After ITZY’s controversial mini album “Checkmate” back on July 15, the K-pop group released its newest extended play (EP) “Cheshire” on Nov. 30. The girl group consists of Yeji, Ryujin, Lia, Chaeryeong and Yuna. All around the world, ITZY fans (MIDZY) looked forward to the new EP, excited to see what ITZY would do and if they can redeem themselves after their last title track “SNEAKERS.”

ITZY released “Boys Like You” back on Oct. 22 as their first entirely English song. MIDZY did not expect it’ and while some hate it, most love it. “Boys Like You” is a cute but powerful girl boss song since the storyline is about a boy playing them all, yet they don’t let that bring them down. The Chaeryeong high note was the best part as she has grown as an artist, her voice is unique and her parts leave chills. All members have voices that are out of this world. They truly have skills  other fourth generation girl groups can’t compete with. 

While their EP “Checkmate” left fans and K-pop fans arguing if it was good, “Cheshire” has received different feedback. The title track song “Cheshire” gave similar vibes to their debut song “Dalla Dalla,” with the high-pitched chorus. Even with the high-pitched voices, ITZY made it work. ITZY is not called the fourth generation queens for nothing, they proved everyone who doubted them wrong. 

The song starts off with them harmonizing “La la la” with one another and each member singing with a deeper voice. The song is soft with low instrumental at first until the beat drops and an almost futuristic instrumental starts. “Cheshire” started off better than “SNEAKERS” with a superior first verse and ITZY members were not shy to bring out their angelic vocals. The girls’ deep voices should be brought out more;, it showed ITZY is capable of doing any style of music. ITZY loves to sing about trusting and believing in oneself. A nice message for them to give out in a lovely song. 

The next song on the “Cheshire” EP is “Snowy.” As Yeji’s first verse begins, a surprising but not disappointing instrumental of Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” plays. The lyrics and vocals make this song the best out of the album. The rap Yuna and Chaeryeong have is a part that catches the eye. The girls show their skills with a cool rap that beats most of their older ones. While the “na na na” in the chorus is weird and would prefer actual words, somehow ITZY makes it catchy. 

“Freaky” is third on the EP, and once again is a softer instrumental, following the pattern ITZY did for “Cheshire.” This song doesn’t stand out as much as “Snowy,” it is still a divine song but nothing too impressive. ITZY vocals are no joke though; the girls have voices that do stand out. Yeji and Lia definitely made the song better with their first verse and how pretty it sounded. The part that gives “Freaky” a higher rating is Ryujin’s rap, as she knows how to save the song with her voice.

After ITZY released “LOCO” on Sept. 24, 2021, it was hard to compete and make a better song. All their songs are extremely good and after being gone for a while, their recent comebacks would struggle. That being said, ITZY didn’t stop making good music. The songs are different now than they were years ago, but ITZY music still beats records. “Cheshire” is an album with a more graceful beat than the rest of their music, a unique and new concept to ITZY, however the girls managed to make beautiful songs. 

Even though the EP is only four songs, it is definitely a top hit for K-pop music. ITZY music and dancing skills give them the title of fourth generation queens and they haven’t lost it. “Cheshire” will eventually grow on people if given the chance. It is a different type of music but new things can be beautiful as shown by ITZY. “Cheshire” truthfully deserves the praise for being a well-thought- out EP, receiving 4.5 stars out of 5.