Confident and assured, the K-pop girl group are finally back on track with their first full-length release Being a STAYC fan over the past year has been a confusing affair. While the girl group started off their career with a string of strong releases that were inventive and forward-facing , breathing exciting new life into an industry that chases trends, the silly bubblegum sound of their more recent singles – ‘Teddy Bear’ and ‘Bubble’ – has been contentious. On ‘Metamorphic’, though, the sextet return to the energy that first caught them attention, but now with a renewed sense of identity.
‘Metamorphic’ kicks off with some of STAYC’s strongest songs yet. On the smouldering, powerful opener ‘Twenty’, the girl group set their intentions for this new era, forging ahead with a new confidence to take life on their own terms ( “Sometimes’ breakin the rules / But you know that I’m gonna be fine” ). And while STAYC have declared that they’re all grown up, they definitely haven’t lost their propensity for exuberant pop earworms.
That much is clear on title track ‘Cheeky Icy Thang’, which brims with swirling synths and an instrumental that’s reminiscent of 2022’s ‘RUN2U’ – but that is where their similarities begin and end. In the two years since, the group have grown more comfortable in their skins, and ‘Cheeky Icy Thang’ find them stepping away from their usual roles with a playful ease. It’s a noticeable shift that shows up.
