REVIEW | TWICE is Bringing Back Old and New Styles With Their Latest EP ‘MORE & MORE’

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Release Date: June 1, 2020

Tracklist:

1. MORE & MORE
2. OXYGEN
3. FIREWORK
4. MAKE ME GO
5. SHADOW
6. DON’T CALL ME AGAIN
7. SWEET SUMMER DAY

Total Runtime: 00:22:15

Recommended for: those who love tropical EDM and have enjoyed TWICE’S previous two EPs

NOT recommended for: those who are looking for bubblegum pop tracks.

TWICE is back and better than ever with their 9th mini-album, MORE & MORE. The EP brings a mixture of TWICE’s older sound and what we have seen lately from their latest two EPs, Fancy and Feel Special. With this comeback, TWICE member Mina is also back from her hiatus, promotion wise. Without further ado, let’s get onto the review!

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Track Review:

Track 1 – MORE & MORE

Let’s start with the music video because a lot is going on. Visually, it feels like an ethereal version of Dance The Night Away along with the colorful palette from Fancy. I think the sets in the music video are probably one of the best ones featured in a TWICE music video, from the garden to the lake. The only part that confuses me is the set on the lake, is it CGI? It just looks weird in contrast to the ripples in the water and the forest in the back. I loved the editing on Sana’s part before the beat drop and most of the special effects in general, which is definitely a big upgrade from Yes or Yes’s over-editing. Oh and I really liked the bohemian outfits, not everyone can pull off that look.

Now onto the track itself, TWICE is really bringing back tropical EDM for this comeback. Up until the build-up portion of the first verse, Twice’s vocals carry the song along with the percussion instrumentals. The second verse has a lot going with it, bass and ad-libs included. I liked the beat drop but I think they could’ve done away with the extra “more & more” lines since the build-up had a lot of it. I’m not a fan of dubstep but in this case, it works great with the bridge and dance break. Dahyun and Chaeyoung have been on a roll lately with their rap duets, one of the main highlights in this track.

Track 2 – OXYGEN

OXYGEN is definitely a title track-worthy song. With the odd circus tone in the beginning I would’ve thought that the song would go a different direction, but I’m glad it switched up. The track used a lot of lighthearted synths and in certain parts, jazzy tones. Vocally, I loved that they all used a softer tone as it matched the track the most, with Mina fitting the best. The slow down in the pre-chorus and the instant speed up was well done. The vocal synths towards the end of the chorus sounded great as well.

Track 3 – FIREWORK

I’m not a huge fan of Latin/K-pop fusion tracks. I feel like they usually don’t get the melody right. The use of Latin percussion and flamenco guitar is apparent throughout the track. Moving past that, I found the pre-chorus and the bridge to be the best part of the track. I think the back and forth between lines sounded great in the case of Mina and Tzuyu. For the bridge, I actually thought Mina was singing right before Jihyo but to my surprise, it was Tzuyu. Jeongyeon, in my opinion, fits the chorus the best. I wish they utilized her vocals way more in this track.

Track 4 – MAKE ME GO

MAKE ME GO is what I’d call a filler track but not in a really bad way. It’s just that not a lot is going on. It gives off the same vibe as Love Foolish but just not in a super produced way. This track is definitely vocal-focused with the instrumentals not popping out as much. It’s mainly just a bass guitar and some sort of percussion. But I do think the chorus is pretty iconic with the all English hook. “Love me love me now, Love me love me good (you make me go), Don’t need nobody else when it feels this good (you make me go), Ain’t nobody around, do it like you should.”

Track 5 – SHADOW

SHADOW is for sure my favorite track on this album as I’m a fan of pure pop/synth pop music. The song has a mysterious tone that’s hard to pinpoint, starting out with Nayeon and Mina’s soft vocals slowly moving on to the chorus with Jihyo and Nayeon’s strong vocals. I think the star of the track Chaeyoung. She is usually seen as a rapper but she is totally fitting the vocalist role right now. Between her deeper vocals during the verse to the ad-libs in the chorus, I think she really shined through.

Track 6 – DON’T CALL ME AGAIN

DON’T CALL ME AGAIN sounds like a whole anthem. It gives me Little Mix Salute era vibes. This track is heavy on the trumpets and drums, similar to a marching band, which pauses when the pre-chorus comes around. The lyrics give out a strong statement about moving on and being independent. “I’m getting used to those painful days, As if nothing had happened, Baby baby, fade away, Don’t call me again, no.” Personally, I don’t find myself replaying the track again and again. It’s pretty in-your-face with the instrumentals.

Track 7 – SWEET SUMMER DAY

SWEET SUMMER DAY gives you that old-school feel-good vibe which is close to the early TWICE sound. They did a great job capturing the nostalgic-ness, from the bright piano and drum instrumentals to the whistle note at the end.  My favorite part was for sure the chorus. Jihyo sounded amazing and really sold the song for me. Overall, it was a well rounded upbeat summer track and was a great way to end the EP.  Seeing that this track got a live performance in the showcase, I wouldn’t be surprised if they plan on promoting it (has TWICE ever promoted a b-side to continue music show appearances?)

The mini-album is available worldwide on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music as well as for purchase on iTunes/Google Play. Let me know what you think of TWICE’s MORE & MORE EP down in the comment section below.