Attitude‘s chorus remains to be the one thing that prevents me from fully enjoying the song, but I can still picture it rising slightly over time. Meanwhile, pre-release Rebel Heart seems to be on the opposite trajectory—as in I had a much better impression of the song at first listen than now.
As the first few seconds of Rebel Heart play, it posits itself to be the younger sister the excellent I AM. And honestly, it does a good job. Throughout, the percussion and the instrumental sets it up to be a an anthem for the ages. The energy is there, and the melodies, especially in the verses and the pre-chorus (see any similarities with Attitude yet?), are quite solid. The pre-chorus in particular feels a moment for them, utilizing silence masterfully for enhanced effect. But, like in Attitude, the song’s chorus holds it back.
At first listen, it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. Yet as they keep repeating the word ‘rebels’, I fear that I can’t truly take it seriously. It feels almost like a mockery of the word and what it has stood for, historically speaking. I don’t usually have a problem with pop-music appropriating things for inspiration, but I think in this case, it feels like it is trying to take itself too seriously. Unfortunately, the song’s very composition seems to be at odds with the concept itself (case study: the bridge), where the girls start chanting. As their naturally higher-pitched, slightly childish vocal timbres are on full display, singing ‘rebels in our hards’—it really does not do them any favors in making the song convincing. Not to mention the incessant repetition of the word ‘rebel’. I think I would appreciate it a lot more if they only mention the word once or twice in the whole chorus. Then, I would be able to take them much more seriously. I have separate criticisms of Attitude, but IVE was able to sell the concept to me much better in that song.
Ultimately, this is a rare case (for me) that the lyrics of the song throughly interfere with my enjoyment, in spite of the objectively strong production and melodies. This is also one of the reasons why I changed my scoring system to allow space for these types of criticisms to reflect in my overall opinion of a song. I am still open to changing my mind, but for now, I will say that I actually prefer Attitude. I hope that IVE will be able to release a title track I thoroughly enjoy this year, for they have proven that they have it in them. This, is not it.
Hooks – 7
Production – 9
Vocal and Rap Delivery – 8
Overall – 7.75
K-pop Evaluated 
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