By all rights, 2026 should be the biggest year of KATSEYE's career yet: a first Grammy nomination, live performances already being called career-defining, and a ticketed tour about to kick off. But this same year, member Manon has been on an extended, much-discussed hiatus since February, and just last week, leader Sophia announced she's stepping back from activities for her mental health. The career trajectory is pointing up, but things inside the group feel unsettled — and their third EP, "Wild," sounds like the sonic equivalent of that contradiction.
"Wild" was supposed to be the record that finally defines this HYBE x Geffen global girl group, giving listeners a clear sense of where they're headed next. Instead, it plays like an album afraid to commit to anything. The April single "Pinky Up" continues in the deliberately internet-brained, brain-melting electronic-beat lane of last year's "Gnarly," but without "Gnarly"'s recklessness — Sophia sings "I love you, you love me / We batshit, oui, oui," yet it barely lands with any real impact. By contrast, "Hootie Fruitti" is the EP's most memorable track — over a Brazilian phonk-meets-hyperpop beat, the five members trade off lines like "$20 smoothies in LA" and "mochi drenched in chocolata," with Portuguese lyrics woven in, an obvious attempt to expand KATSEYE's global cultural footprint. More importantly, though, the song is genuinely catchy and just plain good.
