Listen to ILLIT – Almond Chocolate
After taking Korea by storm in the spring of 2024, ILLIT’s Magnetic went on to see great success in markets like Japan.
It only makes sense that they’d expand their career there, especially given HYBE’s existing infrastructure in the country.
Almond Chocolate sees them getting in on the lucrative OST business, closely mirroring the sound of successful J-pop acts.
Almond Chocolate has a more ornate sound than ILLIT’s existing discography, forgoing quirky repetition for a light and frilly arrangement.
It’s not unlike something we might have heard on a Lovelyz or GFriend b-side. In other words, the Japanese influence is strong.
The strings that open the track are pure 2016-era nostalgia, and I’m definitely here for that.
The girls’ vocals also feel less affected — especially during Almond Chocolate‘s robust pre-chorus. It’s clear that ILLIT are capable of delivering a variety of styles and I hope their future work continues to tease this out.
As for the song itself, Almond Chocolate is a bit inconsequential. It stays hushed and sweet all the way through, too hesitant to indulge in a bit of drama.
Even the climactic power notes are buried in the mix, like someone’s singing in the room next door and we just so happen to hear the sound muffled through the wall.
If ILLIT continue down this route, their producers need to let them really attack the material.
That’s where classic songs are born. We gain nothing by holding back at every turn.
