The girls from IZ*ONE are back with their new mini-album ‘One-reeler / Act IV’. Yesterday they performed their title track ‘Panorama’ as a special performance for this year’s MAMA’s. You can click here if you’re interested in watching that.
There’s a bit of a story with the title of the EP. The term ‘one-reeler’ stands for short film. The EP is divided into three stories about the members growing up and living their lives. Here’s what the album description wrote:
“Scene #1 ‘Color of Youth’ – The moment of our youth and beautiful moments
Scene #2 ‘Becoming One’ – The meaning of us that each other will have through each otherScene #3 ‘Stay Bold’ – We shine most brightly when we are together”
One-reeler / Act IV
We start off with ‘Mise-en-scène’, another film term that stands for the full arrangement of the scenery and the props. They really went off with the synths in this one. The layering is intense and there’s so many fun things to listen to at once that it practically begs for multiple re-listens. The bridge shifts that spotlight to the girls’ vocals, which is lovely.
Next up is the title track ‘Panorama’. I really dig this title track. I like the house beat with the fast-paced vocals and shifts in tempo. It’s fun, it’s hype and kind of gives me the same vibes as ‘FIESTA’ from one of their previous albums.
‘Island’ is a softer version of the synths we’ve been getting. It’s cute as hell and feels classic bubblegum. I love it. It kind of feels like a summer release, which is a bit of a dichotomy but I’m not complaining.
We’re on track number four with ‘Sequence’ that finally blesses us with some groove and a funky bass line. A sequence in movie terms stands for a part of the storyline. I am so in love with this. The bridge is out of this world and honestly, this song is a 10/10. The belting is exquisite and I’m here for it.
Next up
‘O Sole Mio’ follows that with a moodier synth line. It’s a bit darker, without going full blown emo. There’s Latin guitar in the instrumentation which makes sense since the title is in Spanish. Though, I was still a bit surprised. I dig it though, it’s one of the first times in the album that we’ve gotten acoustic instruments.
The last track on the EP is ‘Slow Journey’ which gives us the Christmas pop-ballad vibes we needed. Kim Chae-Won, one of the members co-wrote and co-composed the track. Bless the acoustic instruments in this. The track is all about enjoying the time that is left over with IZ*ONE and the hope that time passes by slowly. I like the little addition of the train sounds. It’s very cute and a bit bittersweet.
Go ahead and listen to ‘One-reeler / Act IV’ by IZ*ONE on Spotify here.
