KATSEYE, Unloveu → Song Review

Los Angeles-based girl group KATSEYE ‘brings the heat’ on their soaring pop ballad, “Unloveu.”

“Unlove you, u-u-u-unlove you.” KATSEYE excel at recording pop bops, PERIODT.  Their up-tempo songs pack a mean punch. “Unloveu” also ‘packs a mean punch.’  The difference? The talented girl group shows off their balladry.  Ross Golan, Lara Raj, and Amy Allen composed “Unloveu.” Golan produced it with co-production from Raj.

“Unloveu” begins with pitch-shifted vocals by Ross Golan, singing “unlove you, u-u-u-unlove-you,” accompanied by piano. Rich, nuanced lead vocals by Daniela Avanzini (“Tissues on the floor, I know a thing about it…”) and Megan Skiendiel (“You and slamming doors, one and the same, just sayin’”) shine during the first verse. They are performed in a lower-middle register. The “unlove you” pitch-shifted vocals return throughout. The lead vocals ascend to an angelic, upper register during the pre-chorus, sung by Lara Raj. “You so quick to tell me shit I need / Always on some dumb tip like I need to find me,” she asserts, and continues, “Ah / Boy, please don’t remind me.” Drum programming and fuller production ‘up the ante.’ The chorus, performed by Yoonchae Jeung and Sophia Laforteza, is the crème de la crème:

“Lot of good nights that I let go to waste

You on my mind and some tears on my face

And you’ll never get the damage you did

It’s true, it’s true

Lot of bad habits you burned in my mind

I’m not sayin’ that it happened overnight

But time did its shit, and finally it hit

I do.”

The post-chorus packs a punch, too.  That’s where the titular lyrics enter (“Unlove you, I do”). The second verse, sung by Lara, is briefer than the first (“Yes, just like a lot of men / You like to project and I wore your words like a necklace”). It also features more sounds within the production.  With no pre-chorus this round, the action rises quicker with another chorus and post-chorus.  Notably, the background vocals sound amazing during these sections.  Interestingly, the pre-chorus returns after the post-chorus, before the chorus, post-chorus, and outro conclude the unloving!  All in all, KATSEYE ‘bring the heat’ on “Unloveu.” The vocals are fire (lead and background), the songwriting is memorable, and the production is superb.