Much like its impact in Korea, the Japanese model of Produce 101 spreads its tentacles far and broad all through the business. Not solely do individuals find yourself in quite a lot of unaffiliated teams, however the present itself spawns a number of acts. Months after the debut of profitable group ME:I, the runners up have made their debut as IS:SUE.

ME:I opted for a brighter, cutesy sound which means IS:SUE should declare the opposite aspect of the lady group spectrum. As a result of… heaven forbid we do something new or authentic, proper? Join seems like a mixture of trendy LE SSERAFIM and clanging, clattering BABYMONSTER. It’s a story of two segments, with its attitude-fueled verses working properly and the simplistic refrain pulling the entire thing down.

These ladies might clearly do one thing superb with higher materials. I really like the deeper tone to their vocals. The efficiency jogs my memory of older Avex teams like E-girls and Faky, and Join begs for a refrain as sturdy as these highlights. As a substitute, the monitor unfurls a squeaky synth loop as disconnected melody traces collide with chanted catchphrases. It’s a waste of the squelchy bass and defiant stomp that highlights a lot of the instrumental and makes Join really feel extra like compulsory product than an exhilarating piece of music.

Grade: C-