of attraction, if you say it as if it will happen or has already happened then it is more likely to become true. One of the lyrics I really like in the song translates to 'You've seen hope at the end of the world' this suggests to me that even when you feel the world is crumbling around you, there can still be hope found in it (a meaningful message during the current situation). 'I believe it and I go for it, that's the only thing I can do', to me this line is talking about not giving up on something no matter how hard it is to keep fighting for it as 'one day [your] dream will become reality'. I feel like this song has a really beautiful message and I recommend giving it a listen when your dreams feel hard to chase, because you can 'grab the stars in the sky with [your] hands'.
The last song I want to talk about is Final Kiss. I firstly want to say the music video is very aesthetically pleasing to me, it looks like it would be fun to film as well. The beginning of this song gives me chills, it is really smooth and flows beautifully. With the lovely combination of the instruments with the vocal oh's it sets you up for a sad song that sounds happy. I have noticed in a few of their songs they talk about freckles in the lyrics, they talk about them in All You Want and in this song they say 'you spread out like a freckle' I find this an interesting trend in their songs. The lyrics, as expected by the title is about a breakup, it talks about the persons feelings when this is happening. Talking about how they are heart broken, but understand why it needed to end. 'My heart is not okay right now' but they later go on to say 'you and I, we're all bad, goodbye' this to me says that even though it hurts them it was clear that they're relationship was not going to work out, so they had to have their 'Final kiss'. This song is a lot less heavy than Eden but not as soft as All You Want, it has a nice middle ground to fit the mood of the song. I think this is my all time favourite out of their songs, it makes me feel nostalgic for some reason, it feels familiar and comforting.
Overall, their songs are really good, I recommend checking out IZ because they deserve more recognition. Also my bias is Hyunjin. I really hope you enjoyed this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading x
Songs mentioned:
Final Kiss : https://youtu.be/q_ztiN1V9Vw
All You Want: https://youtu.be/RThtQnQ6BOk
Twitter:@official__iz
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Facebook:OfficialIZ
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