Katseye – Beautiful Chaos (EP Review)

The new EP from the fast-rising global girl group is filled with striking hip-hop bops and introspective pop tracks sure to set a sassy soundtrack to summer for listeners to enjoy.

Upon the six member group’s inception on the 2023 reality show Dream Academy, Katseye had already started turning heads with their diverse lineup and bold personalities: the group consisting of Latin-American Daniela, Indian-American Lara, Hawaiian-born Megan, Filipino Sophia, Swiss-born Manon and Yoonchae from South Korea. Containing members proficient in professional dance, singing and modelling from a very young age, the girl group seemed set for stardom from the very beginning. Indeed from the bright and irrepressibly catchy 2024 debut in the SIS (Soft Is Strong) E.P, the only way was up for the group.

While Beautiful Chaos may only be the girls’ second E.P offering, many devoted listeners may agree that it serves as a shock to the system after the bubble-gum playfulness of early tracks like ‘Touch’. The reason for this is that the E.P’s five tracks embody the members’ swaggering confidence, forward-thinking style and unadulterated personality to a T, like none of their music has before.

The first track is the incredibly impressionable ‘Gnarly’ – an unabashedly loud and proud hyper-pop track that hits far harder than any song Katseye have previously released. Unsurprisingly, upon its April 2025 release as a single, the song quickly went viral for its bizarre music video visuals, eccentric lyrics and addictively hard-hitting bass track. Playing upon the slang ‘Gnarly’ describing either something cool or repulsive, the lyrics are outlandish on their own and yet sound perfectly thrilling when uttered in the Katseye members’ animated deliveries. Indeed the chorus itself is something to behold; the girls’ fevered chants of “I’m the s***” over a bombastic bass track cementing the band’s unwavering confidence in their skills and will to dominate the charts.

Next comes ‘Gabriela’, a satisfyingly stylish Latin-inspired R&B song that opens with a Spanish-tinged guitar riff and a swaying mid-tempo beat. The lyrics concern someone trying to defend their lover from the clutches of a seductive woman. The main line in the chorus “Back off Gabriela” also serves as a message to fans of the group that pit members against each other to stir up imaginary drama; letting them know that nobody and nothing can stand in the way of the close group connection they have formed. The smoothness of the track also allows for singers Lara and Manon to show off sleek and seductive vocal tones and for member Daniela to include a part of her culture in an alluring Spanish-language verse.

The Katseye members change it up again with the breezy pop offering ‘Gameboy’, where the singers’ airy vocal runs and subtle vibrato mesh pleasingly with the song’s easy-listening yet trendy vibe. Lyrically, the girls poke fun at a love interest that plays hard to get (“You, you keep on pushing my buttons”) and sing about the playful back and forth of their relationship through sugar-coated harmonies and teasing calls. To some fans, this song may align more so with the sound of the group’s previous hit ‘Touch’, which employs a similar upbeat pop formula to deliver a feel-good track that may arguably appeal to a wider audience.

The fourth track ‘Mean Girls’ is the closest that Beautiful Chaos gets to a ballad; the song contains a pointed message toward the people who continually spread targeted hate towards the group. A sombre vocal melody (“God bless the sweet girls, God bless the dream girls…”) starts off this introspective pop track, which is led by a glitchy string sample and an understated beat. That’s because to Katseye, ‘Mean Girls’ is by no means a hate anthem, or even them being hung up on past difficulties, but a determination to move forward by spreading love, kindness and positivity in the face of adversity. This self-awareness to the dark realities of the entertainment industry and unwavering resolve to remain close-knit as a group will surely continue to endear Katseye to fans as an unshakable unit set to conquer the global music industry.

The girls can’t resist ending their EP on the irresistible bass-heavy dance track ‘MIA’, which from the start captivates listeners with the members’ commanding calls of “I’ll go MIA” and a thumping instrumental that will get audiences bopping in no time. This is undoubtably Katseye at their most comfortable and formidable, delivering powerfully upbeat jams that show off their well-balanced combination of sultry and sweet vocal colours. The pre-chorus line “No, you won’t put a leash on a b****” is probably the most suggestive of all by highlighting that Katseye are here to stay and will not be contained.

Score/Excellent: 2025 has already turned out to be a massive year for Katseye, with their swaggering style cementing their viral status. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why the boost in popularity – these girls, while bringing together diverse cultural backgrounds, are immensely talented and stand out for their ability to unite listeners from all around the world to let loose with their empowering music.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

Follow Katseye on:

Instagram
Youtube