Before 'Looks Can Kill': an IVE starter guide, from 'ELEVEN' to 'BANG BANG' and a different 'me' in every song

IVE releases its title track 'Looks Can Kill' first, on Monday, October 19, followed by a mini album of the same name on the 26th. The official YouTube channel introduced the album as 'IVE SPIN-OFF', and the agency describes its 'girl hero' concept, in which each of the six members becomes a different hero, as another self, an 'Another Ego' that follows Cupid and a magical girl. So we picked six songs by one measure: what IVE made of 'me' in each song before this one. Song descriptions and lyricists come from the album notes on Bugs, and scene times come from the official music videos.

At a glance

Year	Song	The 'me' in the song	Start here
2021	'ELEVEN'	A name that comes from 'I HAVE'	2:24 dancing under falling gold
2022	'LOVE DIVE'	Me as Cupid	0:20 pink neon arrows planted in the ground
2023	'I AM'	Me, sure of the road I'm on	0:56 six members on an airplane wing
2024	'Accendio'	Another me, transformed by a spell	1:04 a silver staff set with a jewel
2025	'ATTITUDE'	Me, choosing my own attitude	2:47 a sign punched through in a heart shape
2026	'BANG BANG'	From 'me' to 'us'	0:48 a 'Dive concourse' departure board

2021 · 'ELEVEN'

The title track of the debut single, released on December 1, 2021. The album notes spell the group's name out as 'I HAVE = IVE' and call it the confidence of a group that was complete from the start, not one still growing up. It's a pop dance track about a girl in love whose heart takes on fantastical colors. Seo Ji-eum, on the lyricist list here, keeps turning up in the lyric credits of the title tracks from then on. At 2:24 in the music video, gold dust pours like rain over a long stage lined with arched windows, and the six members dance side by side. Apple Music

2022 · 'LOVE DIVE'

The title track of the second single, a dark modern pop song led by percussion. The album notes put 'IVE as Cupid' right at the top. Seo Ji-eum wrote the lyrics, which say that if you have the courage to love, you should dive in without hesitating. The 'Cupid' the agency named ahead of this girl hero comes from this period. At 0:20 in the music video, in the front yard of a mansion at night, the six members in school uniforms stand among pink neon arrows whose heart-shaped tips touch the ground. The lead photo is from 2:40: the six members laughing amid glitter inside a frame shaped like two joined hearts. Apple Music

2023 · 'I AM'

The title track of the first full-length album, 'I've IVE'. The album notes say it sings of an attitude of being sure of the road you're on, and Kim Eana wrote the lyrics. Among the B-sides, An Yujin wrote the lyrics for 'Heroine', about living as the lead of your own life like the main character of a film, and Jang Wonyoung wrote the lyrics for 'Mine' and 'Shine With Me'. At 0:36 in the music video, a silver private jet with the IVE logo on its nose flies above the clouds, and at 0:56 the six members dance on its wing. Apple Music

2024 · 'Accendio'

A double title track from the second mini album, 'IVE SWITCH'. The album notes said that this time IVE would bring out 'another self', and described this song as one about IVE transformed by a spell. That spell is 'Accendio', repeated in the hook. Gaeko of Dynamic Duo, Seo Jeong-a and Seo Ji-eum wrote the lyrics together. The 'magical girl' the agency named alongside Cupid is the concept from this period. At 1:04 in the music video, a member in a white dress holds a silver staff topped with a purple jewel. At 2:40 a wristwatch reads 11:55 p.m., and at 3:16 it reads 12:02, just past midnight. Apple Music

2025 · 'ATTITUDE'

A double title track from the third mini album, 'IVE EMPATHY'. It's about how, in a situation you can't change, the one thing you can change is your 'attitude', and it samples Suzanne Vega's 'Tom's Diner'. That means a piece of another song was lifted and placed inside the new one. Jang Wonyoung wrote the lyrics with Seo Ji-eum and Nietzsche, and the same name appears on the lyricist lists for 'XOXZ' and 'BANG BANG'. At 0:12 in the music video, a form asking 'Are you sure to be a member of Loveless Society?' has both of its 'Yes' boxes checked. After a heart-shaped bubble flies out of a 'LUCKY BUBBLE BEAM' canister, at 2:47 a heart-shaped hole opens in the middle of the 'LOVELESS SOCIETY' sign. Apple Music

2026 · 'BANG BANG'

Released first on February 9 this year, then included on the second full-length album, 'REVIVE+', on February 23. The album notes say that IVE, having proven itself with 'me' at the center, now widens its view to 'us'. It's an EDM track that opens with an intro borrowed from western swing, an old style of dance music that mixes American country with jazz rhythms. Seo Ji-eum, Hwang Yu-bin, Jang Wonyoung and EXY wrote the lyrics. At 0:19 in the music video, a giant wagon wheel stands in the middle of a field of silver grass, with a sign in front of it reading 'KEEP YOUR BOOTS DIRTY.' At 0:48, 'Dive concourse', with the fandom name DIVE in it, lights up on the top line of a station departure board. 'BLACKHOLE', from the same album, is a song whose title never once appears in its lyrics. That story is in our October 14 list. Apple Music

October 19 and 26

The title track arrives on the 19th, and the six-track mini album on the 26th. The video 'IVE THEATER ｜ NOW SHOWING', posted on September 30, is dressed up like a film trailer, with 'STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS' on a drive-in theater screen, and it closes with movie-poster-style credits listing both release dates.

The tracklist revealed on October 4 names Gaeko, Seo Ji-eum, Lil Cherry, Rei and Rick Bridges as the title track's lyricists. The rap making, meaning the words and rhythm of the rap parts, falls to Rei and Rick Bridges. Rei also handled rap making on 'After LIKE', and Rick Bridges wrote Rei's solo song 'In Your Heart' together with Rei. Gaeko and Seo Ji-eum from 'Accendio' are back together, too. Gaeul and Liz took part in writing the lyrics for 'CRUMBS', and Swedish singer Zara Larsson is among the composers of 'Glow Motion'. According to the schedule poster, one music video teaser arrives on each of the 16th and 17th, and a highlight medley follows at 8 p.m. on the 21st.