I’m not big on making music reviews but in light of my last post looking for additional writers, I figure it might be a good idea to create a review as an example of what those writers could potentially offer in terms of articles. This works out especially well since there’s been a number of songs released by groups over the last week that Twicehub has schedules for, so here’s a review of them. By the way, the list is sorted alphabetically by group and not by personal preference of which songs I think are better or worse.
IVE - IVE SWITCH
IVE are known for having amazing title tracks like “I AM” and “LOVE DIVE” so I was anticipating something amazing with “HEYA”. I’m glad there are some decent b-sides in this album because the title track didn’t feel up to par. “HEYA” is too overly reliant on the “heya heya heya” chorus which ended up not working out for me because it lacked the catchiness that it was aiming for. Aside from that, the song itself is okay in general, and while I may not be a huge fan of it, it's only been a day, so who knows...I might end up liking it after all.
And the b-sides? Earlier I said that they were decent. The second track in the album, “Accendio”, is notable because it’s the best among them. While the song doesn’t really go anywhere, it does sound pretty good, which makes it a solid follow up to the title track.
The third and fourth songs on the album, “Blue Heart” and “Ice Queen” are where the album might actually shine the best though. Just listen to the chorus of “Blue Heart”… it sounds so fun to listen to, bouncing along with the beat of the song as IVE sing about an icy romance. Then right after that you get another bouncy but haunting song titled “Ice Queen” about an frosty lady waiting on her lover. The pair of songs are a marked departure from the rest of the tracks and could’ve been the seed for a great concept album if Starship ran with it.
As for “WOW” and “RESET”… they’re both just okay, with “WOW” being the one I favor more. In general Kpop albums tend to wind down towards the end of the album and “IVE SWITCH” is no different, with these two songs being the least impressive of the bunch.
Kep1er – Straight Line
“Straight Line” is more like a winding line with all the shifting directions that it takes, and while it’s not as wild as an NMIXX song, the variety of the directions it goes in are like sprinkles of fun on top of an otherwise solid dessert of a song. As far as Kep1er’s discography goes, it might rank among my favorite songs of theirs, even fighting for the number one spot with “Galileo”.
NewJeans – Bubble Gum
Initially I marked “Bubble Gum” as the best song in this list, but I’ve had to reconsider after re-listening to the songs while doing this writing. It’s still good though, whether it’s the best or not, and I definitely see room for it to grow on me since it’s pretty catchy.
RIIZE - RIIZING
Admittedly when I first heard “Siren” I thought it was so annoying, though I’ve since warmed up to it since my initial listen to the point where “SIRENNNNNNNNN” doesn’t even phase me. Are my ears fried? No, but I can see it pushing people away, but it’s okay I guess because it’s just a b-side.
As for the other songs, “Impossible” sounds alright to me as it’s nice but doesn’t really go anywhere and isn’t noteworthy. “9 Days” is either my favorite or second favorite song on the album, though I feel it’s fallen off a little because it gets too repetitive to me. My other favorite would be “One Kiss” despite it’s terrible sudden stops which feel like someone slamming the brakes on a pleasant drive. And “Honestly”? It’s honestly too boring for me.
Stray Kids Han & NMIXX Bae - "1, 2, 3, 4, 5"
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5” is bumping at times and overall decent but it lacks something that makes it stand out. It’s easy for one to expect something interesting from a collab between members of Stray Kids and NMIXX, so maybe I was hoping for too much out of the song? Regardless, I’m sure it’ll be on repeat for a lot of people.