Songfacts®:

• The word "gnarly" can mean many different things - from a tree root to a really good skateboard trick. In this song, Katseye play on the word's versatile meaning encompassing both "unpleasant/tough" and "good/excellent." Musically, it fall into the hyperpop genre, with quaking 808s, gritty rave synths and a pugnacious spirit.
• The song opens with a clear declaration: for Katseye, "gnarly" is an all-encompassing descriptor.
  
  Boba tea (Gnarly)
  Tesla (Gnarly)
  Fried chicken (Gnarly)
  Partyin' in the Hollywood Hills
  This song (Gnarly)
  
  Explaining the meaning of the term, Katseye member Manon stated, "Gnarly can be a good thing or a bad thing in our minds. It's kind of up for interpretation."
• Released on April 30, 2025 through Hybe UMG and Geffen Records, "Gnarly" radically departs from the more conventional pop stylings of Katseye's previous releases.
• The song originated from a 2023 TikTok video demo by Chinese hyperpop artist Alice Longyu Gao that was shared by The Chainsmokers. After the video failed to gain traction, Gao pitched it to other artists and Katseye took it up.
• Gao's inspiration came from her experiences as a non-native English speaker, finding amusement in the versatile use of the word "gnarly" by Americans. The song was inspired by how Americans will use the same word to describe many different things.
• Tim Randolph, Pink Slip, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, and Madison Love joined as co-writers at a later stage, refining and expanding the lyrics and song structure.
  
  The production process involved further collaboration: Tim Randolph and Pink Slip also shaped the arrangement, instrumentation, and overall sound. "Hitman" Bang and Slow Rabbit, both prominent producers at Hybe, were brought in during the production phase to help finalize the track's sonic identity and polish the final version.
• Recording "Gnarly" was less about precision and more about controlled chaos. "It's not what you'd call a structured song," Katyseye's Lara recounted. "It's kind of random - more about the vibe."
  
  In the studio, the group tried on different vocal characters and deliveries. Lara, embracing the spirit fully, showed up in sunglasses and a fur coat to channel the proper swagger.
  
  "It was all about confidence," she explained. "We recorded it a bunch of times just to get it right - not perfect, exactly, but to capture that feeling of letting go and not overthinking."
• Katseye first performed "Gnarly" on the May 1, 2025 broadcast of the South Korean show M Countdown. Their debut North American performance of the song was during their May 10, 2025 set at Wango Tango 2025 at Huntington City Beach, California.
• Ice Spice jumped on a remix of "Gnarly" that was released on June 6, 2025. The new version finds the rapper delivering a Bronx drill-inspired verse over the original hyperpop track. The collaboration was co-produced by Spice's frequent collaborator, RiotUSA.