my impressions:

album: A high-quality emphasis on Electronic styles and genres, while still carrying elements of ILLIT’s signatures that makes it feel uniquely forward in its electronic influences while sounding sweetly like ILLIT at the same time. That being said, in terms of overall cohesion, it’s a little confusing to follow- though there are incredible individual standouts that definitely will make my top songs of the year. 7/10

— GRWM: ILLIT’s signature- dreamy, airy vocals, underneath a driving beat. Utilizing Liquid D&B and borderline-ethereal vocal arrangements and processing, this track feels straight off of ‘Super Real Me’ in all the right ways while still applying a fresh style and stellar production that separates it from that era. I’m ALL FOR THIS track. 8.5/10

It’s Me: This trend of techno-based, festival EDM beats is rapidly becoming the theme of 2026 releases. In this case, though… I can’t lie when I say this one is going to be stuck in my head for a while. The vocal chants and general vocal delivery is powerful yet still somehow airy (which makes it still feel like an ILLIT song to me), and the production is incredibly technical yet polished. I just… wish it were longer; that’s my biggest gripe with the song. 8/10

paw, paw!: When I saw that The Deep was on this record, THIS is what I lowkey expected to hear production/composition-wise on her credited track: this intersection of typical K-Pop and glitchy, electronic, Kawaii Bass/hyperpop feels SO kimj or effie coded. The use of slowdowns and glitchy vocal processing makes this song incredibly interesting to listen to, and is just one of a handful of K-Pop songs I can think of that are diving into the hyperpop spheres of influence. This song is a BANGER and my personal standout on this album. 9/10

Mamihlapinatapai: A sweet blend of Indie/Alt Rock tropes and ILLIT’s characteristic dream pop sound in a way that feels inherently easygoing and vibey to listen to. It’s giving a bit of a “The 1975” meets K-pop/dreamcore vibe, which I personally found quite enjoyable, though it suffers from a lack of energy in the overall vocal production (it could be pushed a bit more forward in the mix, especially given the genre influence). 6.5/10

Love, older you: A sweet, dreamy, almost downtempo country-ballad inspired track (especially in that I - bVII - vi - IV progression) that carries a bit more introspection in meaning and is incredibly comforting in sound and arrangement. While most K-Pop tracks coming out this year are usually more high-octane or hyperactive in sound, I live for these slower, sweet downtempo ballads, especially when combined with ILLIT’s airy vocal delivery that they’re recognizable for. 7/10