Stepping out of their ‘Beautiful Chaos’ era, global girl group KATSEYE have recently released their new single ‘Animal’, co-written by the legendary English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, an artist with a history of creating lyrics for hits such as Justin Bieber's ‘Love Yourself’ and ‘Little Things’ by One Direction.

The song feels mature, suggesting a rebrand or a new look for KATSEYE that is more sophisticated, exemplified by the lyrics and the use of reds and darker tones in the music video, which help create the visual identity for this era. The overall feel of both the song and the music video is somewhat reminiscent of ‘Gabriela’, sharing the same moody, mature vibes; the main contrast is that ‘Animal’ does not contain Latin influences.

The lyrics themselves are extremely catchy and infectious, exactly the kind you’d want from a pop anthem, which Ed Sheeran is no stranger to writing. The song definitely builds a world around itself and tells a narrative – in this instance, centred on an individual who moves like an animal and hides their true personality, with the narrator knowing the true self that lies beneath the surface.

One of the most prominent parts of the song is that the KATSEYE girls are finally showcasing their vocal abilities, doing riffs and demonstrating that talent, something that fans and the members alike have been asking for. The most noticeable demonstration of these abilities is Lara Raj’s whistle note on “Keep your secret safe with me”.

Some of the lines follow themes seen in their previous lyrics, in the beginning talking about being “so sophisticated”, then moving to “off the scale, that goes from hot to crazy” – comparatively, within ‘Pinky Up’, their latest release, the lyrics discuss living large before everything burns down. This motif may be something we see repeated within their third EP ‘Wild’, set to release on August 14th 2026.

Charlotte Sharp

@desbychar

Image: Rahul Bhatt

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