Itzy — Checkmate

Por um escritor misterioso

Last updated 21 março 2025

Checkmate is a flawed record, but in true Itzy fashion, refuses to take itself too seriously and knows that the group’s sense of fun is its greatest strength. Five member K-pop girl group Itzy have made a career out of being weird. Sometimes through shallow, not-like-other-girls branding, and sometimes through music packed with quirky production choices and bold, shouted hooks. Their debut track “Dalla Dalla” (2019) opened with an elevator ding and a hollow, bending synth line: “I love myself!” the ladies of Itzy cheered as glitter bombs exploded in the distance. A year later, they renewed their self-love licenses on “Wannabe,” where they declared that “I don’t wanna be somebody, just wanna be me” over a crunchy mix of guitar strums and room-filling synths. Other tracks like “Not Shy,” “Swipe,” and “Icy” respectively featured obnoxious horns, a sneering hip-hop beat, and a chaotic cascade of first sugary, then gritty instrumental layers. They reveled in being too much, almost all the time: you either got it, or you got left behind to catch up later. Checkmate, led by single “Sneakers,” is Itzy’s seventh release and treads mostly expected ground. After mixed results from their more exploratory title tracks in 2021, the […]