Can RIIZE's Vocals Stand on Their Own? 'Insomnia' Offers an Answer

RIIZE explores the loneliness of sleepless nights in its new single "Insomnia." Trading energetic beats and choreography for acoustic guitar and layered harmonies, the six-member group takes a quieter approach to longing. Released ahead of its second studio album, the song puts the vocal side of RIIZE's signature "emotional pop" sound in the spotlight.

Released on Oct. 26, "Insomnia" serves as a prologue to the group's upcoming album "EMOTIION," due next spring. The lyrics were written by Kim Eana, with Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and August Rigo among the composers.

Since its debut, RIIZE has built its identity around "emotional pop," drawing on everyday experiences and feelings. Songs such as "Boom Boom Bass" and "Do Your Dance" highlighted the group's energy and choreography. "Insomnia" takes a different approach, giving the members' voices more room to stand out.

The track opens with acoustic guitar and Sohee's gentle vocals. A beat enters during Wonbin's first verse, but the shift is subtle. Rather than building toward a heavy drop, the arrangement keeps the guitar at its center, adding just enough rhythm to move the song forward.

The harmonies are one of the song's strongest features. During the line about being consumed by the night, Sohee and Anton sing together, followed by Wonbin, Eunseok and Sohee layering their voices. Rather than relying on soaring high notes or elaborate vocal runs, the arrangement highlights how naturally the members' voices blend together.

RIIZE has explored softer music before. "Love 119" paired a sentimental melody with a piano arrangement and a catchy "1-1-9" refrain. "Insomnia" is more subdued, relying less on an immediately recognizable hook and more on its overall mood.

The chorus repeats "I stay up all night till I see the morning," but the arrangement barely changes. There is no sudden surge in volume or dramatic vocal climax. That restraint allows the harmonies to shine, though it also leaves the chorus less memorable than those of some earlier RIIZE singles. At times, the members' voices blend so closely that their individual tones are difficult to distinguish.

The lyrics follow someone lying awake, unable to stop thinking about a person they miss. The line about being trapped by the night and by one's own thoughts captures that restlessness. Yet the members' delivery remains calm, suggesting that longing can be both comforting and exhausting.

The music video explores similar feelings through a story about memory, time and the fear of losing people. Rather than focusing on choreography, it follows the members through scenes involving a cabin, a lake and a whale.

Ahead of its release, RIIZE shared individual side stories written by novelist Cheon Seon-ran and illustrated by Noma. In the stories, Eunseok has the power to keep people inside a particular time and place forever. He creates a world where he and his friends can remain together, but his wish clashes with Anton's desire to forget precious memories before they change. The conflict leaves the other four friends without their memories, trapped at the age of 19.

Several scenes in the video take on greater meaning with that background. Wonbin sets fire to a cabin, while Anton points his fingers at Eunseok as though holding a gun. Read alongside the stories, these moments suggest a conflict between Eunseok's wish to preserve the past and Anton's determination to confront the truth.

The final shot is particularly striking. A whale appears reflected in Wonbin's eye, even after he has set the cabin on fire. In the accompanying fiction, the whale can survive only in Eunseok's world. One interpretation is that Wonbin recognizes the truth but still cannot let go of that world, leaving him caught between sleep and waking, much like the song's title suggests.

The video never confirms that interpretation, and its storyline can be difficult to follow without reading the accompanying fiction. Still, the contrast works. While the song expresses longing through gentle melodies, the video shows how painful it can be to hold on to memories that cannot last.

"Insomnia" is not an entirely new direction for RIIZE, but it gives the group's vocals a more prominent role than many of its performance-driven singles. The understated chorus and closely blended voices leave fewer individual moments that stand out, yet the song shows that RIIZE can hold listeners' attention without a powerful beat or elaborate choreography. Its upcoming album will be an opportunity to build on that vocal chemistry while giving each member a more distinctive presence.