STAYC’s 2024 material has been increasingly quirky, marked by oddball earworms like Cheeky Icy Thang. Their music’s appeal has always been a bit left of center, which is a good thing. But in a current girl group landscape that favors beige easy-listening, it’s interesting to hear them adjust to the trends. New single GPT does a pretty good job threading the needle.
You definitely get the sense that this song could fit within the discographies of artists like ILLIT and NewJeans, but the production has a bit more edge and imagination than recent efforts by those groups. As verse one began to unfold, I felt a surge of optimism that GPT might set its sights on a more expansive arrangement. Its instrumental ties the driving energy of an EDM track to loungey elements that give it a more subdued tone. GPT maintains this general sound rather than push even further, but there’s enough going on in the production to keep interest high.
I prefer the melodies in the verses to the chorus, as their structure feels less repetitive and more in keeping with the instrumental’s energy. GPT‘s hook is a little flat, playing as a sigh rather than an exclamation. That’s the trend at the moment so I can’t fault the producers for giving the public what they want, but I would have loved to hear a full-throated centerpiece that elevated GPT‘s potential. This actually occurs most strongly during the song’s outro when the production takes center stage as the girls deliver an ethereal, wordless refrain.
Hooks
8
Production
8
Longevity
9
Bias
8
RATING
8.25