BLACKPINK’s “Kill This Love”, TWICE’s “Fancy”, NewJeans’s “OMG”, and even 2012’s record-breaking internet sensation “Gangnam Style” all have one thing in common: a formula that makes K-Pop irresistibly catchy—think repetitive choruses, captivating performances, and internet-ready choreography.

KATSEYE’s breakout single “Touch” ticks all the same boxes, so much so that their whole brand was built on the cutesy-fied Shaka sign.

It became ubiquitous among Korean and Japanese idols alike, even reaching Usher and Broadway. But, sung in full English, it remains palatable beyond the usual K-Pop crowd.

That’s why when it was followed up by the equally viral “Gnarly”, immediate reactions were divisive. The latter is closer to SOPHIE’s hyperpop sound than anything on its preceding EP SIS (Soft Is Strong), but it is the group’s rawest form that earned them their first Hot 100 entry. Maybe it’s the abrasive Alice Longyu Gao-penned lyrics or the polarizing and loud music video directed by SSION. But this song is, well, gnarly; the valence of the word’s definition is in the eye of the beholder.

It’s a promising lead up to their highly awaited sophomore project, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, which dropped almost a year to the day after their aptly titled single “Debut”. Backed by the same South Korean juggernaut that birthed BTS, Hybe, as well as Interscope’s subsidiary Geffen (which houses Olivia Rodrigo),

this era showcased how the six-piece is the fine line—if there is one—between K-Pop and Western pop.

Take the second single “Gabriela”, which continues the lead single’s “darker, edgier” trajectory. Co-written by Charli xcx, it flirts with Latin R&B in a nod to member Daniela Avanzini’s Cuban-Venezuelan heritage. Yet, the rest of the EP takes a docile turn as the blippy intro to “Gameboy”, an earworm best described as an 8-bit older sister to “Touch” begins.

The streak continues with “Mean Girls”, a Jersey club ballad that sits comfortably among Tate McRae’s demos. If SIS’s “Tonight I Might” is the anthem of sad girls crying in the bathroom of a party, this track takes that aesthetic to the middle of the dance floor instead. Though sonically uninventive, it’s the lyrics that cement this song as this EP’s ethos—KATSEYE’s authenticity and allyship. It helps that Justin Tranter, “Good Luck, Babe!” lyricist, is behind both songs. 

“M.I.A”, the phonk-inspired closer that’s reminiscent of “like JENNIE”, echoes “Gnarly” closest, an upbeat and gritty showcase of KATSEYE’s newfound maturity, messiness, and chaos through repeated chants and a pre-chorus set to the cadence of SNSD’s “The Boys”. Though haphazard, this assortment of tracks decisively places this project among the modern K-Pop zeitgeist: genre blindness.

Leader Sophia Laforteza billed the project as a “very transitional” EP, presumably in the sense of the sextet’s artistic journey; yet, it warrants a different outlook. One could say it’s transitional in the way that the five-track run still kept their fanbase entertained, yet left without wanting more. Instead patiently waiting for more reformative music that pushes boundaries further than breaking K-Pop’s conventions on profanity and queer abstention with an earnest prayer to “bless the T girls and all the in-between girls”.

Though BEAUTIFUL CHAOS may not be the project that quite shapes up KATSEYE’s definitive sound, it certainly is a treat for K-Pop enthusiasts and non-fans alike. If nothing else, this sophomore EP is their primer into versatility that’d match their predecessors, whether it’s Girls’ Generation’s K-Pop lane or Fifth Harmony’s American pop route. Or, maybe, their next project would finally establish their identity as a global girl group beyond just the members’ nationalities and cultures, but also in blurring regional pop identities.