Yves released her anticipated NAIL EP and began the European leg of her tour, performing in Manchester and London among other cities. Following her artistic journey from LOONA to signing with Paix Per Mil, this release elevates the singer’s foundations in altpop and electronic sounds as she highlights the mundanity of life while still grooving in the present.

An EP riddled with experimental rhythms, Yves worked purely on instinct, adding tweaks and edits that sounded right in the moment. She also comments on being categorised into one genre, which limits the range of her musicality. Produced and arranged by labelmate IOAH, Yves was also instrumental in the songwriting process. And it isn’t an Yves release if not with some iconic features: this EP includes Chinese artist Lexie Liu and Algerian-French artist Lolo Zouaï, two incredible additions to her catalogue.

Yves builds microcosms within each song, playing out like a room that leads to the next one. While varying in pace, the signature Yves sound is still heard throughout. In ‘It’, a song about dying, Yves is indifferent to the horrors of it. She sings, ‘Now leave it all behind’ and repeats, ‘Let it flow again’, embracing life’s imperfections and discomfort, but also finding enjoyment within it.

Too many close people faded from my mind now

I will meet them all again

How many more times are they gonna call my name?

There’s a gradual maturity in the South-Korean artist as she approaches the latter part of her 20s, leaning into a more sultry approach. In ‘HALO’ Yves repeats her verses like a mantra, a hypnotic house beat as she leans into the nitty and gritty of a club night. It’s atmospheric and unhurried, acting as an interlude before heading into the title track ‘NAIL’.

A play on words interchangeable in Korean and English, Yves wants us to be free of societal restraints and let go of worries as minute as the nails on our hands. The song also accentuates Yves’ sensuality (‘Let’s get freaked out tonight’) over an alternative hip-hop beat. With the deep bass and electrifying synths, Lolo’s verses turn the EP’s title song into an esoteric party anthem.

Turning heads left and right

I got Yves by my side

Yeah, we do what we like

Fresh set, French tip, take our advice

The EP declares a shift in tone with ‘Break it’. It feels charged, a profound energy barely contained in its verses leading up to the chorus. Yves and Lexie sneak in Korean and Chinese lyrics respectively, lamenting on the past and struggling to shake off that painful nostalgia.

I got the night

The feelings that rain on me tonight

Gotta wash the pain, the sorrow, the change

The EP ends with ‘birth’, its cloudy compositions and eclectic beat are emblematic of Oklou’s music. It feels like the completing piece of a puzzle that loops back to ‘It’. The whole EP is a cycle of life and death, an unfiltered look at the good, the bad and the ugly. In ‘birth’, Yves’s distorted vocals encourage us to ‘be born in your own light’, referencing her own journey of self-discovery and rebirth from LOONA. This song is an instrumental sanctuary to close off the release, ending a life cycle the other way around.

As a whole, NAIL incorporates themes and sonic elements that complement each other beautifully. There’s a palpable confidence here as Yves not only establishes her solo career, but also in her involvement as a songwriter, building a distinct musical identity just the way she likes it. Looking at past releases, Yves’s sound has always been hard to pin down, but that only cements her place as a unique voice in K-Pop’s current landscape.