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LINK: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6vdlzm5uofi46o0agt49i/GIDLE-I-NEVER-DIE-Album-Listening-Party.mp4?rlkey=grms9o9bvrw672pbrhja5nk8h&dl=0

Comments

Anonymous

I'm guessing you know by now that there is an unedited version of Tomboy. I think it's on the CD physical copy, but you can also hear it on YouTube.

Stefan K

I wish I had more to say about this album, but it's a solid showing of their talent 🙃

rhzzn

the soyeon lyric you were a bit confused about in Liar actually translates better as "oh your mom didnt like me, well make sure to tell her i didnt like her either"

shinwon swimming

This was a damn great album. I think my top faves on here were Polaroid, Never Stop Me and Tomboy. I quite enjoyed Liar too. Haha. Anw Cube may be a shit show of a company but istg the artists they have and the music they put out is absolutely top tier. 💓

shinwon swimming

Also in Liar, the part that you thought was strange in the chorus, I wonder if it was meant to mimic the way a car would sound when drifting as per the lyrics, hence the slight delay/break. 🤔

Anonymous

I really love this album. Lots of different sounds going on, but they're all songs that I really connect to. Even My Bag would be a song that I wouldn't go for usually, but I love it here. Hard not to enjoy all the members going in like that haha, it's great. My top three though would be: 1. Escape 2. Liar 3. Never Stop Me Escape is incredible. I can't explain exactly what it is, but it gives me a special emotional feeling that I get from only a few other kpop songs (ones like DAHLIA and LOONA's Universe for example). Fantastic lyrics too, it was great to hear you break down that aspect of the album and give your interpretations. Great reaction to a great album! I know I'm gonna be listening to this a LOT.

Jake Twohig

I’m normally a proponent of letting deep voiced members be vocalists and not forcing them to rap all the time. But now that I’ve heard Yuqi’s rap in My Bag. I want her to rap more haha.

randomAlienVisitor

Yuqi knows how to show off her voice, you can really tell she produced Liar

seekified

Great, Patreon nuked my comment when I edited it. Whatever, I loved the album - Tomboy and Never Stop Me are my least favorite because of the English and because they don't stand out as much. I love the Shushu parts and switchups in Villain Dies and Already, and Miyeon's parts in Already are heartwrenching. Polaroid and Escape... These hurt. I adore them. Can't help but think of last year when I hear those lyrics. Let's never forget this time, but keep smiling and walking forward, kind of. Also really like Soyeon's rap on Escape - I have a thing for chill background, gritted-teeth raps like that. And I actually really like Liar. 😂 I get what you mean with "simple", but for me this song does the best job of portraying the desparation and rage that I was expecting from this album. And My Bag is just a ton of fun and Yuqi can keep doing that whenever she wants. I think my favorites are Already, Escape and Liar for now.

Anonymous

I feel like this group grew so much during last year. Even tho there was no group cb but it feels like everyone improved individually. And my godness Yuqi... just tooo good (but i might just be biased hehe)

Mint

ya.. unfortunately, Soyeon English is still on the cringey side like most of kpop. wish kpop in general would dial down on the English but on the other hand I do understand that the English is more meant for local consumption. That it makes sense in Konglish terms. I used to be deep into Jrock and the English there is worse on a whole other level (like another language), so I guess I am used to ignoring it. And again, the English is Jrock was also meant for local context

Mint

My thoughts similar to yours. Tomboy Video > Song. But, surprisingly, the song holds up very well to repeat listens. So, I think it will continue to chart well (catchy + repeatable). Think its because its more complex than I noticed on first listen. I heard someone calling it mischievous and I agree with that. It also shows a lot of restraint which makes it not tiring to listen to many times (a problem with rock songs). A very well constructed song that really shows Soyeon's growth as hitmaker producer.

Mint

Sorry for spamming your comments. Using the opportunity to gather my own thoughts on the album through writing :) Never Stop Me = Good track but not much comment Villain Dies = Great, classic Soyeon experimental track. Could be a title track if they were going the Oh-My-God route but much too risky for this comeback Already + Escape = With more songs to her credit, I am realizing, like you, that I personally love Minnie's songs. She is not a hitmaker but these are the kind of midtempo, laidback, "indie"-style songs that I could listen to all day, so its not surprising I like her style Polaroid + Liar = Yuqi has tremendous potential, the highest among all the Idle girls. If I were an entertainment manager, there is no one else I would want to sign more than Yuqi. If she ever fulfills 100% of that potential, she could be China's IU. Even half of that potential, and she's a star. I emphasize China though, because her specific qualities, makes her come across as the special girl-next-door there, which is the rarest of talents. My Bag = Just pure fun. Curiously, I completely don't mind the English here. Maybe cos its just too fun

randomAlienVisitor

I didn't care for Soyeon's rap in Tomboy either, but she wrote it herself. So i guess she wanted it in English. English doesn't make kpop raps bad, Chungha's rap in Bicycle is great and its in English, but she is also fluent in English.

theriacs

had a lot of fun with your reaction while listening to the album again! thanks for doing this. i genuinely love their title track tomboy, especially with implications like tattooing your ex's name on your toe so you can step on them at any time. i know most people interpret the word tomboy as having a certain masculine look, but they may not be aware of how "tomboy" can be used in a derogatory way unless they've experienced it themselves. girls who take on activities traditionally seen as more masculine are ridiculed or scolded for being tomboys and how they'll never find a man to get married to if they don't act more feminine. soyeon's mentioned it in interviews that people found it strange she wanted to produce songs when she's not a man. i think yuqi has also mentioned how, when she was younger, she was hesitant about singing with her husky voice because people would say it sounded manly. the tomboy title track is a big middle finger to such intensely divided gender roles. they're co-opting the word "tomboy" to say they're proud of who they are, and they won't let anyone push them into a box of what they should or shouldn't be like. you can see it in their choreo when they sing: "it's neither man (strength pose) nor woman (across the waist pose)" and when they repeat the line again: "it's neither man (across the waist pose) nor woman (strength pose)" to which i interpreted their actions as saying "men aren't strictly masculine, women aren't strictly feminine, and we're just me, i-dle." if doing so results in them being called tomboy for being themselves or pursuing things they want to do, then they're going to embrace the name. also, villain dies is pretty heartbreaking if you consider that the song may involve three characters: self-proclaimed heroine: the one who lives on at the expense of the villain and has the ACTUAL VILLAINOUS SOUNDING PART alleged villain: the one called a villain by someone who didn't know her but wanted her dead. their narrative was twisted by forces out of their control (god or author). she's going try to take back control of her story or go down trying. in the end, the true villain has the last laugh. and thus, the third character seeing the story unfold writes (i) never die.

KpopPrince

Love seeing you break down stuff more here! Does the term tomboy have a different connotation in Korea then? From what I recall growing up in the 90s, tomboy was definitely a term of endearment at least in media. It was always the cool girl who'd be skateboarding or something like Reggie in the show Rocket Power haha

theriacs

totally get where you're coming from, the most widely seen depictions in western media were like skater chicks who dressed boyishly, acted tough, was not like other girls and cool with the guys. but if you think about it, they were rarely the ones in the main relationships, or if they did catch their love interest's attention, the tomboy went through some transformation to show how pretty and feminine she could be. if you grew up in the 90s, i'm assuming you're familiar with the princess diaries LOL if the tomboy doesn't change, they kind of stay that best friend character. the happy ever afters aren't there for them. they just kinda...exist. in a largely hetero paired world, society isn't entirely clear what to do what people/characters who embody both feminine and masculine qualities like a tomboy (not just in terms of dress but their attitude as well). it's hard for people to put a label on, and as a result, messes with their mental organization of what a man or woman should or shouldn't be. i think it's particularly relevant that idle's tomboy song also shows how they're dishing out vengeance on an ex who tried to change them into a barbie doll who should only act pretty, keep quiet, and let themselves be played with by others. specifically in korea, there's been a large backlash against the rising demand for equality between genders. a tomboy wouldn't be seen as a good thing when the heavily traditionalist endgame in korea is to get married and raise kids. if you can't get married, people wonder if there's something wrong with you and you're shamed for it. for men and woman to find marriage prospects, they're strongly encouraged to measure up to strict gender roles. like...korea has beauty standards so strict that they measure the degree of someone's nose, you know what i mean? young women are often gifted a plastic surgery procedure when they turn 18. so being a tomboy forever isn't seen as a good thing. it may be endearing when you're young, but it's seen as a phase you're supposed to drop when you turn into an adult. you can see in the MV and dance choreo the specific things idle want to rebel against: - only being feminine: minnie in the opening is in a very dollhouse-like room - keeping quiet and not speaking your mind: soyeon isolated in a small room with her thoughts and feelings trapped inside with her - letting men use women however they want: in the live stage performance when soyeon sings "your mama raised you as a prince, right?" the choreo has her touch her members' backsides, speaking to the entitlement certain men feel they have over women's bodies--the various kinds of sexual harassment women in korea endure like gropings on public transit. so yeah, if that's what it means to be woman in korea, then idle is going to rebel against it by being tomboys. they're going to say what they want to say, produce the music they want to, dress how they want to, and give themselves the cool action shots blowing cars up.

KpopPrince

Very much appreciate this comment and explanation! Just want to say how grateful I am that you're a patron because I love seeing thoughtful dissections of kpop, especially when it's within this community. I do personally think the video overall is better than the song and some symbols you shed light on cemented that feeling.

theriacs

i agree that the tomboy music video give the song that little extra something. i think i'm just extra fond of tomboy and never stop me because i grew up listening to the whole vans warped tour era of punk rock/pop, lol. soyeon came back to be disrespectful as hell, lmao i really loved the way idle uses their vocal color to express emotions on their b-sides this album. yuqi and minnie especially impressed me. i'm not sure if you've recently watched minnie on leemujin's service show, but she will 100% slay you with her vocals. no joke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2UeSrQHn_c

Qwarky

My 2cent as Non Nevie and very very casual Gidle listener: Tomboy, i already talk enough about Soyeon rap but the rest of the song is truly fun and well produced. Good TT who sets quite well the tone of the album and good track for gym i would say XD 9/10 Never stop me: After many listen to this album it's by a mile my favorite track but i can't explain why. I have a nostalgia feeling on this one like a early 2000 song but i can't quite explain what is it but it's on repeat. 11/10 Already + Escape: Minnie's tracks again with those lowkey/indie vibes and she is mastering those. 2 Great tracks nothing else to say. I just wish in the future that Minnie try something different sound-wise, she definitely have the talent. both 9/10 Villain dies: the most experimental track and i adore it. Love the string, love the message and the whole instrumental on it 10/10 Polaroid: I think Yuqi produce my favourites tracks from Idle and i also think that she have the biggest potential. Great track with such a comforting sound. It let you with a big smile on your face. 10/10 Liar: got caught off guard by that delay but i quite like it. I love weird things like this. The instru goes really hard 8/10 My bag: idk if i can't review this. Yuqi rapping with her deep voice.... i was waiting for this for so long! The whole group serves us on this one! But it's more of a concert/performance one. I think i won't listen to it as often as the other Overall a long awaited comeback but they slayed it. But i truly think their next one is where they will remind us why they were so high on the top. I hope it sparks a more rock influence era in Kpop and that groups like DC, Pink fantasy or Rolling Quartz will shine in it.

randomAlienVisitor

i liked tomboy in the moment and was kind of caught up in the excitement of them being back after so long, but now a week later I have not listened to it after the first or second day. I've been listening to the rest of the album a lot, but not tomboy. the rap is just jarring and does not work. i'm also not a fan of the spoken parts and pauses before it starts going into the "la la la" section. idk Soyeon wrote it herself so i guess she wanted it that way, but in my opinion it was probably one of the worst raps in a Gidle song. It just doesn't flow and does not really make sense lyrically. Soyeon takes pride in writing her own raps and has even said you are not a rapper if you don't write them yourself. But i think it could have been improved a lot if Minnie or Yuqi who are both more or less fluent in English had helped her out. English in a Kpop rap doesn't inherently make it terrible, Chungha's rap in bicycle was fantastic. I think the difference is that Chungha is fluent in English and so has more awareness of what sounds good and what doesn't. i love the music video, it is amazing. But i guess i'm not a fan of the song