Ever since becoming a K-pop fan in 2018, I have consistently listened to every TWICE comeback. They were the second K-pop girl group I had ever liked and have remained among my favorite K-pop groups since then. Thus I had eagerly awaited their newest mini-album “STRATEGY,” released on Dec. 5 at 11 p.m. CST. I was especially excited about this comeback, having watched all of their promotional videos and teasers. The album was worth the anticipation.
“Strategy” feat. Megan Thee Stallion
Rating: 6.5/10
When I first heard that Megan Thee Stallion would collaborate with TWICE, I literally screamed. It was like my two worlds colliding because I thought the collab would be the perfect blend of my two favorite genres of music: K-pop and hip-hop. Then I heard the teasers for the song. I have to say, JYP Entertainment chose the absolute worst possible part of the song to tease. I was so disappointed after hearing the teaser because it made me think this song would be a total flop.
But this song pleasantly surprised me. The chorus sounded really good and the “Hey, boy, I’ma get ya / I’ma get you real good and I bet ya” sounded a lot better when there was one main person’s vocals leading it, rather than the teased part when all nine members’ voices equally combined. I wasn’t a fan of most of the verses or the awkward choreography in the post-chorus. The random backward kick cracks me up – the choreographer clearly only put that in the dance for it to go viral. The song’s backtrack also kind of sounds like music that would be used in a corporate advertisement.
But after a couple of listens, this song has started to grow on me. It became a catchy tune instead of an ear-sore. It definitely isn’t my favorite TWICE title track, but it’s not the worst.
Megan Thee Stallion shone in this song. I’m an avid fan, and I really liked her energetic feature on this track. The rhythm got me excited. Megan Thee Stallion even switched up her flow during her rap. To be honest, it was a bit reminiscent of Doja Cat’s flow. I say this as a Megan Thee Stallion defender, but also as someone who used to be in the top 0.05% of Doja Cat listeners. But it’s not a bad thing. I really liked the rap: it single-handedly saved this song from a lower rating. I want to see more Megan Thee Stallion x TWICE content in the future.
“Kiss My Troubles Away”
Rating: 9/10
After the album sneak peek, I looked forward to this song the most. I really like the romantic chorus with the way Momo sings “Won’t you come and kiss my troubles away?” and the little twinkle beats after. The pre-chorus also sounds heavenly, with the magical lyrics of “Let’s go where my sadness melts away like tears in snow.” I’ve already got the song stuck in my head several times. This is a really solid song that I added to my playlist – and I am super picky about my playlist. The lyrics of “Kiss My Troubles Away” are all English too, so I can finally sing it without totally butchering the Korean language.
“Like It Like It”
Rating: 8/10
I adore the pre-chorus and post-chorus. TWICE’s vocal prowess reveals itself through these sections of the song. Jihyo’s vocals kill me every time. She just has everything: singing skills, outstanding stage presence and great leadership skills (she’s the leader of the group). The only thing she doesn’t have is a good stylist. I despise how the stylist gave her shorts that basically look like poofy diapers for this comeback.
But I digress. The cute backtrack gives the song a casual but playful vibe. The only issue with this song is its actual chorus; it contrasts too heavily with the majestic vocals demonstrated by the pre-chorus and post-chorus. I could only enjoy the chorus after many listens and getting used to the fast-paced sound. Regardless, “Like It Like It” isn’t a disappointment.
“Sweetest Obsession”
Rating: 8.5/10
This song screams classic TWICE: fun and peppy. TWICE sings about a sweet romance, a common topic in TWICE songs, and I’m sure several TWICE fans, also known as ONCEs, fell in love with TWICE a little more after this song. I personally believe this song would be a better title track than “Strategy” because it would have taken ONCEs right back to the era of more cutesy TWICE songs. The song is catchy and is easily memorable, and the ad-libs are short but add a lot to the song. It’s not an outstanding song, but there’s no part I dislike. My favorite part is Jihyo’s “Can you handle that? Let’s make it last.”
“Keeper”
Rating: 5/10
When I re-listened to the whole album, I forgot this song even existed, indicating the song’s forgettable-ness. If the album “STRATEGY” was a restaurant menu, “Keeper” would be a dish that wasn’t bad but not good enough to order again. Eventually, however, if you eat that dish enough times, it might start to grow on you. This song is similar to this album’s title track “Strategy” in that one has to listen to the song multiple times in order to like it. I don’t particularly dislike any one part of the song, but “Keeper” remains middle-of-the-ground. My favorite part of the song is the verse sung by Momo and Jeongyeon. This album especially allowed Jeongyeon’s vocals to shine.
“Magical”
Rating: 6/10
This is TWICE’s obligatory wintery song on their December-released album. The chorus is nice and has stereotypical Christmassy bells in the backtrack, but I can’t see “Magical” becoming an iconic winter song. The song simply does not prompt me to put it on replay. TWICE has definitely released better holiday tracks, such as “The Best Thing I Ever Did” from the album “The Year of ‘Yes.’” In my opinion, the most iconic TWICE winter track is their Japanese release “Doughnut” from the album “Celebrate.”
Conclusion
“STRATEGY” is a decent album. None of the songs were complete misses, but I did have to re-listen to a couple of them in order to actually enjoy them. I can see that JYP is trying to appeal more to their international fans through both the Megan Thee Stallion feature and the three all-English songs on this album: “Strategy,” “Kiss My Troubles Away” and “Magical.” I enjoyed the fact that I could sing these three songs, but for me, there’s still an appeal to listening to music that I can’t understand. I can simply bask in the sound of a different language and the notes and beats of the song rather than the lyrics.
This entire album also followed the trend of K-pop groups incorporating more and more Y2K in their music. I enjoyed hearing TWICE’s take on this trend, and I’m excited to see their future releases. Overall, I’d give this album a 7.5/10.