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Gnarly (song)

"Gnarly" is a song by girl group Katseye. It was released on April 30, 2025, through Hybe UMG and Geffen Records, as the lead single for their upcoming EP Beautiful Chaos.[1] Described as a hyperpop song, "Gnarly" was written by Alice Longyu Gao, Tim Randolph, Kyle Buckley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Madison Love, with production by Buckley, "Hitman" Bang and Slow Rabbit.

Background and release

In March 2025, Katseye were added to the lineups of Lollapalooza's and Wango Tango's 2025 festivals.[2][3] On April 23, Hybe X Geffen announced that the group would be releasing their first digital single, titled "Gnarly".[4] A teaser was released on April 29.[5] The song and its music video were released April 30.[6]

Composition and lyrics

"Gnarly" was written by Alice Longyu Gao, Tim Randolph, Kyle Buckley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, and Madison Love. It was produced by Buckley, "Hitman" Bang and Slow Rabbit.[7] The song has been described to be an experimental pop and hyperpop track characterized by "quaking 808s, gritty rave synths and a pugnacious attitude".[6][8] It was written in the key of C minor with a tempo of 135 beats per minute.[9]

Performed by its songwriter Alice Longyu Gao, a pioneer of the hyperpop genre,[10] an early demo of "Gnarly" was first publically shared by Andrew Taggart on TikTok in April 2023. Gao stated that her inspiration for the song originated from her "gnarly" experiences with boba tea and fried chicken, among other interests. The song's prominent use of "gnarly" stems from Gao's background as a non-native English speaker who was "always on the lookout to expand her vocabulary". Upon first hearing the word, Gao admitted that she had initially not known its meaning but was "amused and surprised by the excessive usage of this word by some basic bros".[11]

Lyrically, the song gravitates around the word "gnarly", which is defined by its ability to express "different meanings and connotations depending on what cultural or life context you're in", as indicated in the track's opening line: "They could describe everything with one single word."[11] Explaining the meaning of the term, Katseye member Manon stated, "Gnarly can be a good thing or a bad thing in our minds. It's kind of up for interpretation."[1]

Critical reception

"Gnarly" received polarizing responses from both critics and fans,[12] having been described as a "sharp turn" from Katseye's previous releases.[13] In an interview with The Fader, Lara described "Gnarly" as unstructured, and acknowledged that it was a change of sound after "Touch".[1] Tetris Kelly reviewed the song for Billboard's Music You Should Know, describing it as "if you get it, you get it".[14]

Live performances

Katseye first performed "Gnarly" on the May 1 broadcast of M Countdown.[15] They then performed on Music Bank on May 2,[16] Show! Music Core on May 3,[17] and Inkigayo on May 4.[18] While promoting in South Korea, the group also performed "Gnarly" on Studio Choom.[18]

Katseye's first North American performance of the song was during their set at Wango Tango 2025.[19]

Credits and personnel

Adapted from MelOn.[7]

Location

  • Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Gnarly"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 99
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[21] 2
South Korea Download (Circle)[22] 150
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 52

Release history

Release history for "Gnarly"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various April 30, 2025
Explicit
[7]
Clean

References

  1. ^ a b c Wang, Steffanee (April 30, 2025). "You're not ready for Katseye's new era". The Fader. Archived from the original on May 6, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  2. ^ Benjamin, Jeff. "Wango Tango 2025 Lineup: Doja Cat, Katseye, Nmixx, Xikers and More". Forbes. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (March 18, 2025). "Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, TWICE & More to Headline Lollapalooza 2025". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  4. ^ Yoon, So-yeon (April 23, 2025). "Katseye to release new single 'Gnarly' on April 30". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "캣츠아이, 이보다 강렬할 수 없다..새 싱글 '날리' MV 티저 공개". ChosunBiz (in Korean). April 29, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Saenz, Rome (April 30, 2025). "Katseye Get "Gnarly" In New Single – Watch". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Gnarly - Album information". MelOn. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  8. ^ Fell, Nicole (May 2, 2025). "Girl Group KATSEYE Returns With 'Gnarly' Hyperpop Single". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Key, tempo of Gnarly By Katseye Musicstax". Musicstax. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  10. ^ Wang, Steffanee (October 16, 2024). "Alice Longyu Gao hopes their music makes it past your algorithm". The Fader. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Dodson, P. Claire; Delgado, Sara (May 8, 2025). "KATSEYE 'Gnarly': The Meaning Behind the Polarizing Song and Its Lyrics". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  12. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (May 5, 2025). "How Katseye's "Gnarly" Tore the Internet Apart". W. Archived from the original on May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  13. ^ You-mee, Hwang (April 28, 2025). "Katseye to perform new digital single in Korea". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on May 11, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Kelly, Tetris (May 1, 2025). "Katseye Eats Up 'Gnarly' New Hit | Music You Should Know | Billboard News". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  15. ^ "캣츠아이, 안타 '날리'는 '터치'…뮤비 1억뷰 돌파". 뉴시스 (in Korean). May 1, 2025.
  16. ^ "'뮤직뱅크' 투어스, 1위 인기 질주…하이라이트→TXT 컴백 [종합] : 네이트 연예". 모바일 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). May 2, 2025.
  17. ^ "르세라핌VS제니VS투어스, '음악중심' 1위 후보 격돌". 조선비즈 (in Korean). May 3, 2025.
  18. ^ a b ""전율 넘친 완벽 퍼포먼스"…KATSEYE, 'Gnarly' 무대로 현장 압도→글로벌 인기 신호탄 : 네이트 연예". 모바일 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean).
  19. ^ Burt, Carolyn (May 11, 2025). "Wango Tango becomes a beach party with new Surf City U.S.A. venue". Orange County Register.
  20. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 19, 2025)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  21. ^ "Official Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  22. ^ "Download Chart – 2025 Weeks 18". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2025.