Review Summary: The 10th anniversary misstep.
One of the most prolific Kpop acts, TWICE celebrate their 10th year anniversary with a brand new Korean language album,
This Is For. Over the past four years, the girls have only released EPs in their home country, with their label, JYP opting for full-length releases on the Japanese market instead. As the group found worldwide success, the transition from Kpop aesthetics to a Westernized sound became more prominent too. Their previous Korean LP,
Formula of Love found a balance between the two sides, delivering a strong collection of tunes. Unfortunately, their latest affair stripped much of the catchy ‘80s pop/disco revival present in its predecessors, choosing current trends as its starting points. Therefore, we can often hear a minimalist blend of R’n’B and dance, alongside UK garage touches, plus hip hop beats this time around.
The title track and main single is a rather brief piece whose foundation consists of a 2-step type beat and lo-fi-ish synths, while the girls’ sing-alongs doesn’t really elevate the outcome. However, right when it feels like things are finally taking off, the song ends. This is a main flaw on
This Is For, cramming as many verses as possible into two and a half minute tunes. Their short span doesn’t allow much diversity for the instrumentals. For example, “Mars” caters to those who enjoyed TWICE’s playful ‘80s throwbacks. Its only issue is that it just flies by you. Also, “Right Hand Girl” shares a smooth instrumental, but there’s no room for it to breathe. Meanwhile, “Peach Gelato” feels half-baked, since it doesn’t even try to expand beyond the stop-start acoustic guitar rhythm. The vocals are nice overall, but anyone who has heard their music so far knows they are capable of much more. From the unit cuts, the summery dance vibes of “Let Love Go” are the most compelling. The rest range from decent to average. The high-school cheerleader anthem, “Battitude” is cute at best, whereas “Dat Aah Dat Ooh” only shyly enters sensual territory. Swag still isn’t the group’s strong suit. On the other hand, “Options” and “Heartbreak Avenue” are the most rewarding tunes on the album. The former offers a lush, midnight-like atmosphere, especially during the choruses and manages to build a certain atmosphere simply by passing three minutes in length. “Heartbreak Avenue”, a mid-tempo ballad, features a well-rounded, bass-centered groove with city pop guitar solos over it. The girls’ soulful croons do their magic over the dreamy melody, ending the LP on a high note at least.
Popular trends are dangerous, especially in Kpop where everybody seems ready to jump on any bandwagon. NewJeans’ recent success managed to reshape a large portion of the genre’s output, much like BLACKPINK before them. Sadly, TWICE is a group who carved their own sonic path and have become very successful with it. Seeing them (most likely under the label’s guidance) stumbling into trendy territory at the risk of losing their own identity is unfortunate. For the most part,
This Is For sounds akin to a washed up version of theirs. Trimming the tracks to suit the social media and streaming platforms formats makes it even harder to enjoy them. Especially after two excellent Korean language albums, this is just disappointing.
