Sometimes it takes a few songs for a group’s sound to totally click with me. I enjoyed ILLIT’s 2024 megahit Magnetic as much as anyone, but it wasn’t until this year’s fanciful Do The Dance that I totally understood what the group could be. Lately, their music has veered closer to third-gen groups like Lovelyz than contemporaries like NewJeans, and that’s a very satisfying spot for them to be.
Unfortunately, new single Not Cute Anymore takes them back to the boring wallpaper music of their past. I can’t imagine an A&R team hearing this and thinking, “Yes! That’s our title track!!” The song is two minutes of ultra-subdued fluff with one idea repeated over and over again. It’s finished before you know it without presenting any kind of musical scope or climax. The song is truly a waft of air, swirling once around your ear before heading back out the window. If I was a huge ILLIT fan, I’d feel very cheated by this after five months of waiting for new music.
While Not Cute Anymore barely registers as a song, does it work as a “vibe”? HYBE seems to think so, as they’ve already commissioned a twenty-second “meme version” of the track. To be honest, all you need is about twenty seconds and you’ve experienced everything Not Cute Anymore has to say, so maybe just save your time and stream that version. Otherwise, this is getting ridiculous.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.75 |
