ITZY never disappoints with their Japanese releases, but they truly exceeded themselves this time. RINGO is their first Japanese full-length album, and with eleven songs (old and new), it is one of the best representations of ITZY‘s unique style and color and what makes them so special. Even beyond that, ‘RINGO’ carries an amazing message of empowerment, which we’re always here for!
‘RINGO’
The most notable highlight has to be the title track, ‘RINGO.’ We can see why the album is called after it because this song goes hard. The bar for ITZY’s Japanese title tracks was set very high by their previous releases, but ‘RINGO’ may have just exceeded everything. With a production inspired by Latin music, ITZY rewrites the fairy tale storyline where the princess needs to be saved by the prince. Instead, they save themselves, find empowerment, and embrace every part of who they are, including the parts that may break the standard. We can also see this in the music video, which (if you ask us) is their best music video for a Japanese release to date.
‘RINGO’ is one of their most empowering songs and carries an incredibly important message. Yet, the song remains super upbeat, with a truly uplifting energy. And the chorus is so addictive; we can’t believe it took ITZY this long to try this style of music. We love absolutely everything about ‘RINGO.’
The B-sides
Of course, ‘RINGO’ is not the only new song in this album, and each b-side deserves a place in your playlist for different reasons. ‘Sugar-holic’ is a soft and lovely song about going easy on yourself and trying to find the sweet in the tough moments. It was released with one of their cutest music videos, highlighting their friendship and incredible bond with each other.
‘Playlist’ takes a different route with a slightly retro-inspired production, giving us a pop song we love. It’s sweet yet a lot of fun and full of energy. On the other hand, ‘STYLE’ is much more what we’re used to hearing from ITZY. It’s bold, unapologetic and celebrates ITZY’s unique sound and style. It could easily be a title track, and we can’t help but imagine a killer choreography when we listen to this one. If there’s a song that screams ITZY, it’s this one.
RINGO also includes their four first Japanese songs. ‘Voltage’ was the first original song they released in Japanese. And we still think about it to this day. It was bold and full of the confidence we love in ITZY’s music. It was accompanied by ‘Spice,’ a softer yet addictive track. ‘Blah Blah Blah’ was their second Japanese release of 2022, and it truly lived up to the expectations ‘Voltage‘ had set. ‘Blah Blah Blah’ is just as bold and unapologetic, yet unique in its own way. And its b-side, ‘Can’t tie me down,’ is still in our top ITZY songs released in 2022.
On top of that, ITZY released in RINGO the Japanese versions of their two iconic title tracks from 2022: ‘Sneakers’ and ‘Cheshire.’ And more surprisingly, this full-length album gave ITZY the chance to revisit their song written for their fans back in 2021, ‘Trust Me (MIDZY),’ to give us a gorgeous Japanese version. To close off the album with this song feels truly special and heartwarming.
Listen to RINGO by ITZY here.
What is your favorite song out of ITZY’s RINGO? What is your favorite Japanese title track by ITZY? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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