Song Review:: izna: Beep

• Release date: 2025 June 9

• Album tracklist: Beep, Beep - Japan Edition

• Album runtime: 5 minutes

 I'm hoping this gets added to a later album, both versions actually, but it's an interesting strategy to bundle their Japanese debut with their new Korean single. Is it their Japanese debut proper? I don't know. What I do know is that I'm actually really excited for this. I'm kind of annoyed about the runtime because I'm not sure what the actual point is to having a single that is so far from being six minutes long that Spotify is rounding down for it. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing it. I'm tired of having to say it. But I will continue to point it out in the hopes that enough people realize how much of a problem this is and speak up about it. 

If I had to describe the instrumentals in two words, they'd be "fairy dubstep." Which is a weird combination of words to use, but I really can't think of any words that describe the vibe of the song better. It's interesting. There seem to be roughly two sections that are easily discerned, maybe three: the fairy dubstep and the rests. While I think there may be subtle shifts, they're too infrequent to give me enough proper variation that my brain is very happy, but it's also not something that necessarily is bothering me. I wouldn't call it milquetoast, thought, so I am in fact happy about that. Having the song on repeat for twenty or thirty minutes (time means nothing to me) isn't bothering me, and I'd be willing to say that the potential longevity of the song is pretty good because of that.

Their voices are a little higher than they have been, but they're still very well supported as expected. The rapping in particular is really quite nice. I'm not overly fond of the chorus, though. The over repetition of a single word, and not a particularly interesting word at that, is one of those things that just makes me sigh. I don't understand the point other than to make a song that is TikTok trendy. If actual words were used to say something, I'd probably like the whole song a lot better. But, I do have to give the song some kudos points in that department because the beeping is also infrequent enough that it doesn't feel like the entire song is taken over by them. There's also a part that feels like it may be a bridge where the style shifts, which may be part of the reason for why it has the runtime it has. And the cool part about that potential bridge? It reminds me of Britney Spears, which is kind of a huge compliment from me because I love Britney Spears.

Okay, you know what's cute? The little disclaimer at the start of the music video. It instantly sets the mood and is just kind of adorable. Also, the members are so pretty. There seems to be a bit of a storyline, not a super strong one, but enough that it holds the music video away from being either a vibes and visuals or a performance video. I wouldn't call it cinematic by any stretch of the definition, but it's like eating cotton candy with vitamin C added to it. My favorite part is probably the tape outlines. The implications of that scene made me chuckle.