Hearts2Hearts Welcomes Summer Through “Lemon Tang”
Photo: Hearts2Hearts Official X
Summer has arrived in South Korea, and Hearts2Hearts dropped the ideal EP for the season on June 22. Lemon Tang, led by the title track of the same name, brings a burst of freshness through its songs. Though Hearts2Hearts made it through last yeart with the mystical, subdued title tracks “The Chase” and “FOCUS,” this year has promoted high-spirited songs as the group’s primary sound.
TRACKLIST:
“Lemon Tang”
“15-LOVE”
“Baby Steps”
“heart emoji (♡)”
“Secret Recipe”
“RUDE!”
“Lemon Tang”
SM Entertainment must love lemons, considering aespa released “LEMONADE” just four weeks before Hearts2Hearts released “Lemon Tang.” Despite that line of similarity, “Lemon Tang” shares more in common with music by another SM Entertainment senior group, Red Velvet. This pop-dance song switches between quick talk-singing and drawn-out vocal melodies. Reminiscent of Red Velvet’s style, “Lemon Tang” will have listeners smiling end to end with its overwhelmingly happy instrumental. The bossa nova switch-up in its bridge also brings back a type of genre switching that has been surprisingly absent from Hearts2Hearts’s title tracks before now.
The music video for “Lemon Tang” includes a storyline inspired by its lyrics that encourage romance. Hearts2Hearts sings that a sweet and sour combination, much like the sweet tang of a lemon, creates the perfect pairing. This idea manifests in Ye-on developing a crush on a boy who sells lemons, and viewers will need to watch until the end to see how she handles this situation.
The remaining tracks on Lemon Tang offer more summer sounds.“15-LOVE” “heart emoji (♡),” and “Secret Recipe” bring out the season through elements like shimmering synths and lively percussion. “Baby Steps” sounds the most unique out of the new B-sides, with its fusion of bossa nova and DnB. Much like the inclusion of “STYLE” on FOCUS, the single “RUDE!” appears at the end.
In essence, this pop-heavy EP departs from Hearts2Hearts's debut sound but captures a bright, carefree summer energy. Whether or not Hearts2Hearts sticks with this direction, Lemon Tang comes at the right point of the year.