ICHILLIN’ impressed with two killer pre-release tracks earlier this year. They seemed poised for a reinvention that favored intricate, engrossing beats and fiery, attitude-driven hooks. Now that their official title track On My Lips has finally been unveiled, all I can ask is… what happened?
The answer — as usual — lies with the producers. All three of the group’s 2024 tracks boast different creative teams, but while Bite Me and Demigod compliment each other, On My Lips feels like a step backward. Gone are the cool, inventive beats of the past few weeks, replaced with production that sounds like reheated girl group fare from years ago. From production to top line, the entire track has a “playground taunt” sing-songy sound that rarely goes down well with me. And without a single respite from this approach, the song’s three minutes feel interminably long.
Now that I know what ICHILLIN’ are capable of when given material with its own perspective, it hurts to hear them saddled with something as derivative as this. Even the song’s repeated “hot sauce” hook feels borrowed from other acts. Luckily, this is the third track on their new EP, meaning we can happily listen to the first two highlights before easily shifting to something different.
Hooks
7
Production
7
Longevity
7
Bias
6
RATING
6.75