IVE are back and ready to make everyone know their name! The girl group has just released their first full-length album I’ve IVE, and are kicking off this new era with a bang. The album features 11 new tracks, led by the bombastic single “I Am.”

With “I Am,” IVE has gone the route of delivering a solid and rousing power pop track. The track wastes no time cranking up the energy, with a wondrously smooth production of synths and excellent builds that pay off in a satisfying and bold chorus. The latest trends in K-pop have seen a lot of groups go for the anti-drop in choruses (for better and for worse), so it’s refreshing to have a group like IVE taking a different path. Taking your own path is actually the song’s main message, with the title itself being a powerful statement. “A different me from yesterday / it’s thrilling / Everything I’m afraid of makes my heart flutter now,” member Gaeul confidently declares in the chorus. The song as a whole is a fantastic anthem, never letting the energy lull too much, even in the lullaby-like pre-chorus, which builds nicely into the chorus. The lyrics are fun and unique enough to make them a fun sing-along. You’ll definitely catch me singing along to lines like “Life is a beautiful galaxy / Be a writer, the genre being fantasy.”

The song is heavy on delivering an easy-to-follow and satisfying melody, led by the excellent vocals and harmonies of the group members. Hearing all of the members singing together in the chorus adds even more to the anthem-like feel, and the soaring notes delivered by Liz in the pre-chorus give me goosebumps just hearing it through headphones, making me want to hear it live so badly.

With “I Am,” IVE make their message of believing in themselves and constantly growing loud and clear. By going against the current mold of their contemporaries, the group is on its way to the stars and it doesn’t look like they’ll be coming back down anytime soon.

Featured Image: Starship Entertainment