TWICE Want You to Keep Your Eyes Wide Open with New Album
Back in June, TWICE gave us a small taste of transition with their comeback “More & More,” but going forward, nobody could have seen Eyes Wide Open coming. The TWICE members worked hard to show a new side of themselves for their second full-length album and this comeback signals their full transition to a more mature sound—the start of a brand new journey with ONCE.
Let’s Talk Music!
Tracklist:
I CAN’T STOP ME ♔
HELL IN HEAVEN
UP NO MORE
DO WHAT WE LIKE
BRING IT BACK
BELIEVER
QUEEN
GO HARD
SHOT CLOCK
HANDLE IT
DEPEND ON YOU
SAY SOMETHING
BEHIND THE MASK
“I CAN’T STOP ME”
“I CAN’T STOP ME” is yet another K-Pop song inspired by the ‘80s synthwave genre that has recently been making a comeback to the music scene. The song features the obvious synth, heavy bass, drums, and vocal effects on the ad libs. The vocals on this track are very well done and Nayeon and Jihyo did an amazing job with the ad libbing from the middle of the track to the very end. Chaeyoung and Dahyun sounded really good with the rap—Momo even surprised with some rap lines of her own in her normal vocal tone, something that ONCE were very happy about. This track was a really good opening to the album and as the title, it’ll definitely be one of the many songs in the ‘recently played’ playlist.
B-Sides
“HELL IN HEAVEN” is a complex mix of things that combine to create something that just sounds so exquisite—breaking this song down instrument by instrument or technique by technique would take forever. Vocal-wise, Jihyo, Mina, and Chaeyoung provided light and smooth vocals on the track that stood out multiple times. It was impressive to hear the way that their tones complemented the background beat perfectly.
The old school retro style continues with “UP NO MORE.” Aside from the song being extremely bass-heavy, the synth notes and electric guitar that start out the song make the transition from the intro to the main beat that guides the song, smoothing it out. Something to note: the way the song is structured does a nice job incorporating the rap parts amidst the vocals in a way that sounds natural and seamless, which was nice. Jihyo also wrote the lyrics for this track.
“DO WHAT WE LIKE” is another retro inspired dance track that Sana wrote the lyrics for. It features electronic elements and vocal effects that are typical of a dance track while also using the deep droning synth in the background to serve as the main harmony. The snaps and claps help maintain the beat while the piano and bass guitar in the pre-chorus lead up to a fast-paced chorus that has your expected build up and beat drop. This is a fun track that adds a little color to the album while still fitting the transitional style for their change in sound.
When you first start listening to “BRING IT BACK,” it would be natural to assume it would be a dance track because of the build up of the beat and the repetitive “bring it back bring it back bring bring bring it back” that ends off with a distorted vocal saying “bring it back to me.” The track is not a dance track, however, it’s actually an R&B track that has heavy electronic influences in the chorus. It’s worth mentioning that Dahyun wrote the lyrics for this song. Regarding vocals, Momo, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu stood out in this track because they were highlighted a lot for the chorus and the raps—those parts are arguably the most memorable parts of the song.
It's safe to say that “BELIEVER” is an original EDM inspired track. No, not the EDM we know today; this has more of a European dance influence with elements of R&B vocal styles strewn throughout. Although they all did an amazing job on this track, Sana, Jeongyeon, and of course Jihyo complemented this track the best. Jihyo’s opening line of “I’m a believer” was replayed multiple times simply because of the impact it had from being in her low register and the opening line. Sana and Jeongyeon’s vocals were on point as well, often complementing the members’ parts before or after them while also managing to stand out on their own.
An interesting track on the album is “QUEEN,” which Dahyun also wrote the lyrics for. The song features horns, a kick drum, and bass that give the track a big band feel. It also has an unexpected keyboard riff that guides the beat and a sneaky synth that comes in at the pre-chorus as the beat changes tempo. At the bridge, there’s a faint strings section that comes in to help emphasize the vocals—which are impeccable. The message of this song is a power anthem which complements the composition with lyrics such as: “You are the main character. You are the bright one. You’re a queen” and “Without a woven script. Without force, for real. No matter what anyone says. By yourself, you’re a queen.” At first this song came across as messy, but continuing to listen to it, it’s actually very cohesive and empowering.
“GO HARD” is a bass and drum-heavy track that features a fun melody by what sounds like a clarinet or saxophone (or both)—this serves as the build up to the chorus, which is a continuation of those same instruments. This song, like “QUEEN,” is a power anthem that should give anyone the confidence to be strong with lyrics like: “I don’t get back easily because I’m not weak because I’m small. Anything doesn't matter, imma go harder harder harder yeah” and “Even if the waves hit and sprinkle thorns, I'm the winner in the end. Even if you shake and push me, I'm unbreakable. My opponent is woman in the mirror.” They’re basically saying that we shouldn’t care about what others say and that our real enemy or the person that can make us stronger is ourselves. This message is powerful and for many people it’s most definitely needed.
“SHOT CLOCK” is a track that is drum (mostly snare), bass, and brass-heavy. It’s upbeat pep rally band vibe is very reminiscent of the sound that TWICE put out before their slow Korean transition—although they still use this style for their Japanese releases. Sadly, this track just didn’t seem up to par for the maturity of this album and it stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the tracks. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s of poor quality. The members’ vocals and song’s overall production were actually very well mastered…it just felt like it should’ve been on a previous release.
With lyrics written by Chaeyoung, “HANDLE IT” is an R&B ballad style track with an acoustic guitar serving as the main instrument until the bass line comes in at the pre-chorus. The chorus brings in its own flair, adding to the mix with what sounds like an electric keyboard or organ. TWICE’s vocals float on the track effortlessly and this style fits their natural vocal ranges almost perfectly. This genre definitely shows off their vocal ability and hopefully they stick to this style or release more songs that are on the same wavelength.
“DEPEND ON YOU” is a dance pop style song with lyrics written by Nayeon. It seems to get a lot of influence from the original European dance genre and is another song that seemed a little weird on this album—yes, it is a departure from their usual style, inspiring lyric-wise, and well produced, but something about it was off. Maybe having a different placement in the track list would have made a smoother transition but where it is now…it was just odd to hear.
“SAY SOMETHING” gives us a refreshing Japanese City Pop jam complete with groovy electric guitar and bass riffs that are accented by the piano and electric synth keyboard. Everything about this song screams “City Pop;” they got everything perfect—the tempo, song structure, lyric flow, ad libs/harmonies, right down to the jazz feature that closes out the very end of the song. This is another song that emphasizes TWICE’s vocal ability. It's honestly a blessing that we got so many tracks on this album that showcase their low vocal registers and talents in general.
The last track, “BEHIND THE MASK,” has a nostalgic feeling that encompasses it, coming from the retro pop influence. The lyrics also contribute to the nostalgia, making you think about past memories while also lifting you up with positive words—like “Behind the mask, who? I wonder if you are smiling, I wonder if you are crying. Let me ask in the mask. I'm lonely but if you are trying, say yes” and “Rain and pain are falling down, but don’t cry. It will dry.” I feel like this song could be interpreted in many different ways, but no matter how it’s interpreted, it’s a powerful song that’s a lovely way to bring the album to a close.
Music Video Aesthetics
Ever since the teasers for “I CAN'T STOP ME” were released, a ton of theories began floating around about how it could possibly be related to “More & More.” Those theories are very likely, though personally, theories go in one ear and out the other because they’re so intricate. Besides that, one thing that’s for sure is that JYP Entertainment’s music video editors have definitely been putting in work. With every music video that's been released this year, the editing just gets increasingly more complex and entertaining to watch and that obviously applies to this video as well. The styling was on point—the outfits and makeup for each different scene were exceptional, so props to the styling team for giving the girls such beautiful looks. The choreography definitely suited the ‘80s vibe that the song was going for and the scenes were perfectly integrated into the music video among the glamour shots and “story” scenes. Overall, the video was very well done and it’s going to be ranked high for favorite TWICE videos.