KATSEYE’s ‘Beautiful Chaos’ Lives Up to its Name

There’s a fine line between chaotic and beautiful. KATSEYE decides to tear through it. The HYBE and Geffen Records’ girl group’s second extended play, Beautiful Chaos, is exactly what the title suggests: the production is versatile, but the ideas are loosely held — and louder for it.

Across five tracks, Beautiful Chaos’ genre is a moving target. Expanding the foundations of their debut EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) with more dynamic sounds. The results vary, but a desire to shake things up is palpable in the opener, “Gnarly,” written by DJ and hyperpop artist Alice Longyu Gao. Right out of the gate, the lyrics throw you off with a tongue-in-cheek take on modern culture’s obsession with buzzwords. With its postironic nods and heavy synths, it’s the mental equivalent of binge-watching TikTok at 2 a.m.: brain-rot inducing, repetitive, and somehow way too catchy to quit. The industrial chant-heavy hooks and satirical concept are fun on paper, but KATSEYE still lacks the edge to carry hyperpop with conviction.

Despite the mixed reactions to its experimental approach, the earworm earned KATSEYE its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The group’s exploration of hyperpop-leaning EP was well underway by the time the Beautiful Chaos’ second single, “Gabriela,” came out and also entered the Hot 100.

“Gabriela” adds a Latin R&B flair to the girl group’s catalog, reminiscent of Camilla Cabello post-“Havana,” or Christina Aguilera’s “Infatuation.” The track is infectious and gives Manon Bannerman and Lara Raj’s vocals more airtime. However, the track holds back in the last chorus, leaving the listener with a craving for a payoff that unfortunately does not come.

The reward comes from “Gameboy,” which compensates for what the the rest of the EP fails to do. It maintains the most consistent structure in Beautiful Chaos, kicking the door open from verse to chorus with 8-bit sound effects and hooks that remain stuck in your ear. “Gameboy” isn’t playing to lose. Far from a “game over,” it makes the most of its three minutes, delivering a surge instead of just teasing to justify its place in the five-track EP.

Read the rest of the story in The State of Affairs issue of Rolling Stone Philippines. Order a copy on Sari-Sari Shopping, or read the e-magazine now here.