At a first glance, a song titled “Dumb Litty” sounds like a frat-house party jam of no real meaning besides how awesome it is to party.
What if I said that “Dumb Litty” is one of the most stunning and dynamic songs in the co-ed K-pop group KARD’s discography?
To KARD fans, “dumb litty” is a phrase most commonly used by the American-born rapper of the group, Big Matthew (BM), and a phrase he would often try to get his Korean bandmates to repeat. Finding out that the group’s latest digital single would be titled “Dumb Litty” came as little surprise for KARD fans, except for maybe a bit of shock that his catchphrase managed to be turned into a song.
“Dumb Litty” was teased as a song blending KARD’s newfound sound (as carried over from the group’s last song, “Bomb Bomb,” heavier in instrumentals than past releases) and Greek imagery. The group’s four members were depicted as Gods and Goddesses in the teasers for the release: the wild BM as Zeus and Thor (yes, everyone is aware that’s actually a Norse God), the charismatic J.Seph as Ares and Dionysus, the sophisticated Somin as Chloris and Aphrodite, and the fierce Jiwoo as Athena and Hera. Their god-like personas appear in the music video, released September 21 at 11 p.m. EST, in between clips of the song’s explosive choreography.
If “Bomb Bomb” was seen as a new powerhouse in KARD’s discography due to its loud synths and strong chorus, then “Dumb Litty” is truly on the level of Gods by making “Bomb Bomb” seem relaxed in comparison. The song opens with a deep, distorted voice over blasting synths, and Jiwoo kicks off the lyrics with a commanding “A-yo” to draw attention. At first, the song seems to be a slow and heavy-hitting song in Jiwoo’s opening lines, though it picks up with additional instrumentals in BM’s following rap. By Somin’s pre-chorus, a new, clattering synth joins the fray with her fast singing, filling the song with energy and vibrance.
This all leads into the chorus, where the synths boom and J.Seph leads off with lyrics uttered so loudly it borders on shouting— but it works, and amazingly slow. Jiwoo’s other half of the first chorus holds a similar energy from how fiercely she sings, though her singing is not as outwardly aggressive.
As the first chorus ends, the instrumental becomes mysterious and borderline unsettling, yet it provides the perfect background for J.Seph’s masterful rap verse. Normally, the honor of the powerhouse rap after the first chorus is one that falls to BM, but J.Seph steals the show here, and he delivers. Especially after J.Seph taking on more of a vocalist role in “Bomb Bomb,” his return to his rapper roots becomes all the more enjoyable for a KARD listener.
Jiwoo follows with the pre-chorus after the rap verse, and shows her own unique take on the same lyrics Somin sang before. Somin and Jiwoo, the two girls of the group, show their distinct flavors as two very different artists. While Somin’s pre-chorus delivery is regal, cold, and calculating, Jiwoo sings those same words with a certain wildness and aggressiveness to it, almost placing her in the same league as the boys with the force behind her words. Somin and Jiwoo are like complementary opposites while still both having commanding auras, with Somin as ice— cool and collected— and Jiwoo as fire— fierce and unpredictable. This song, much more than “Bomb Bomb” shows the individuality of the two women of the group.
The second chorus functions similarly for the boys, since BM takes over J.Seph’s first half here. BM boasts a loud, deep voice, and if J.Seph was almost shouting his chorus, BM certainly is in comparison. Seeing as “Dumb Litty” is his catchphrase, BM owns the first half of the second chorus. Somin’s power shows in her rendition of the second half, her tone a lot less aggressive than BM’s but still resolute, and demanding the listener’s attention much like a queen to her subjects.
Jiwoo and Somin split the bridge, with Jiwoo exploring a new side of her not seen in the rest of the song: a softer seductiveness. While not free of her vocal strength, she sings in a higher tone, and slows to fit the feel. Somin takes over, demonstrating her vocal prowess through her range here, and she finishes on a strong note.
The song gives way to an instrumental break, allowing for the group’s dancing skill to shine. After that is a repeat of the J.Seph–Jiwoo chorus, with a neat finishing line by Somin to draw the song to a close.
“Dumb Litty” explores KARD’s new sound, which brought the group greater success than past releases, and capitalizes on it, allowing each member to show their unique strengths. As a co-ed group (an anomaly in the K-pop scene), KARD frequently has the challenge of trying to find songs to fit members so different. However, “Dumb Litty” lets each and every member shine. The music video is no different, exploring the members as their God personas and displaying each member’s dancing talents.
So far, KARD seems to be drawing eyes with “Dumb Litty.” On the group’s official YouTube account, the music video has garnered over 1.4 million views at the time of writing, September 22. The music video on the online distributor channel 1theK has about 585k views, making for a combined 2 million views across official channels in less than 24 hours of release.
“Dumb Litty” shows great promise for the group as KARD’s new sound. All that’s left is to wait and see if KARD will continue exploring this loud sound or find something new again.