The competition for Korea’s girl group song of summer is incredibly tight this year, with almost every big name throwing their hat in the ring. Twice has an edge based on their name recognition and chart success alone, even if they’re not strictly known for summery material. I still maintain that last year’s album track 24/7 would have made an excellent summer single, but sadly that was not meant to be. In its place, we have the bouncy EDM pop of Dance The Night Away.
Written by the team that gave us Red Velvet’s Peekaboo last November, Dance The Night Away doesn’t immediately conform to the Twice formula. This is refreshing, and I appreciate any attempt to break from what is becoming an increasingly stale sound. But, it’s no secret that Twice are currently being stretched thin. Between their constant comebacks in both Korea and Japan, there’s barely time to establish a unique musical identity. This same concern undercuts Dance The Night Away. As fun as the song is, it feels like one simple idea stretched to its limit.
Dance‘s most memorable aspect is its effervescent chorus, which hits its mark despite the fact that it feels under-produced and overly repetitive. Its straightforward hook invites sing-alongs, and will likely rattle around many listeners’ heads for the remainder of summer. However, the song’s uninspired arrangement doesn’t give Twice the opportunity to display their obvious star power. Dance The Night Away feels scrubbed clean of its quirkiness, resulting in a track that sounds like part of a Disney Channel movie musical. It’s good fun, but Twice is currently the biggest girl group in K-pop. More and more, their music is struggling to match up to that title.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
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I think that if one follows them pretty closely, their style is definitely maturing, but way to slowly compared to their rapid releases. Before they released the song, they commented that it would be a horror concept, which I would have found fascinating if they actually pulled through with it.
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Slightly disappointed by this track, production is underwhelming, not a strong summer blockbuster, but still a good TWICE track overall. Your assessment of a Disney-fied TWICE is spot on, which is also reflected in the very bland and uninteresting MV.
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I feel like I’m a huge outlier when it comes to my opinion of Twice’s music. Everything from TT to What Is Love? (barring Japanese releases and the Christmas album) was pure gold, which in my opinion is an incredible streak for any group that active to maintain. This, however, is really quite bland and disappointing. It’s not simplicity that’s the issue – for example “Crying” by Stellar is an excellent summer track that is pretty much devoid of all complexity. It’s just the textures and melodies are so not my style. “Disney channel movie musical” is honestly the #1 accurate burn on TheBiasList so far, and I’ve read literally every article on this site since 2016. By the way, I’m emerging from the shadows once more to leave extremely extra comments on your articles! Prepare yourself!
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I love that you’re emerging from the shadows! Welcome back 🙂
When it comes down to it, I just don’t think I enjoy most of Twice’s vocal tones, which means that the songs have to be absolutely stellar for me to really get into them.
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