Continuing on with a Twice themed bonus post today, as I did not have time to write it earlier this morning, Twice is back up to the plate with a new mini album called “What is Love?” That was released at like 5 AM EST (also when I listened to it initially, as I magically happened to be awake on my way back from the airport). Of course, I didn’t write the post when I got home at 5:30. I went back to sleep, cause duh. So as you can probably guess, I did listen to the whole thing a few times on the way back. There are only 5 tracks.
You can buy a copy of this album on Amazon for $20 here (with potentially free shipping from Korea). You can also buy a copy of it here for 17.99$ plus shipping.
I also do a lot of my album shopping on Music Plaza LA. Additionally, if you have never used Music Plaza before, this link will get you an extra 5% off of your first purchase!
You can also order a copy of the album from an eBay, as they typically have good prices. Plus, with eBay, you can save a little bit of money by using the E-Bates extension on your browser, as it will save you 2% on all album purchases, which definitely adds up.
What is E-Bates?
E-Bates is a cashback site that gives you money for purchases you may have already made. They even have an extension for multiple browsers so when you go to a website that uses Ebates, it will automatically pop up the cashback button to make sure you are saving money. I use this all the time, and I got over 80$ back from them for purchases I was going to make anyway. That’s about 3 more albums I can buy!
If you’ve never used EBates before, you can use this link to get $10 when making a qualified purchase of $25 when using EBates. You will also get whatever percent cashback is being offered from the site you are purchasing from. Sephora, typically has 4% cashback, through here. Sokoglam typically has 3%. These percentages Many other major retailers are on there as well.
Let’s get into it:
Twice What is Love?, Track by Track:
What is Love?:
The song starts with a funky beat, and has a great drum rhythm to it. I like the Ooh and aah harmonies that they added in the verses, as it really helps the song to move. They really play with the instrumentation through the song, adding and subtracting musical instruments. As is expected from Twice, the song is extremely cute. As for title tracks, is it my absolute favorite? Probably not, as I actually still prefer Likey, mainly due to the fact that I actually say “Me Likey” in real life. I still really like this track though, and love the bright, happy feel that is so typical of Twice.
Sweet Talker:
This song kinda reminds me of a video game sound track. Not going to lie. The instrumentation they use sounds like something from an old style arcade game. When I first heard this song, I actually wasn’t a fan of it, but as I listen to it more, I actually really enjoy this track. The hook is really catchy, and the vocals are really on point throughout the track. Yet again, it is a super happy, adorable track that fits Twice’s signature. I also love all of the rapping before the chorus. I think it is a nice contrast from a typical pop track.
Ho!:
This track I really enjoy. I love how it has a bit of a swing, 1960’s feel to it. Like you could do the Twist to the song. Yet again, it is a really happy song, but it is something you could easily dance to. I also like how they add a little bit of horns to the track as well. It definitely gives the track that Hairspray: The Musical kind of vibe. Stupid Twice always creating stupidly catchy songs….
Deja Vu:
Another catchy beat! How the heck do they do it every time. Another thing I will note, is even though all of these tracks have an upbeat happy vibe to them, none of them sound the same thus far. They all sound different. Yet again, I like the chords that are used in this song for the girls harmonies. They are tight. Not sure if they could perform them live, but they are there. Also, when the song totally shifts to electronic towards the end. Fire. Good job girls.
Say Yes:
We finally have a slow tempo song, with a bit of guitar. I don’t hate it, it isn’t my favorite. Listening to ballads is when I really judge the groups because you can really hear the artist’s voices. One thing I note is that the entire track is written in the same range, and it doesn’t really provide much movement vocally. I do approve of the background harmonies on this track again. I’d love to hear a bit more alto from Twice, as all of the songs on this track are relatively high in the female vocal range, which makes me question if they have a large range. Either way this song is ok. Not my favorite not my least favorite.
K-Points: 447/5
Okay, when it comes to girl groups, I was happily surprised with this mini-album. All of the songs were solid, and none of them made me say “what the heck is this?”. So good job girls. I’d love to see more variety from them though, as I still feel like they aren’t displaying a wide variety of different sounds yet, and are still focusing on the “look at us! We are cute” thing. I feel like we got a taste of what they could do when the beat dropped in Likey, and I would LOVE to see more of that. I think we will be waiting a little bit for that though, as the youngest (Tzuyu) isn’t even 20 yet #shecantevendrinkyo.
Should you buy a copy of this album? I personally think so, as their packaging is always super cute, but you don’t need to. You definitely should give the album a listen to. It’s very catchy, and I personally don’t dislike a track on it, it just didn’t have me going this is AMAZING. It was more of an “awe, how cute!”
What track did you like the most on the mini album? Who is your favorite member? Let me know in the comments below, K-Nuggets?
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
