It usually takes me a song or two to fully warm up to a rookie group, and TWS's Plot Twist was a slow-burn standout that compelled more and more as time went on. The exceptional hey! hey! officially sealed the deal, and now we're on to the group's second mini album Summer Beat. I love nothing more than a bright, summer-themed K-pop album, and title track If I'm S, Can You Be My N? (내가 S면 넌 나의 N이 되어줘) feels like a sonic sequel to Plot Twist's banging bubblegum success.
In the space of just two title tracks, TWS have established a unique sound. It takes elements of early GFriend/Apink, throws in a healthy dash of Seventeen and mixes it all in a blender until the various hooks and segments are jumbled into a densely packed Easter basket of goodies. While their influences are obvious to any longtime K-pop listener, songs like If I'm S, Can You Be My N? don't really sound like anything else. If hey! hey! was a barreling freight train, this is a messy confetti explosion with errant hooks stretching out from its chorus like tentacles on an octopus pool floatie. Needless to say, it takes a minute to get your arms around.
Luckily, we already have Plot Twist as a roadmap to the overstuffed TWS universe. If I'm S, Can You Be My N? is fused together with much of the same DNA. Its chorus feels especially familiar, though the synths are a bit beefier this time around. The arrangement is a constant assault of exclamation marks, punching hard every moment so there's essentially no dead space. This will likely annoy some listeners, but it works especially well with the catchy rap verses. I'm even more impressed with the segments that take a smoother approach, adding backing vocals to create a hazy summertime atmosphere that feels like you're drifting down a hill on your bike. The track is a constant push and pull between these elements, giving it tension that never fully resolves. I prefer the relentless forward-moving energy of the mighty hey! hey!, but If I'm S, Can You Be My N? is a fascinating dose of pop maximalism that's sure to grow even more addictive with time.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
Grade: A-
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