Two weeks ago, TWICE made their comeback with “Between 1&2.” It has finally caught on for me and has been a mini-album that I have been playing on repeat since its release. After listening to each song—way too many times—I can say that I am thoroughly impressed with the quality TWICE put into their latest comeback. 

For those who are not aware, TWICE is a nine-member South Korean girl group formed under JYP Entertainment. They debuted in 2015 and have become one of the most successful groups in the K-pop industry, going on to win numerous awards and performing sold-out shows around the world. More recently, TWICE has begun to expand their audience by releasing tracks sung in Japanese and English. 

Their comeback begins with the title track: “Talk That Talk.” In all honesty, I couldn’t see the appeal of this song at first, but it eventually grew on me. “Talk That Talk” is just under three minutes long and mixes many styles of music, including disco and pop. Several things about the song had me sold. The clear, strong vocals of each member helped to keep me fully engaged. The flawless trade-off of lines between members gave the song a clean finish. I couldn’t detect too much autotune with each member, which really showed off what each member was capable of. The simple melody is also easy to sing or hum along to. While I am not a huge fan of the rap section of the song, they balanced the pre-chorus and chorus sections wonderfully. 

In regards to the music video that accompanied “Talk That Talk,” it was utterly stunning, as usual. There is a fierceness to each of the member’s visuals that complements the fierce nature of the song. In addition, there are both blue and white color schemes as well as red and black, which bridges their former cute theme with their current, more mature style. I enjoyed the mix between the ‘90s and modern trends in the video, as well as references to previous songs like “YES or YES.” There is even a QR code at the end of the video that takes fans to an old Instagram photo announcing the name of their fandom—ONCE.

As for the choreography of “Talk That Talk,” TWICE did not disappoint. Their movements were filled with energy and the group’s synchronization was on another level. One part that I really enjoyed was the freestyle section at the end of the third chorus. Moments like these really highlight the message of the song. It is also a perfect break for individual members in large groups to stand out. 

Moving to the remaining tracks of the mini-album, I would say that TWICE produced a versatile set of songs to listen to. “Queen of Hearts” takes a balanced approach to pop-rock and pop-metal with a great buildup, but it isn’t my taste in music so I would say it was my least favorite from the mini-album. “Basics,”my favorite of the B-side songs, has a flirty, sparkly beat with a satisfying, repetitive chorus that will be stuck in your head for the next month. “Trouble” has a strong opening followed by a pounding bass and a catchy chorus that carries on throughout the rest of the song. “Brave” harmonizes each of the member’s voices, creating a unique merging of voices that strangely work very well together. “Gone” acts as the dark horse of this mini-album because of its sonic/techno concept, which was integrated very well with the group’s traditionally cute style. “When We Were Kids” ends this album delicately and gently with strong vocals and beautiful harmonies.

Overall, I thought TWICE produced a strong title track and mini-album with an incredible balance between concepts while still maintaining their signature flair. This album offers a little bit of everything, and is definitely worth listening to on your favorite streaming service.