ITZY - 24HRS

K-pop superstars Itzy continue their global conquest with "24hrs"!

Itzy have been turning heads and perking up eardrums from the very start. The K-pop girl group set a new record for most views of a music video with their debut single, "Dalla Dalla." Their blend of clubby K-pop mixed with a darker, edgier Trap caught the public's fascination with its colorful, infectious poppy aesthetic; killer style; and elements of underground dance music.

Those who've been wishing for Itzy to emphasize the bass music elements lurking in the background of their club pop don't have to wait any longer. "24hrs" takes the slippery, rubbery bassline of "Dalla Dalla," drags it through the mud and gravel, making something truly deranged.

ITZY - 24HRS

This is not Itzy going industrial, though, worry not. The poppiness is still evident, as are the breakneck style shifts. The down-and-dirty Trap gives way to a chirpy playground chant, like a jump rope song for society's breakdown.

This blend of styles is tricky to pull off. Go too far in any one direction and run the risk of sounding like some cut-rate anime theme song. Failing to stick the style shifts would disrupt the flow, disrupting any dancefloor potential a single might have. It's got to be smooth and interesting. It's a thrilling trick when it works.

"24hrs" will thrill those who've been digging recent avant-garde pop, that blends experimental underground electronic sounds with a bright, shiny, poppy sensibility. "24hrs" brings to mind the Future Pop of PC Music acts like Sophie; the postmodern magpie aesthetics of artists like Poppy; as much as darker K-Pop/J-Pop bands like Blackpink or Babymetal.

There's something for pretty much everybody on "24hrs," whether yr into down-and-dirty hip-hop or bright, fun pop music. It speaks to the potential for It'z Me, the brand new album of which "24hrs" is the newest single. Combined with the rave reviews "Wannabe," the other new single from It'z Me, is receiving, Itzy are about to get even more massive. We Are: The Guard couldn't be happier about it. It couldn't happen to a more talented group.

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.