I think it would be Hawley(Ossoff)/Haley(Petolta) defeats Newsom(DeSantis)/Ocasio-Cortez(Greene) in 2032, in a 400+ EV landslide, notably taking California (Texas) and Oregon (Kansas). In 2036, they face Kochinski(Walsh)/Sims(Spencer), winning in an even bigger landslide, winning every EV except DC (Wyoming), MA (Mississippi), and Hawaii (Idaho).
His version of the epic speech after a trans woman gets killed by a lynch mob would probably be after a teenage FTM commits suicide after an irreversible sex change surgery, because they're both things that Definitely Happen and are Definitely Real Issues and Definitely Very Common Trust Me Bro. Another issue that's sort of like this for republicans is Le Free Speech. Hawley's version of le wholesome Ossoffcare universal healthcare bill would be paying off a huge portion of the national debt/getting a huge surplus. Mass shootings would be radical Islamic terror in the sense that statistically they're basically non-issues but are used as an excuse to restrict civil liberties.
Salve a tutti, sono un ragazzo di 24 anni e da un po' di tempo mi sto rendendo conto che andare avanti sta diventando sempre più difficile. Tranquilli, non sto pensando di uccidermi. Mi spiego meglio. Non ho avuto una brutta infanzia ma complicata si, essendo balbuziente sono stato scherno dei miei coetani e il mio carattere riservato non ha aiutato, ciò mi ha portato a chiudermi in me stesso fino ai 17/18. Ciò mi ha portato a sviluppare un carattere schivo e riservato, oltre che timido. In questi anni mi sono perso molte cose belle che solitamente gli adolescenti vivono come amori e serate, ciò mi ha portato a sentirmi tutt'ora come un pesce fuor d'acqua in ogni contesto. Una delle mie esperienze più traumatiche è stata intorno ai 22 anni: conobbi una ragazza e fu un colpo di fulmine, avrei voluto provare a dichiararmi ma non vedevo alcun segnale d'interesse nei miei confronti e inconsciamente ho attribuito la colpa di questo al mio tempo perso, alla mia mancata esperienza. Altra cosa: avendo vissuto nella più totale passività in questi anni, non avevo sviluppato nessun piano per il mio futuro, quindi niente università e niente corsi formativi, niente di niente, solo il diploma di scuola superiore. Questa situazione mi pesa molto, la cosa più strana è che mi porta ad arrabbiarmi con me stesso e con chi ho attorno, prima con me stesso per aver vissuto nella più totale passività poi con gli altri che hanno contribuito a tutto questo senza mai provare a capirmi, quando mi capita di ritrovarmi in situazioni che sottolineano questo mi aspetto, mi ritrovo a passare dal mio carattere calmo e paziente ad aggressivo in pochi secondi. La cosa non si riduce solo a me, anche quando prendono in giro le persone davanti a me inizio ad innervosirmi, mi sembra di rivedere il me di qualche anno fa e la cosa mi disturba. E i miei genitori, vi chiederete, in tutto questo cosa hanno fatto? Nessuno impara i genitori a fare i genitori, hanno fatto del loro meglio e non riesco ad arrabbiarmi con loro più di tanto, mi fa piacere che stanno provando a fare di meglio con mio fratello. Da qualche anno ho iniziato ad andare in terapia e sto iniziando a conoscermi un po' meglio: ho scoperto di non essere una persona così cattiva e sbagliata come credevo né che mi sono meritato tutto quello che ho subito, ho iniziato a scoprire le mie passioni, anche alcune che non avevo mai calcolato tipo quella per i fumetti Dc, sto uscendo più spesso e coltivando relazioni più sane, lavoro, sto anche pensando di iscrivermi all'università. Ma, anche se sembra che la mia vita stia migliorando questa cosa mi tormenta e mi porta sempre a chiedermi "Riuscirò a recuprare il tempo perso? Riuscirò a mettere una pietra sopra questa parentesi e a vivermi la vita? Riuscirò ad innamorarmi? Riuscirò finalmente ad essere felice e andare avanti?"
Ora che mi avete conosciuto un po', cosa ne pensate?Avete vissuto esperienze simili? Le avete superate?
Voici ma version humoristique de la chanson "Allumer le Feu" de Johnny Hallyday :
Quand je rentre chez moi, je suis tout excité, J'ai besoin d'une chose pour me réconforter. Je ne veux pas d'une flamme, non, ça ne fait rien, Ce soir, je vais allumer le volcan pénien.
Les filles, les garçons, tout le monde s'approche, Le spectacle va commencer, il n'y a pas de reproche. Avec ma baguette magique, je fais des miracles, Je vais vous montrer que je suis le roi des oracles.
Allumer le volcan pénien, ça va faire des étincelles, Les cœurs vont s'enflammer, c'est une belle ribambelle. Les yeux vont briller, les sourires vont fleurir, On va tous danser et se laisser séduire.
Les pompiers sont prêts, ils ont leur extincteur, Mais ce n'est pas pour éteindre le bonheur. Le feu qui brûle en moi, c'est une joie sans fin, Je vais allumer le volcan pénien, c'est mon destin.
Alors, tous ensemble, levons nos verres en l'air, Fêtons cette chanson, c'est un vrai plaisir. Johnny, où que tu sois, j'espère que tu ris, Car ce volcan pénien, c'est un feu qui ne s'éteint pas.
Allumer le volcan pénien, c'est la nouvelle tendance, Plus besoin de bois, de briquet ou de chance. Laissons la musique nous guider vers le sommet, Et continuons de rire, c'est ça, le secret.
Alors, mes amis, venez tous vous joindre à moi, Allumons le volcan pénien, c'est le feu qu'il faut avoir. Dansons, chantons, laissons-nous emporter, Car avec un peu d'humour, tout peut s'illuminer.
Bon, je vous avoues que je ne sais pas bien par où commencer. J'ai toujours été un peu bizarre, pas désagréable mais une propension à décrire mon environnement dans ses détails les plus insignifiants en leur prêtant une signification rationnel, saviez vous que les couchés de soleil roses sont dû à la pollution ? Au final, j'ai peut-être fait ça pour garder un pied dans la réalité. On m'a sortis de ma campagne natale à la fin du collège, j'ai pourtant essayé de garder un lien avec celle-ci.
Je suis apiculteur, campagnard à ne pas remonter sa braguette, un peu à droite de par mon éducation et les yeux plongés dans les livres. Je me suis refait une vie au lycée, vous savez, cet endroit où vous trouver les ados les plus superficiels regroupés en une sorte de troupeaux. c'est beau la masse quand même, tu peux régir indifféremment de chaque individus, à peux de choses près, ils te répondront pareilles. J'ai donc refait ma vie, changeant d'une maison sympathique à flanc de colline pour un appart dégueulasse de rez-de-chaussée à coté d'une cité, devenant caissier et clampin du bar du lycée (oui, la bourgogne, c'est tout un monde), sous le surnom écœurant de "Gestapo" (obligation de gérée le port du masque en période covid sous peine de fermeture). J'ai fait des choix, des bons comme des mauvais. J'ai aimé des personnes intensément, ça à donner de bon résultat au début, à la fin, c'était toujours un bordel sans nom.
Je ne sais pas trop si ça sert à quelque chose de développer ce point. Le contact émotionnelle avec mes parents, que j'avais toujours aimé malgré quelques déboires, semblait devenir de plus en plus lointain. A ce moment là, je me suis retrouvé seule le soir, comme le matin, comme la plupart du temps en faites, avec un embryon naissant d'une peur de la solitude. Je pouvais encore compté sur l'équipe de barman, qui restait soudé pour maintenir notre institution quarantenaires au sein d'un lycée centenaires. On à fini par se dire au revoir, quasi définitivement, après un repas mémorable dans un bouiboui pas mauvais du tout.
En faite, c'est là que tout à déraper. Je me suis retrouver seul, le BAC en poche, en route pour une prépa littéraire à Avignon, à 600 km de chez moi. Je ne connaissais pas la ville, ni les gens d'ailleurs, la prépa encore moins. J'ai passé les six premiers mois à survivre. J'ai pris un peu de bide, je bossai jusqu'à trois heures du mat des lundi soir pour satisfaire les exigences d'un prof de philo à la ramasse, j'ai commencer à vivre sans penser au lendemain. Je ne dormais plus, 3 heures par nuits en moyennes, je loupai un repas, puis deux, puis trois, puis je ne savais plus, de toute manières, je n'avais pas faim. Je passai mes soirées à écouter de la post-punk russe en marcel, devant des copies doubles, avec l'impression d'être en train de conduire à 300 km/h sur une autoroute alors que j'étais simplement en train de copier sur mon tabouret. Un matin, en cours, j'ai fini par manqué d'air après un bon 3/20 en littérature, j'ai perdu les pédales et, à ma grande honte, j'ai fini à l'infirmerie, dont je suis repartis avec la promesse d'aller consulté, promesse que je n'ai pas tenu, bien sûr. Après m'être endormis pour la énième fois en cours, malgré ma lutte constante pour garder les yeux ouverts et le trait de stylo droit, ma prof principal à fini par me trainer à l'infirmerie. J'ai chialer, j'ai tenue ma promesse d'aller consulter, j'ai arrêté de bossé après minuit quitte à être dans la merde parce qu'il n'y avait rien de pire que l'état dans lequel j'était.
J'ai commencé à sortir un peu avec des gens que j'appréciais beaucoup, que dis-je, énormément, malgré la propension à se rouler des pelles pendant que je """dormais""" à l'autre bout du canapé. On s'est marré, on à bosser, on à danser, je me suis décoincer, j'ai fais la fêtes, j'ai aimé, intensément, comme jamais je n'avais aimé et j'ai surtout pris le râteau le plus agréable de ma vie. J'ai vécu, j'étais vivant, incroyablement vivant.
Maintenant, à cet instant, je risque très probablement de ne pas passez en seconde année. Mes connaissances sont bonnes, comme ma méthode et mes recherches de travailles sont "phénoménal", mais ma gestion du stresse va me couter ma place. Leur avoir montrés que j'avais changé n'a pas suffi, ils ont vu ce que j'avais au fond de moi.
Je vais devoir repartir dans une autre ville, encore, que je ne connais pas non plus, pour laisser derrière moi des gens que j'ai aimé, cette belle demoiselle également. Personne n'est résolus, mais bon.
C'est repartis pour des mois d'errance, de Molchat Doma et de douloureux souvenirs devant un bol de lait froid le matin sans personne à qui dire bonjour.
Intro
To preface this review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very, long read. Going through it myself just for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes — it's almost 7k words of text, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this review, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.
And yes, this is 9 months late 😭 I'm not sorry — when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in
Talk that Talk and
Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very
emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
Between 1&2 💞
Album Review
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
Talk that Talk 🎙
Lead producer: collapsedone
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICE’s best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths — the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like… Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if they’re some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyun’s voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the
Yes or Yes,
Push & Pull, and
1 to 10 references — these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that talk ttak han madi
Talk that talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~
During Sana's
Talk that Talk~ lines there’s this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling
L-O-V-E, concluding with the
deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the
deullyeojweo ooh…
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoung’s part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely — although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON… Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that
now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect — the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable “pop” voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts
this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [
Tell me]
WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights “
malhaebwa” in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another
deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The simple words “I love you”
That’s all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, I’ll go up to you
I’ll make it simple
And just tell you I love you
The word “
love” is said for the first time in the song. There’s a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoung’s part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-résistance: this final double chorus is exceptional — 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery “
Talk that Talk”, Momo comes out of nowhere with “
oh yeah it sounds so good!” — you’re damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~
Nayeon outright shouts “
Tell me what you need” and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final
deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The synths of all time
- The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
- Jeongyeon’s pre-chorus going into Nayeon’s chorus
- The entirety of that magical, final chorus and outro
Needs Work
- The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be “catchier”
Core Memory
- Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICE’s last comeback, they’ve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This song’s chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go
ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering “
What is love?” and imagining their crush responding with “
yes” when asking them out — and now concluding with the phrase “
Talk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-E”, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults — to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off
Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonet’s vocals and the production. This is the third draft I’m writing about
Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICE’s roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger that’s easy to listen to,
TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO RULE THE WORLD
Queen of Hearts 👑
Lead producer: LDN Noise of SM
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
You ain’t ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
I’mma go run the whole universe~
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah I’m the queen, I’m the queen
And it’s all because of you~~
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always,
always, gives me goosebumps — it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "
And it’s all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
And now that I’m surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls
It sounds really lovely — in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should — the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know you’re seeing what I see
Yeah I’ll be everything you need
I know I’m gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. It’s meant to be loud. It’s meant to be unapologetic. It’s meant to be sappy. And it’s all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like
Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
So thank you for the memories
You’re all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
I still can’t believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
- Adorable fucking lyrics
- Unrelenting, roaring chorus
- English and vocal flex
- Addicting guitar riffs
Needs Work
- Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song
Life Highlight
- Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I don’t love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyo’s final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICE’s other rock songs — it’s a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Basics 🌈
Sole lyricist credit: Chaeyoung
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself — an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020’s silky
Handle It —
Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ain’t beggin’ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "
ah" sound, flirty lines in English — this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoung’s bag. Also, the line "
rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
I wanna wanna wanna take it to the basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the “
wanna”, “
weonhae”, and “
ppeonhae” all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very
Boy With Luv-sounding “
ah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah” comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende
Translating to:
Above the hot, burning desert
It’s like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesn’t let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, it’s just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
- That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
- The “spaceship” post-chorus is killer
- Chaeyoung devoured this song
- Sure-footed, confident lyrics
Needs Work
- Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
- The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Mina’s is great
Core Memory
- After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very… fitting
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. It’s dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning “spaceship” post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, it’s an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic — it's just a nice vibe. Songs like
Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and I’m happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WE’RE IN TROUBLE TROUBLE
Trouble 💃
Sole lyricist credit: Jihyo
Background vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in
First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces “
Let’s go”, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
- Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
- The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
- A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
- Jeongyeon’s pronunciation of the word “trouble” almost being a growl
- Chaeyoung slyly admitting “I like this trouble”
- The entirety of Tzuyu’s tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
- Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
- Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant
This chorus is perfect. Toronto’s residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to
SNAP this hard afterwards:
You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, I’m not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where it’s:
Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isn’t groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice — if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, it’s this. The addition of that first quadruplet for “
cannot miss this” in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG ‼ Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words they’re saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And.
AND. That's not all — with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trou-ble
Like, come on, Nayeon’s imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final
T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
- Sana and Mina’s melody in the pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Rap
- Outro
- Wees and woos
Needs Work
- Mina’s line of “falling down, falling down, falling down low” in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change
Core Memory
- While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in enjoying a song
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place
Talk that Talk above
Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best “international” sounds they’ve put out. Actually, I haven’t listened to
Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work they’ve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since
TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019’s
Fancy You and
Feel Special mini albums, but
Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well you’d think that this is TWICE’s bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyo’s magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE FOR YOU
Brave 💖
Main producer: Slow Rabbit of HYBE
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic
oohs from the members — this song is
PRETTY.
The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet — I was not expecting the song to be this emotional.
Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added — there’s even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Oh na na na neon nal naige hae [Momo, then Tzuyu, then Momo]
On and on and on
Brave brave brave for ya [Dahyun, then Chaeyoung, then Mina]
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae [Sana, then Momo, then Sana]
On and on and on oh trust me babe
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "
na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
- Special lyrics
- Pleasant sound to vibe out to
- That gentle break after the first chorus
- Jihyo’s high note at the end
- A Nayeon Jeongyeon joint high note ⁉️
- Just pretty vocals throughout
Needs Work
- Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics
Core Memory
- Form of Therapy’s life motto revolves around the word “brave”. I don’t know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction
I’m actually spoiled with the TWICE members’ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases don’t do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but
Brave is so mellow and smooth that I can’t help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart — we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with
Young & Wild,
Rainbow,
Queen,
Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's
Queen of Hearts, and, of course,
Feel Special.
Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
- 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
- 8/10s are great songs with standout characteristics
- 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
- And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way
I SEE THE LIES ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Gone 💨
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
It’s getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, they’ve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020’s
Go Hard is. So it’s surprising to see they’ve still got tricks up their sleeves and
Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing what’s yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but — it doesn’t. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, until…
I see the LIES on the top of your tongue
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, gone, gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
I’m tired of it, it’s meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort they’ve put in since the beginning, but their “partner” is so unconcerned that they’ve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyun’s thing since 2020’s
Bring It Back, 2021’s
Cruel, 2022’s
That’s all I’m saying, and even 2023's
Don't Blame It On Me — emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if she’s gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus — a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, it’s Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
I can’t stand it anymore [Dahyun]
My patience, invisible
I can’t find it, it’s all gone
Even if I try to turn back, it’s too late [Chaeyoung]
There’s no use anymore
It has left, it’s long gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out [Momo]
I know that you know what I’m talking about [Dahyun]
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
I’m gone
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that she’s finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that there’s no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that there’s no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and there’s no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoung’s rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the “
gone” in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, there’s no way I’m not going to talk about Momo’s vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeon’s belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
- They’ve still got their surprises
- Thundering chorus
- 2nd rap and bridge combo
- A bitter, crumbling relationship theme
Needs Work
- I’m not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
- The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens
Core Memory
- Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINK’s Love To Hate Me, and Dahyun’s Bring It Back. I don’t know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me — see TWICE's
Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyun’s light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, I’m happy they’re still finding new ways to explore what they’re capable of. And for that alone, even though I’m not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding “big”, Dahyun’s lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE SUPERHEROES
When We Were Kids 🧸
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. I’m totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I don’t know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song — this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, it’s one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Remember when we were kids
When we were kids, we didn’t know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember when we were kids
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production — if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeon’s — this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected — but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus — this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs don’t want to end, and
When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeon’s high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize — a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Oh, we were kids
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
- Heavenly vocals throughout
- Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
- Euphoric chorus
- Great closer to the album
Needs Work
- Refrain after the last chorus, "Back when we were kids," could’ve been executed better
Core Memory
- For an album titled Between 1&2, I don’t think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didn’t want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me — I didn’t want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing
Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing life’s obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICE’s original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-pop’s all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers — it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICE’s 7th anniversary, I don’t think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. It’s these nine women or none — 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between
TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable —
Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
Epilogue
And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey.
Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and
WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of
TTT to the anthemic euphoria of
QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of
Trouble and
Brave to the blissful glee of
Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of
WWWK to the thundering anger that is
Gone. Like
Eyes wide open, I liken
Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter — there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close — it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs — I also felt that way towards
Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and
Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that
Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July.
QoH was as glorious as expected,
Brave was a delightful surprise, and
WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with
Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to
TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.
Un pénis, pas de seins, pas de barbe, cheveux longs, maquillage, Un entre-deux dégueu, qui repousse Mais qui fascine. Un jouet, un coquillage qui ressemble pas aux autres que tu mets dans ta poche comme souvenir pour inspecter plus tard mais que t'oublies et que tu trouves au fond de la laveuse quelques brassées plus tard, Un chien tellement laid que c'est cute. Funky, fuckée, hors du commun, comme une coupe de cheveux osée ou un nouveau piercing, fait Pour montrer que t'es cool, ouvert.e d'esprit, Pour dire que t'as baisé une fille trans, Pour dire que tu comprends ma douleur, Pour me montrer que la tienne aussi fait mal. Parce que je dis oui à tout. Parce que je fais ce que tu me dis. Parce que je crois tout ce qui sort de ta bouche et que je me fonds à ton gré. Un hobby, une décoration qui va partir dans la vente de garage, Une affaire brisée « rustique » qu'on garde jusqu'à se rendre compte qu'elle prend de la place et qu'elle a pas grand chose à offrir. Si on arrêtait tous, d'un coup, de me mentir, de me dire que j'ai vraiment l'air d'une fille, que j'suis belle comme je suis. Si on arrêtait de faire semblant qu'on m'aime pour autre chose que de la façon dont je vous fait paraître. Je serais peut-être moins une oeuvre de charité, Un chien malade qu'on garde en vie par pitié. Quand la mode va passer, que ça sera pu cool de me montrer à tes amis, quand tu vas finalement te rendre compte que tu m'aimes, mais pas comme ça pis que tu vas retourner rejoindre un.e autre. Quand tu vas finalement te réveiller : Je suis pas belle. Je suis pas beau. J'ai rien à dire. Je suis pas un gars. Je suis pas une fille. Juste un entre-deux dégueu. Un pénis rasé maquillé qui porte deS FUCKING JUPES COMME UNE OSTIE DE VIDANGE SALE ARK.
Jusqu'à quand on fait semblant?
Je suis une fille de 21 ans avec une très grande famille. Je m’entend très bien avec tout le monde car on se voit régulièrement mais récemment j’ai eu un problème avec la cousine à ma mère qu’on va appeler Ana.
Tout à commencer en 2017 lorsque j’avais 15 ans. Je venais de subir une rupture et suite à ça j’étais assez mal et j’ai dû aller dans un hôpital psychiatrique pour jeunes. Ma mère ne voulait pas que tout le monde le saches alors on a essayer de garder ça secret (elle ne voulait pas inquiéter les autres membres de ma famille).
Lorsque je suis sortie après 3 semaines je suis partie en vacances avec la fille d’Ana, sa meilleure amie et un autre ami. La fille d’Ana et moi passions beaucoup de temps ensembles depuis que nous étions toutes petites. On était comme des sœurs. Pendant ces vacances Ana a appris que j’étais allée à l’hôpital psychiatrique par une de ses amies dont la fille était venue me rendre visite. Elle n’a pas aimé ça et a commencer à le dire aux gens. Moi ça me m’a pas déranger car ça peut arriver à tout le monde d’aller mal et avoir besoin d’aide n’est pas quelque chose dont on devrait avoir honte. Malheureusement étant latina d’où je viens c’est très mal vu de voir des psy et tout ça.
Pendant ces vacances j’ai eu un énorme coup de cœur pour un garçon que j’ai rencontrée là bas. Ana est donc allée lui dire qu’il ne devrait pas traîner avec moi, que je suis une mauvaise influence à cause de ce qui m’est arrivé. Lui étant un garçon sympa lui a répondu qu’il s’en fichait totalement de ce qu’elle pouvait dire sur moi et qu’il voulait apprendre à me connaître de lui même et pas de ce que les autres disaient de moi. Après ça j’était fâchée avec elle, j’ai arrêté de l’appeler « tante » et j’ai commencer par l’appeler par son prénom. Ça ne lui a pas plus et elle a décider de s’excuser en publique pendant un repas de famille. Je ne me suis jamais complètement fâchée avec elle car ça ne sert à rien de garder trop de rancune pas vrai ?
Revenons au moment présent. Je suis en couple avec un garçon incroyable depuis 4 ans maintenant. En 4 ans j’ai pris pas mal de poid ce qui n’a jamais déranger mon copain. Il m’a toujours fait sentir bien par rapport à mon corps et m’a dis que si je décidais de changer mon apparence ça doit être pour ma propre volonté et que lui m’aime de toutes façons que je suis mince ou boudinette.
Lors de l’anniversaire de ma tante préférée je trainais avec une de mes cousines qui est assez mince et elle n’aime pas du tout qu’on lui parle du fait qu’elle est mince (donc pas de commentaires par rapport à ça) lorsque nous sommes descendues pour saluer tout le monde, Ana était là et nous a vu arriver elle a tout de suite dit « hey salut vous deux olala mais regarde toi comment t’es mince !! (En parlant à ma cousine) Ah mais toi… t’as grossis dis-donc ». Ce soir là je devais aller chercher mon copain pour aller manger chez des amis. J’avais essayer de me faire toute belle et son commentaire m’a juste détruit.
Lorsqu’elle a dit ça je n’ai rien dis j’ai essayer de sourire en retenant mes larmes. J’ai dis bonsoir à tout le monde et je suis partie. Je suis arrivée au travail de mon copain et je lui ai tout raconter sauf que je n’ai pas réussis à retenir mes larmes, j’étais au plus bas.
Le lendemain j’en ai parler à mes parents et ils ont dis qu’elle a pas fait gaffe aux conséquences de ses mots . Je leurs ai dis que je ne veux plus revoir Ana et ils ont accepter de ne pas l’inviter à moins que je ne soit pas à la maison. Il faut savoir que ce n’est pas la première fois qu’elle fait un commentaire blessant que ce soit à moi ou à d’autres gens.
Bonjour tout le monde ! J'espère que vous allez tous bien. Avez-vous une routine quotidienne ? Le matin, je me brosse les dentes et les cheveux, je me maquille ensuite j'écris ici. Mon streak est une partie de ma routine quotidienne. Je suis un peu accro à écrire ici. Accro ? Après avoir écrit mon streak, je me sens très fière et prête pour ma journée. Avant de l'écrire, j'ai beaucoup d'angoisse d'oublier ou d'abîmer mon streak. Est-ce c'est normal ? Probablement non, mais j'aime bien écrire mon streak et pratiquer la langue la plus belle. J'écris pour moi mais j'écris aussi pour mes étudiants. Merci ! À demain 😁