''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'' is the debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) by girl group

Katseye Katseye (pronounced "cat's eye"; stylized in all caps) is a girl group based in Los Angeles, California. The group is composed of six members: Manon, Sophia, Daniela Avanzini, Daniela, Lara, Megan, and Yoonchae. With members from the Philippi ...

. It was released by Hybe UMG and

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

on August 16, 2024. The EP is supported by two singles preceding its release—"Debut" in June and "

Touch The somatosensory system, or somatic sensory system is a subset of the sensory nervous system. The main functions of the somatosensory system are the perception of external stimuli, the perception of internal stimuli, and the regulation of bo ...

" in July.

Background and release

Katseye was formed through the reality show ''

Dream Academy ''The Debut: Dream Academy'' is a talent competition reality show created as an international collaboration between record labels Hybe and Geffen Records aimed at creating a global girl group. The fan-interactive project involves 20 female can ...

'', hosted as a joint venture by

Hybe Corporation Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record l ...

and

, to create a girl group that will be promoted primarily in the United States. The show ended in November 2023. On June 14, 2024, Hybe and Geffen announced plans to release Katseye's first EP in August later that year, which will be preceded by the release of two singles included in the album on June 28 and in July. The first single, "Debut", was announced on June 24, and was released four days later. On the same day of the release of "Debut", the name of the EP, ''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'', was unveiled, along with its release date of August 16. Pre-orders for the album began on July 10. The second single, "

", was announced on July 23, and was released on July 26. The album's track listing was unveiled on August 2. On August 9 and 10, two series of concept photos, titled "Strong", and "Soft" respectively, were released. In the "Strong" series, the members of Katseye are dressed as their representative porcelain dolls that appear on the cover art of their singles "Debut" and "Touch", and also mimicking the stance of the dolls against a white background. In the "Soft" series, the members are placed in front of a backdrop resembling an antique shop. A group of photos in the "Soft" series feature the members wearing costumes related to their assigned Dream Charm symbols. On August 14, the album's highlight medley was released. ''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'' was released globally on August 16.

Critical reception

''SIS (Soft Is Strong)'' received generally positive reviews. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''s Mika Chen gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a surprisingly cohesive release that largely captures atseye'senormous potential", but criticizes the short length of the tracks in the album, which resulted in "a song

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

ends a little bit too early or the feeling that it was just one final chorus away from perfection". ''

Billboard Philippines ''Billboard Philippines'' (also shortened as ''Billboard PH'') is a Philippine music and entertainment media brand and magazine owned by Modern Media Group, serving as the local edition of the ''Billboard'' magazine. It publishes news, video ...

'' Gabriel Saulog described the album as "an excellent (and empowering) display of the varying sounds within the landscape of pop music", dubbing it as reminiscent of the 2000s and 2010s-style pop music by artists such as

Little Mix Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...

and

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Background and release

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References