Song Review:: Candy Shop: TIP TOE

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  • Release date: 2025 March 18
  • Album tracklist: TIP TOE, TIP TOE (Inst.)
  • Album runtime: 6 minutes

 I'm vaguely aware of them from their debut last year, but I know very little about the group. I have a sneaking suspicion I won't be able to listen to them recreationally, but let's take a look and verify, shall we? Oh, they are technically a five member group, but one was recruited after debut and one went on a health hiatus. Okay. I hope the one on hiatus recovers from whatever is wrong and is able and willing to return to the group. It's rough when they go out so soon after debut and stresses me out from worry about their return and recovery. Not saying that because I experienced that with the third K-Pop group I got into or anything. Let's see. They seem to have just had their first anniversary, so congrats to them! Age-wise, the leader turns twenty this year and was eighteen at debut. That doesn't bode particularly well for my being able to listen to them according to my rules, but maybe this is a case of the leader not being the eldest. Which, it is not. Cool. Most of the members are 07z, and the maknae is an 08z. Which means rule #1 comes into play, and the majority of the members were not adults at debut, so if I decide I like them, I have to wait until next year for the maknae to be eighteen. So, there we have it. Haven't had a group disqualified via rule #1 in a while. Usually it's the maknae's age, but she had been sixteen for all of about two weeks when they debuted, which isn't great, but it's better than being fourteen for a whole month at debut.

This song isn't mentioned as being a pre-release single, but I have a feeling it might be. If I'm correct, things will get updated as they always do. And at least it's over three minutes long, so there is that.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that this song has some afrobeats influences happening judging by the sound of some of those instruments. It's a little tropical, but it's also fairly mild. This song is a pastel tropical with a carefree vibe, while simultaneously lacking true YOLO energy. This also isn't really a song that I would necessarily just listen to the instrumental either. There's not enough going on for it to stand on its own against everything going on in my head, but it is pleasant. So we'll see what it's like when the vocals get added.

They sound very cute, and I likely would have said that without knowing how old they are. Again, like with the instrumentals, it's a mild sound. I'm not hearing anything particularly textured or vibrant with this song, which puts the song largely in the middle of the pack of groups that have debuted in the last two or three years, but doesn't do a lot to make the song or the group really stand out. They sound good. I am rather disappointed in what they've been getting from the Brave Brothers, because I would have expected more vibrancy, but Candy Shop works well with what they're given.

The choreography is equally cute as the song. Insert the requisite rant about how girl group choreography seems to be limited to cute or sexy, where the boy groups get the range from cute to sexy sometimes in the same song. Insert the other requisite rant about the tiny costuming girl groups get versus the baggy pants the boy groups can get *(note: I recognize that the baggy isn't a constant addition, but it comes up enough that I feel comfortable using that as the other end of the spectrum; also, put the girl groups in suits because wow). Requisite rants over, my favorite part of the choreography for this song is the toe tapping thing they do. I'm pretty sure that falls under Mickey Mousing, and I really appreciate it because that needs to happen more often. Cute and clever. They also do the thing where three members do the bigger choreography while one of the members sings. I appreciate that as well. In other news, this song has the barest hint of a storyline, but I can't in good conscience move it from a vibes and visuals music video. It's very cute. There are two, maybe three shots where the outfit has one of them in jeans. I get what they're going for with the school outfits, and it is more or less age appropriate, but the jeans just bring me joy.



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