KATSEYE is a “global group” that debuted on June 28, 2024. They aren’t a K-pop group, but they are partially under HYBE labels, known for producing groups such as BTS. KATSEYE took a drastic turn from their previous concepts — while their songs “Touch” and “Debut” were bright, poppy and leaning towards a cuter aesthetic, “Gnarly” shatters their earlier concept and attempts to surprise audiences with an edgy, “badass” vibe, claiming a satirical air around the song’s lyrics and production.
“Gnarly” is a hardcore electronic song that claims to be hyperpop, with clear production influence from the likes of Charli XCX and Sophie. The track has a booming chorus instrumental and disjointed instrumental for verses, and it’s quite catchy. The lyrics have random phrases that revolve around the concept of “gnarly” being a vague adjective that can describe anything, such as boba tea to Teslas- the latter being a controversial mention in today’s political climate. None of the lyrics in the song are serious or insightful despite an attempt at a satirical tone, with chorus lines like “hottie hottie, like a bag of Takis, I’m the shit.”
The song overall is obnoxious in multiple ways. Though it has potential to be enjoyable, and is certainly catchy, the lyrics are the weakest point and so questionably written that the instrumental doesn’t carry the track for many listeners. Despite this, it is a fun song that has appeal when some listeners don’t take it too seriously.
Fans had instantaneous negative reactions to the track, as many were used to their previous concept, so this caught them off guard. However, there was a lot of praise for KATSEYE’s undeniable amazing performance skills and styling, with the music video being well produced. Some listeners ended up enjoying the song after a few days, but it was something that had to grow on them. Even then, many “Gnarly” enjoyers found it hard to defend it as a good track for the group.
An interesting note is that one of the songwriters, Alice Longyu Gao, has an “odd” style of music that seems very similar to “Gnarly.” Fans of both KATSEYE and Alice asserted that the song would have been better off staying in Alice’s discography, as she had more authenticity and experience to pull off such a concept.
In general, “Gnarly” tries very hard to critique the pop machine that churns out nonsensical tracks, even getting into critiquing Hollywood culture- but this fails when they’re linked to both of those things.
Verdict: “Gnarly” is a relatively catchy song that attempts to critique music industry culture, but ends up having the paradoxical nature of being too commercialized and unpleasantly jarring at the same time.
