Itzy are a new-generation girlgroup from JYP Entertainment, following on from the success of Twice, one of JYP's most successful girl groups to this date. Itzy's concept was to stand out and be different, and so they have debuted in 2019 with their first extended play 'IT'z Different'.

I'm curious as to how Dalla Dalla, the title song will sound, as a member of Itzy was formerly a contestant on JYP's reality show Sixteen, which was a competition to decide who would become part of 2015's new girl group, Twice. Chaeryoung was a contestant but failed to debut, and so has spent the latter portions of her life as a JYP Entertainment trainee, and it looks like that has paid off as she is now part of the 5-set girlgroup, Itzy.

Today I'll be listening to the extended play 'IT'z Different' and breaking down the songs, as well as sharing my opinions on song composition.

0:03 - I’m already getting a dancey vibe right from the get-go, which gets me into the mood. I also like the (dalla dalla) adlib in the background to give a taste of what’s to come, especially coming from a newly-debuted group.

0:18 - That same bumpy instrumental remains and now we’re introduced to our first singing part from Ryujin, I love the energetic and courageous entrance from her so far, her vocal tone screams fierceness and that she has no fear, which nicely compliments the violent and dirty instrumental.

0:30 - With the (don’t care, don’t care, really don’t care), on top of the main vocals, there is a subvocal underneath an octave higher which is elevating the vocal portion and the lyrics to stand out much higher than the deep and punchy instrumentals and I love how nicely the undertone is used here.

0:35 - Chaeryoung’s vocals are floral and feminine which is a contrast to the previous peppy and moody vocals, add to this the new poppy and flowery instrumental pickup in the background and so far it’s been a nice mix of grunge vibes and the now more serene and flowery feel from Chaeryoung’s portion of the first verse.

0:49 - This chorus is heavily contrasted by what we’ve heard so far in the first verse. It’s a lot more akin to Chaeryoung’s part which was floral and elegant and girly, as opposed to the harsh and girlcrush vibe of the beginning of the song. I love that the instrumentals in the background are similar in tone to the first verse but the pitch is a lot higher and brighter to keep the sound consistent.

1:06 - I like this part of the extended chorus a lot as it’s a harmonisation of all the girls and walking back into the intro with the (dalla dalla) adlib, loving the callback and the energy from this part.

1:22 - Now we’re back to the grunge and girlcrush vibe and it’s definitely a switchup. This time the instrumentals are more trappy and hip-hop, combined with the harsh and hostile tone of the lyrics and vocals.

1:30 - That 808 drop was nasty. It perfectly transitions this part into a half-time and keeps the girlcrush vibe going, I also love how much echo there is in Yeji’s voice to give her vocals that big and strong energy, almost like a lion’s roar.

1:37 - Now back to that floral and girly lyricism and composition like we saw in the end of the first verse from Chaeryoung. There have been a lot of switchups in the song and it just keeps us interested in what’s to come.

2:10 - The bridge here is very mellow and airy, especially with the serene and sincere vocals. The instrumental is still very poppy and dancey which I love as it doesn’t derail the song’s pace.

2:25 - This chant is awesome, even if the lyrics are a little cringe and youthful. I love the harmonisation here as well as the poppy and dancey instrumentals.

2:43 - I love that there is little to no changes to the chorus in this ending piece, the chorus is so iconic for being so standalone yet at the same time it’z so different to the rest of the song. Awesome stuff.

0:08 - The song so far has a cheerleader vibe, similar to Dalla Dalla’s bridge.

0:23 - This verse is very old-school pop, especially with the harmonisation, the lyrics, and the electric guitar to accompany the youthful and raw emotions of this verse.

0:38 - I love how airy the vocals are, it’s very chant-like, especially with the kickdrums being introduced the deeper the first verse gets.

0:53 - This was a weird hook. I really loved how the airy vocals remained and this hook was a nice display of how good the vocal range is. I also loved how the instrumentals followed the pitch of the vocals to really elevate where the tone was going.

0:58 - This sounds really punk-rock with all the electric and dirty instruments combined with the raw and emotional vocals.

1:47 - The additional kickdrums really give this chorus some more energy whilst still allowing all the different instruments to not be too cramped.

2:16 - I love how all the instruments are toned down to give some emphasis on the vocals, as well as the claps added to really get the chant vibe going.

I loved Dalla Dalla a lot, it's so different, no pun intended. I loved the pace and tonal switches to keep me engaged and thinking of what's to come. Plus the instrumentals were head-bang worthy and easy to sway to. Their vocals I didn't find particular interesting nor polished, but the song composition is there. Yeji has a particular energy about her, especially during her half-time part in the second verse.

I feel like this is a mildly-strong start to Itzy's career, but nothing to cement what they seem to be capable of. They seem like a dance-oriented group with how electronica-emphasised their song composition seems to be aluding to.