after going through their songs (excluding the japanese ones because i don't care about including those, even if they're more than just "japanese versions"), iz*one is exactly what i thought they'd be
an average group from a popular tv show, pushed in the headlights by the large corps, and who's supported by a really "budget" production team, which uses simple stock loops and instruments, which introduces complexity in arrangements and melodies, and which has trouble adjusting volume balances correctly, to the point it sometimes become agressing to the ear.
basically IOI 2.0