If you know me personally or have been following this blog since at least the beginning of this year, you probably know how excited I have been about XG in 2023. Ever since I found out about this group late last year, I have been hooked. Everything about XG is cool and thrilling, and they deserve to pop off in a major way soon. XG is a seven-member all-Japanese Girl Group that is technically a part of the K-Pop industry(even though they are signed to Avex, which is a music label based in Tokyo, XG is actually based in South Korea). XG is made up of Jurin, Chisa, Harvey, Hinata, Cocona, Maya, and Juria; they make music in Japanese, Korean, and English, with most of their music being in English. Because of this, they have been able to appeal to an international audience, making them pop off in Western markets in a way that can be tough for other K-Pop artists. XG debuted in early 2022 with the release of their first two singles, ‘Tippy Toes’ and ‘MASCARA.’ These two songs did stir up a solid amount of hype for them online, but XG did not truly make their mark until the end of 2022 when they dropped their epic XGAL Xypher tapes. These are two videos consisting of the rappers from XG, Jurin, Maya, Cocona, and Harvey showing off their rapping skills. The second of these tapes went viral on both TikTok and YouTube, cementing XG as one of the most exciting K-Pop groups on the rise. XG kept the momentum from these tapes going into 2023 with the release of their two stand-alone singles, ‘SHOOTING STAR’ and ‘LEFT RIGHT.’ These are both excellent tracks that fused 90s R&B with modern Pop-Trap, and they are two of my favorite songs from the first half of 2023(if you have not heard these tracks yet, please go back and listen to them because they are really good). Since these singles came out, XG has released a few more singles in anticipation of their debut EP NEW DNA. Hopefully, this EP is a continuation of the greatness that XG has shown so far and a sign of great things to come. With that being said, here is how I feel about XG’s NEW DNA. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this project, and also comment on how you feel about NEW DNA as a whole.
XG gets the project started with ‘HESONOO,’ which is a brief introduction that pulls the listener into the world of XG. This song has vocals provided by what sounds like male and female Artificial Intelligence forms which are initiating the “program” that is XG. These Artificial Intelligence forms are speaking on an instrumental that has a creepy and otherworldly feeling. This “instrumental” is provided by distant and ambient-sounding synths that are complemented by wind and robotic sound effects. ‘HESONOO’ is a cool and weird way to start the record, as it feels like the listener is being transported to a different planet, world, or computer program that is ruled by XG. ‘X-GENE’ gets the music of the project started on a gritty and intense note. This is a harsh Trap track with a quirky and futuristic feeling to it. The verses of the track hardly contain a melody, with a bright and colorful melody kicking during the chorus. The beat for this song feels so mechanical and ethereal; it is provided by a heavy bassline and weird, clanky noises that take the place of the hi-hats and snares. All of the vocals are very good(out of the raps, Jurin sounds the best in my opinion), but the one that really stands out is Juria. The high pitch and power that she sings with give the song so much life, taking the gruff sound of the track and making it light and sweet. ‘X-GENE’ is a very fun and interesting track, but in my opinion, it is too short. At 1:25, it feels like this song is over before it hits in the way it can. ‘X-GENE’ is still a great way to start off the music of this record, though, as it shows how innovative XG can be. ‘GRL GVNG’ was the first single released in anticipation of this record. I covered this track back in a post about some new K-Pop songs that I love which I wrote a couple of months ago(go read that write-up after this if you have not yet for some more great K-Pop tracks to check out). ‘GRL GVNG’ is an intense Melodic Trap song that fits in super well with the Trap music landscape of today. This song has a dark synth-driven melody that is put on top of an in-your-face, bold Trap beat. I really love how foreboding the melody is on this track and how much the bass bangs, as it pumps me up when I hear it and makes me either want to work out or party very hard. The vocal performances on this track match the powerful feeling of the song, making it feel larger than life. To me, the vocalists that stand out the most on this track are Jurin and Maya. Both of these ladies rap with a ferocity that sounds so great on this track and makes it so vigorous and entertaining. ‘GRL GVNG’ is not the most unique Trap song, but it is still an awesome track that shows how talented these girls are.
‘TGIF’ is the second single that was released before this project came out. To be honest, this track sort of underwhelmed me when it came out, but it has grown on me since. It has a Runway-esque sort of Y2K House music sound that would be perfect to play at either an underground New York club or during a weird fashion show. The song is driven by a melody provided by a deep, spirited downtempo synth beat put on some rattling hi-hats and complemented by various clicky sound effects. Although the instrumental for this track does not stand out or hit me like some of the other ones on this project do, this is made up for by all of the great vocal performances by XG on this track. The vocalists that stick out the most are Hinata and Chisa. They both provide so much emphasis to this track, making it sound very fun and exciting. ‘TGIF’ is a high-energy club sort of track that is bound to get any dance floor jumping when it comes on. ‘NEW DANCE’ was the last single released from this EP. This track has been one of my favorites since it came out; I have been listening to it pretty much every day since it came out, and it is easily emerging as one of my favorite songs from 2023(I think I like it even more than ‘SHOOTING STAR,’ which is saying a lot considering how much I preached the greatness of that track earlier this year). This is a Soulful Pop track that has a sound that reminds me a lot of the new-fangled Funk music that has been made popular by producers like Pharrell in the last 15-20 years or so. This song has the energy of the Neo-R&B music that Pharrell’s Neptunes production team dominated the charts with through artists like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Robin Thicke. This song is driven by a groovy guitar riff that is complemented by fat synths and put on an quick and eccentric beat. This song has the kind of sound that will make anyone want to dance when they listen to it. Out of all the songs on this project so far, this song has the best vocals. Every member contributes so much positive energy to this song, with Cocona and Harvey truly stealing the show. Both of them are such unique vocalists and make this song so much better with the way they shine on this track. ‘NEW DANCE’ is a thrilling track that will make anyone want to bop their heads and party when they hear it; this is the perfect song for any club or party setting. XG closes out NEW DNA with the song ‘PUPPET SHOW.’ This track fuses the 90s House music sound that we got on the song ‘TGIF’ with modern Pop-Trap music. In my opinion, this song is more stimulating than ‘TGIF.’ I would assume that is due to its complexity. Whereas ‘TGIF’ feels mundane in a way, this song feels so intricate. The melody for this track is bright and colorful, being driven by deep synths that are complemented by twinkling sound effects that sound heavenly. I really love how the beat drops on the chorus of this track; the Trap beat that comes in on the hook gives the song so much attitude and life. There is also a cool breakdown on the bridge of this song that gives it texture too. The beat kicks out during the bridge, which makes the closing chorus punch so much harder. The vocal performances on this track are somehow better than they are on ‘NEW DANCE,’ which is saying a lot. Every member contributes so much to this track, but Jurin and Juria are my favorites on this track. Jurin’s rap has a gritty element to it that contrasts the softer nature of the rest of the vocals so nicely, and the range that Juria sings with on the hook reminds me a lot of Ariana Grande(which is obviously a great thing). ‘PUPPET SHOW’ is such an excellent closer for this EP. XG wanted to make sure they end NEW DNA with a bang, and they achieved this with ‘PUPPET SHOW.’
XG has quickly been emerging as one of the most riveting K-Pop groups coming up right now, and this new EP makes it easy to see why. NEW DNA is a short and sweet project that shows the massive talent and diversity that this group has musically. It is amazing how eclectic this EP is for how short it is. Through these six songs, XG shows how vast the range of their artistry can be, showcasing multiple very different kinds of music in a compact project. Even though every song on this project is different from one another, they still flow together super well and sound natural together on the same project. The main issue that I have with XG’s NEW DNA is that it is so short. This project definitely leaves me wanting more, as it feels like it is over way too quickly. Maybe this is a good thing, though, as now I am anticipating their next release even more. NEW DNA is a very good debut EP from XG, and it once again proves how bright the future is for this group.
EAST SIDE VIBES 