"I think the visuals are neat, but the song is… a**."
KATSEYE made their long-awaited return with the single ‘Gnarly’. It’s the girl group’s first new release in eight months, however, many fans are not happy with it.
‘Gnarly’ introduces a bold shift in tone from their earlier songs ‘Debut’ and ‘Touch’, which dealt with themes of friendship, love and self-empowerment.
‘Gnarly’ is about the girls’ experience as members of Gen Z.
Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae make cultural references to boba tea, Takis, as well as popular slang terms like “lit” and “gang gang”.
They also reference Hollywood fame and their fast-paced music lifestyle.
KATSEYE said the song reflects their lives in the digital age as they mentioned the EYEKONS, their loyal fanbase.
In a statement, they said: “We want people to feel the vibes, to really connect with our music.
“‘Gnarly’ feels true to us – it’s bold, it’s fun, and it shows a different side of what we’re about. It feels good to share more of that as we grow alongside the EYEKONS.”
Despite the anticipation surrounding ‘Gnarly’, many fans have expressed their unhappiness with the track, with much of the attention on the lyrics.
On Reddit, one wrote: “It took SIX writers to come up with this.
“I know the song is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and maximalist, so I can give a pass for the lyrics, since they’re satirical.
“Hyperpop trends, yadda yadda.
“But why’s the whole song shouted? These girls are industry-trained singers who aggressively sacrificed years of their teenage lives to perfect their talents at a K-pop company before debut.
“They were handpicked from a survival show as the best of the best.
“The writers could have easily made the song longer than two minutes and given the track some more meat with at least some singing besides one unison line.”
Another disappointed fan commented: “I was so hyped for music besides SIS but now I’m just like… take me back!! I think the visuals are neat, but the song is… a**.”
One felt the song’s flow was off-putting:
“The weird mix of slang going from gnarly to gang gang is off-putting. Sounds like brainrot or a fever dream in a bad way.”
Others questioned the lyrics’ sexual undertones and the unsettling fly mating sequences, especially because band member Yoonchae is just 17 years old.
During the line “I’m the s**t”, Yoonchae and Manon are seen on screen, followed by a quick shot of a man cutting into a sandwich with two flies mating on top.
Some questioned its intent while others believed it was unnecessary as it disrupted the music video’s visual flow.
One commented: “There’s a whole minor in that group, what the heck was this scene?”
Another agreed: “Yes, I’ll admit this was weird and unnecessary.”
A third added:
“Really love KATSEYE but I side-eyed hard so bad in this scene, it wasn’t necessary.”
Pointing out sexual moans throughout ‘Gnarly’, a comment read:
“And there’s moans in the song, like I actually want to know what the thought process was.
“The song is ‘camp’ but mentioning Tesla and the over-sexualised imagery with Yoonchae being a minor… I’m really disappointed.”
On the other hand, some fans enjoyed the song. Nevertheless, the track has stirred controversy and it comes after the teaser drew comparisons to aespa’s 2023 hit ‘Drama’, leading to KATSEYE’s Lara Raj facing racist abuse.
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