2024 has been a big year for (G)I-dle. Their second full-length album was released to a fourth perfect all-kill in a row, a new tour was announced, and solo projects were undertaken. Now, with their latest EP, (G)I-dle have taken their first stab at the classic summer release. And to the shock of no one, they hit it out of the park.
(G)I-dle has made their mark by always having something to say. Sometimes about gender roles, sometimes about adulthood, sometimes about fame or love or their relationships with themselves, but there was always a point. I Sway is probably the least sharp release they have done in a while, but that itself almost feels like the point. Like most summer EPs, it comes off as a step away from real life, but the ladies of (G)I-dle are entirely aware of that, and taking that break to breathe and prepare for what’s next.
Title track “Klaxon” is a perfect example of controlled chaos. The production is incredibly messy, a swirling mix of bouncy strings and synths, car horns, brass punctuations, and (G)I-dle at their sassiest. But that mess is the appeal. “Klaxon” is fun, the absolute delight of flinging yourself headfirst into a crush for the hell of it. It’s got all the sugar of bubblegum pop, but the instrumentation is too built out for that, creating a lush soundscape that practically begs the audience to step into the fantasy “Klaxon” creates, if only for a few minutes.
This makes “Last Forever” hit all the harder. “Klaxon” makes you want to step out of time, but “Last Forever” makes it feel like a need. Right now, (G)I-dle have hopes, dreams, grit, and most of all, passion. And they fervently want to stay right here, with those feelings, because they are afraid not of failure, but of success. Every creative fears trading passion for glory, of succeeding so well that the thing that once brought you such joy just feels like ash. (G)I-dle know that is a very real possibility, and so long to stay in this moment, where that has not happened and the future is nothing but bright. The instrumentation only furthers this. “Last Forever” sounds nostalgic, channeling mid-2000s pop-rock. Yet, it never veers into dated or retro by getting too close to any particular sound. Instead, “Last Forever” has a vaguely familiar vibe, something heard a decade ago that feels warm and comforting, but you can’t really pin down.
Following “Last Forever” is “Bloom”, which still captures the uncertainty about the future, but replaces the fear of the prior track with a single point of surety. In this case, that single point is a solid relationship. (G)I-dle still don’t know what the future is going to hold, but having someone they can depend on, who they feel will help them become their best self, gives them the courage to face the future. The sweet, sincere lyrics are paired with a laid-back but again, lush, production. The instrumentation takes some cues from nu disco, but plays it for a chilled-out and almost femme vibe rather than a party. The synths and vocals are very soft, flowing, and swirling around each other. The end result is something akin to being in a calm stretch of ocean: everything is moving around you, but you’re just bobbing up and down, content to let things happen.
Closing I Sway out is “Neverland”. Like “Peter Pan” from last year’s I Feel, (G)I-dle show both a great fondness for and a keen understanding of the fictional land where growing up isn’t a requirement. A mix of encouragement and endings, “Neverland” lets it sink in that, no matter how much we might want to take a break from real life, sooner or later, we have to face it. (G)I-dle frame Neverland as a place of recuperation, somewhere where you can stop for a moment, take a breath, and decide on your next goal. You do eventually have to leave, but that is framed as a positive, something done with the support of friends and hope for a new chapter. This is only amplified by the instrumentals, which thankfully continue with the lusher, more built-out productions. Built primarily on acoustic guitars and drums, with some light twinkling synths for flavor, “Neverland” strikes a firmly bittersweet chord that embodies the desire to smile because something happened, not cry because it’s over.
I Sway is almost a deconstruction of the summer EP and the sense of them not really counting. (G)I-dle understand the desire, the need, and the purpose of taking a break from real life for a little while. Whether for fun, from fear, or to lick your wounds and brace yourself for whatever comes next, a small departure from reality is good for the soul… as long as you come back when you’re done.
(YouTube. Images via Cube Entertainment)
