TWICE (트와이스) - FANCY YOU (7th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]
By K-Pop Rambles - May 27, 2019
With K-Pop, I never really listen to full albums outside of the ones my bias groups release (as horrible as that sounds). But every now and again, I'll listen to an album because I'm curious, or I love the title track a lot... or because I know it's going to be everywhere, and I want to know what all the undeniable hype is going to be about. Sometimes that hype is going to be unfounded, but going into TWICE's comeback with "Fancy", I was 100% ready to give this album a chance.
TWICE's title tracks have had a shaky history in terms of my opinions on them. To me, they've had some absolutely phenomenal songs - see "Knock Knock" and "Like OOH-AHH" - and others which are... some of my least favourite K-Pop songs. Looking at you, "Cheer Up" and "Dance The Night Away". (Remember, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. I know those songs are loved but ooooh man I can't listen to them without cringing.) But with all the rumours swirling about "Fancy" being a pivot in concept for TWICE, I couldn't help but think that this album might just be worth my time.
And after a solid two and half to three weeks of listening to it and forming my opinions (because I need SOMETHING to do during finals study)... yeah, wow, it really was worth my time. This album surprised me in a lot, and I mean a lot of ways. I had no clue what to expect going in, but I was very pleasantly surprised on the other side of it all. Vagueness aside, let's actually take a look at what I mean and break down TWICE's "Fancy You"!
1. FANCY [TITLE]
Right off the bat, we have the title track, "Fancy". I won't deny that I was nervous whilst listening to this for the first time, but... man, THIS is how you do a concept change in my eyes. It's by no means a huge shift from TWICE's previous material, but it's got enough distinctiveness to really make it stand out. It's almost like an evolution of "YES or YES" - which I loved, for the record - but with a slightly more mature pop sound. And I LOVE IT.
A lot of the girls are predominantly singing in their lower/middle range here, which... they really need to do more, because they all sound phenomenal. It also makes the higher-pitched chorus hit a lot harder. Aside from the girls' performances, the instrumental is a goddamn treat. The synths are predominant but not overwhelming, the subtle melodies in the background add so much to the main vocal line, and it's got this undeniable sense of boppiness to it that you can't quite ignore. It starts off relatively simple, and then builds upon itself to turn into a monster of a pop song by the end of its runtime. I have absolutely no idea how Black Eyed Pilseung went from making "Cheer Up" to... this. But I am very fucking okay with it. I feel like sophisticated is a good word to describe "Fancy"; it's a goddamn gorgeous song with a really good sense of bounce and progression.
So not only have we got a slight change in sound for TWICE in the song itself, but the lyrics honestly back up this concept shift as well! Instead of falling into the typical bubblegum pop trap of "oppa I love you, please love me back," the girls are much more forward with their romantic advances. They make the guy come to them this time. And yeah, you could say that's been run into the ground with girl crush concepts at this point, but "Fancy" isn't quite girl crush to me. It's more of a mature pop song, and those confident lyrics give it a great lift overall.
It's dangerous, it pricks, you're like a rose
It's okay, I'm not afraid any more
Hold it harder, take my hand
It'll be a little dangerous, even more dangerous
Great song? Check. Somewhat interesting lyrics? Check.
My new favourite choreography TWICE have done? DOUBLE FUCKING CHECK.
Hoooooooooooly wow this routine is incredible. I learned it the day this dance practice video was released. That's saying something, since I very rarely learn K-Pop routines anymore. And yes, it is as hard as it looks. But it just confirms how goddamn hard TWICE have been working recently when it comes to their choreography.
I'm not gonna deny that "YES or YES" had a fantastic routine, but this... this had me shocked when I watched it for the first time. Just like the song, there is so much goddamn fluidity and style in this routine that it's kinda mind-blowing. Every single little section flows into the next perfectly, and there are so many little details that it's dizzying to try and keep up sometimes. There's so many levels and dynamics at any given time, and just when you feel like you might get a bit bored, the positions and timing of the girls' moves are often switched up to keep your attention. They also, for the record, don't repeat that much of the routine in the later parts of the song (bar the choruses, obviously) which is a BALLSY move. It's a trap many fantastic routines can often fall into, and to think that they didn't take the easy way out here earns a big fucking gold star in my book. Basically, THIS ROUTINE IS FUCKING GORGEOUS. I like it as much as, say, IZ*ONE's "La Vie En Rose". And I think we all remember how much I gushed over that...
To put it briefly, TWICE knocked it out of the goddamn park with "Fancy". Even though I was skeptic of the concept change rumours, they ended up delivering with just about every aspect of this comeback. And I couldn't be any happier. If they keep this up in the future then I may just have to start reviewing their albums more consistently. Speaking of which... I still have the rest of the album to look at, so let's start that, shall we?
2. STUCK IN MY HEAD
The one thing I'd heard about this song in advance of listening to it was this: if you want girl crush TWICE, this would give you your fill. And straight away, I'd say: yes. That is absolutely the case here. Whereas "Fancy" was more of a mature pop song, "Stuck In My Head" is full-on bombastic girl crush. And I really do admire it for that; it's a great change of pace for TWICE, and certainly something I'd love to be able to get used to. But I do have a few problems with this song - one of them being quite a big problem - that stops it from being amazing in my eyes.
Before that though, I may as well focus on what I like about it: the instrumental is full of power and emphasis, with plenty of strong brass elements and even some snare drums in the pre-choruses to add a bit of extra power. The speedy melody in the verses only serves to add to that power, too. And, for the most part, so do the girls' vocals; Nayeon in particular KILLS IT here. She is super comfortable in this range, apparently, because goddamn she sounds phenomenal. Momo actually sounds pretty damn great too, I didn't know she could have so much power behind her vocals!
But, as I mentioned, I do have one or two problems with this song. Admittedly, while I do feel like some of the girls are in their element here - like Nayeon, Jihyo and Momo, even Jeongyeon in some places - a few others feel... slightly out of place. For example, Dahyun's vocals in the verses don't have that much power, which is by no means her fault. Powerful just isn't her style - it's completely understandable. She's much better at giving a calmer, breathier vocal delivery like Mina does. It's more of where her lines are placed that bothers me than her actual vocals.
But then there's those falsetto lines in the choruses, and the fact that the high notes and adlibs feel very isolated and scattered... and Jeongyeon. I have SUCH a love/hate relationship with Jeongyeon in this song. Well, not even a love/hate relationship, more of a love/disappointment relationship. Her lines in the second verse and her adlib towards the end are fucking outstanding, but then she doesn't reach those same heights with her chorus lines later on. I understand that maybe those lines are structured in a way that makes it harder for her to belt them, but... it would've added a lot to the song if she did. I'm all for her looking after her voice and not completely ruining it, that's what any good vocalist would do. It's just... she has the potential to be a standout here, and I feel it goes to waste sometimes. She's a fantastic performer overall, and I really wish I didn't have to say this, but I'm just being honest. :(
All of is combined with the instrumental of the song, which is probably my biggest problem. It's got a hell of a lot of power, sure, but it doesn't go anywhere with that power. It never changes itself up, or develops - not in a way that feels impactful, at least. Yes, the beat switchup during Chaeyoung's rap is quite cool, but it honestly ends up taking away a lot of the momentum rather than adding onto it. When you've got so much impact in a song like this, and then proceed to do nothing with it, that's a huge disappointment in my eyes. It ends up feeling repetitious and under-cooked, which is a goddamn shame. If it had just a bit more love and experimentation put into it on the production side of things, it could have been serious title track potential. But as much as I hate to admit it, it's a very, VERY uneven song. It's definitely something the producers can work on in the future.
D'you what they don't need to work on though? The lyrics. Cause yeah, they're about as girl crush as you can get, and I eat that shit for breakfast. "Fancy" was confident, yes, but "Stuck In My Head" is THAT bitch. Honestly, I'd love to see TWICE have lyrics like this for a title track of theirs. They're teasing and quite playful, whilst being very powerful and confident at the same time. Basically, I love them a lot and I really want them to take this angle with one of their title tracks please and thank you.
This game of hide-and-seek that doesn't let you breathe
Our relationship pushes and pulls
I wonder who'll be laughing when this tension ends
Yyyyyeah, I ended up being very mixed about this song as a whole. I can still enjoy it on a superficial level, and it's certainly a lot of fun. I just... need to not think about it too much, because when I do, that's when the problems start arising. Overall, it's a great attempt at a girl crush song, and definitely something I'd love to see TWICE develop on in the future.
3. GIRLS LIKE US
Welp, I certainly never expected a Charli XCX song to end up in TWICE's lap. And yes, for those of you who aren't aware, this was a song Charli originally created alongside MNEK called "Tough Love" - which, for the record, both of them are phenomenal artists with a HELL of a lot of talent. (Seriously, have you heard some of Charli's mixtapes????) But the song was never really finished, and it was leaked online earlier this year. I'm not going to give a link to it because of copyright, but go look it up yourself if you're curious. It IS out there.
But somehow, it ended up being sold to TWICE, and now we're here! And overall, "Girls Like Us" is pretty good. It's got a very whimsical and upbeat vibe to it in places, with some nice quirky piano lines and whistle melodies here and there. It's also got some downright anthemic choruses, and I certainly wasn't expecting them to explode as much as they did. It's goddamn gorgeous to listen to, if you ask me. The verses are minimal for a reason, and it woooooooorks.
It actually reminds me a lot of Red Velvet's "Happiness", in a way? It's got a very uplifting vibe to it, and it overall feels very dreamy and positive. Which, that's not something Charli's really known for, so it definitely surprised me! I was nonetheless very happy to hear TWICE put their own spin on it, and it ended up coming out pretty damn well.
But you know what I hate about this song? THE ENDING. That's how they decided to end it? With the most anticlimactic thing you could possibly do with a song like this??? Come ooooon, JYP producers. You had a great opportunity to take that heavy drum line and turn it into something special, and you wasted it. You left it to sputter out and feel as pointless as it could, causing the ending to feel abortive and very unfinished in general. I AM DISAPPOINTED.
Aside from that though, the lyrics certainly prove my point about the Red Velvet comparison. This is one of those cheesy yet uplifting and motivating songs that you can't help but grin like an idiot at. Yeah, the lyrics are pretty dumb, but they're fun. That's never a bad thing in my eyes!
The truth is, it's not a big deal
You are not alone, everyone's been on this path before
You'll find happiness one day on this road
In the end, "Girls Like Us" is a pretty dreamy song with a shitty ending. I don't really know what else I can say about it; it's pretty simple in a lot of ways, but sometimes you need a track like that to just enjoy in the middle of an album. Yeah, people will probably say it's filler, but if that's the case, then it's definitely a very fun example of filler. 😊
4. HOT
If you ask me, "Hot" is where this album finds its pace and really starts to just... have fun with it. "Hot" is actually an upbeat party song that REALLY surprised me upon my first listen. I didn't quite know what to expect going into it, sure, but if you told me it was going to be as quirky and funky as this, I... don't know if I would've believed you. But yeah, here we are!
"Hot" grabs your attention from the get-go with some really interesting vocal samples, and a very futuristic instrumental - almost reminiscent of deep house in some places thanks to those bouncy synths. But then, when the choruses hit, it adds some really nice snare touches, as well as a brass line that single-handedly makes the entire song SO much better. It gives it that extra energy that it probably would've lacked otherwise, and it definitely made me smile. This entire song just has so much goddamn energy, it's infectious! And hey, the ending actually works, which is a nice thing given that we just had "Girls Like Us". 😖
I feel like the girls themselves are actually enjoying themselves here, too - their vocal delivery is very colourful and varied, with just the right amount of sass and restraint where it's needed. That carries over into the lyrics, too, which are - once again - surprisingly confident and charismatic. It adds to the energy and vibe the song's got going for it - and when it's as fun as this, that is very much welcome. And sure, they're a little bit repetitive here and there, and they don't make much sense in places - although I think that's because the only place I could find a translation for this song was Genius, of all places - but hey, this song isn't really meant to be super deep! It's an empowerment anthem mixed with a party song, and shallow lyrics for this suffice perfectly for what it wants to do.
I don't have any ordinary clothes
I'm perfect to my feet, I'll always be attracted to it
You've already fallen for me
I don't really have much else I can say about "Hot"; you kinda just have to listen to it for yourself to really enjoy it. If you've never heard it before, I'd definitely recommend it! It's good if you need an energy boost, that's for sure. But... while I like it a lot, there is admittedly a better party song on this album. One with just as much energy - if not more - and a HELL of a lot of groove...
5. TURN IT UP
Yeah. It's this. I'll give "Hot" credit, it's fun and bouncy, but it's not on the level of "Turn It Up". Now THIS is a fucking party song.
The instrumental in this song is AWESOME. Not only have you got those bouncy elements we heard previously, mainly thanks to a great drum line and a nice synth line to match, but the groove. This song has SUCH a good bassline to it, and it's just topped off by some even funkier electric guitars here and there, as well as some thinner synths towards the end. Admittedly, that acoustic guitar intro with Sana's vocals is fucking awful and I don't know why they even included it (THE GUITAR ISN'T EVEN IN TUNE WITH THE REST OF THE SONG FFS), but the rest of the song is fantastic on its own. Just... ignore the intro. Forget it exists. Because there's a really damn good song to be found here if you do.
TWICE themselves actually nail it here, too, with some great vocals that really supplement this song's energy - I mean, do you HEAR how much fun they're having here? I feel like I can hear Jihyo smiling into the mic as she sings, and I love it! And hey, we have Momo rapping for a brief second, what else could you ask for? But overall, I feel like it eloquently provides a solution to the problem "Stuck In My Head" ran into, where some of the girls sound like they're not entirely comfortable - the instrumental ebbs and flows to support the members with the quieter vocals AS WELL AS the more powerful members. It works super well, and it means members like Tzuyu and Dahyun don't feel out of place. Speaking of which, Dahyun and Chaeyoung's rap is a goddamn highlight here - I haven't liked one of their raps this much since "Likey". THEY KILL IT.
Surprisingly, the lyrics indicate this is more of a love song than a party song? Which, that was a strange surprise to me. But while it is a love song, it's a very carefree and light one, with an electric sense of energy behind it. They never feel overbearing or annoying, and end up coming off as really natural and likable. They're honestly pretty good!
Here at night, full of starlight, Imma turn it up
Towards the night sky in the dark, Imma turn it up
We'll never lose our vibe
I think it's safe to say that "Turn It Up" left me very damn impressed, considering I wasn't expecting it to be anything special. It's the sort of song I've been waking up with stuck in my head in the morning (ironically enough), and that kinda shows how much sticking power it's got. It's memorable, upbeat, and reminds me an awful lot of Girls' Generation's "All Night" - it's just goddamn funky fun. I'd KILL to have a song like this be one of TWICE's title tracks going forward, 'cause I'd be there from minute one.
6. STRAWBERRY
Funnily enough, this is... probably my favourite song on the album. Yeah. Even though I liked "Turn It Up" a hell of a lot, "Strawberry" is the song I've found myself completely obsessed with. It's very subtle in a lot of ways, but I think that ends up working very much in its favour.
"Strawberry" is by a mile the slowest song on this album; the decision to end the album on a more chill song like this one was a great idea, in my opinion. And hey, like I said, it's probably my favourite song here - I love that distorted synth sample in the background and the melodic foundation it provides; I love the acoustic guitar sections in the choruses and the hint of authenticity it adds; I love how the girls' vocals are more hushed and a little bit more sultry than what we're used to hearing from them; there are so many elements of "Strawberry" that I could gush over for hours if I could. Hell, I'd say it's the most well-developed song on the album. It really does feel like its full potential is realised, and that makes me INCREDIBLY happy.
And yeah, when you look at the lyrics here, they're certainly more on the cutesy side than anything else on this album. But it's not an overbearing type of cuteness; it's very chill, relaxed and subdued, much like the song itself. They appreciate a few of the smaller details about the person they're crushing on, which matches the song's tone perfectly. It's such a goddamn pleasant song to listen to, and hey, even if I don't understand the lyrics without reading their meaning most of the time, they still feel refreshing regardless.
I don't want anyone to steal you, so I secretly hide you - it's all mine
So what if I'm being greedy?
I'm the one who likes you more
Not gonna lie, this song gave me very big and very immediate f(x) vibes. And that's a fantastic thing in my eyes - I AM a MeU, after all, but I didn't expect TWICE to pull it off quite so well. And to be honest, I think they do it just as well as f(x) do! These are the kind of cute songs I really like, where they're not overly in-your-face about their cuteness; they're just comfortable with being cute and putting their own spin on it at the same time. "Strawberry" is a fantastic song, and one I've found myself listening to an unhealthy amount at this point. Seriously. It's become one of the most played songs on my phone. Send help.
But hey, that's the entire album! And if "Fancy You" is anything to go by, I'll definitely be listening to more of TWICE's albums in the future - this ended up having some very pleasant surprises for me. This has been one of my favourite eras for TWICE overall, and this album just cements it to be honest. I can't wait to see where they go from here!
•••••
ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
Fancy
Stuck In My Head
Girls Like Us
Hot
Turn It Up
Strawberry
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
Holographic backgrounds by FreePik
TWICE PNGs by beapanda on deviantArt
