Twice’s graceful metamorphosis into their current pop sound marks one of K-pop’s most satisfying evolutions. The group has always created great music, but they’ve managed to mature in a way that feels fresh, fun and natural. When it comes to pop groups, the goal is really quite simple: consistently release strong music and promote it well. Twice have succeeded in both these regards, and Set Me Free is another notch on their belt — albeit a smaller one.
In my mind, last year’s Talk That Talk remains a career highlight — setting expectations high for Set Me Free. Naturally, I can’t help but compare the two. Though they both exist within the vast dance pop genre, each takes a decidedly different approach. Set Me Free is a punchier workout, built on gurgling electro bass and gusts of textured disco strings. It’s clearly indebted to the post-Future Nostalgia landscape we find ourselves in this decade, but the aesthetic works for Twice.
A song with this specific vibe tends to be a surefire hit for me, which means I get nitpicky about the small things. Set Me Free’s opening verse offers a perfect set-up, unveiling a sticky melody that delivers K-pop attitude without skimping on the hooks. The chorus pulls us upward, flanked by those icy strings. But, the melody is a bit repetitive for my taste. I’m not saying I don’t like it. I just wish it grew into something more spectacular as the track went on. Instead, the arrangement sticks in one gear, forcing the verses (and especially the second pre-chorus) to do much of the heavy lifting. And, the bridge is a total energy drain. It should have opted for an explosive brass throwdown instead of yet another perfunctory trap verse. But as I mentioned, these are nitpicks. Overall, Set Me Free is buoyed by the strength of its era. It’s a perfectly satisfying entry in a string of standout singles from the group.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The song is so good to me. A 9/10 to me 😭
LikeLiked by 4 people
It is good. Though the music video scared me because i thought it was ending on the rap with no final chorus
LikeLiked by 4 people
Same! I really was disappointed because if that was the case I wouldn’t have liked it but then that final chorus came haha! Gorgeous!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I really thought this was Scientist 2.0 with the structure, as, like that song, the rap is at the end. Definitely, like Momo rapping here.
Imma gives this an 8.5 for me, it can grow on me, however.
LikeLike
This is so great. Its such a fun song and the video made them all look like the prettiest human on earth. Tzuyu and Mina especially look amazing. Twice is my favorite group so I’m not the least bit partial but songs like this is why. This whole album was really great.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I love Talk That Talk (it’s just a 10) and it’s too early for me to tell if I like Set Me Free better or not. What I do know is that I absolutely love it. It’s so epic. The clip is stunning. I love the instrumentals. The girls sing quite low and sound really great. And the entire album is wonderful. I noticed you rated this lower than Scientist but this most definitely is better for me. It’s at least a 9 for me at the moment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think there could’ve been more to the chorus than the recurring hook, but this could easily grow on me. My rating’s a bit lower at, 8.25
LikeLiked by 1 person
very solid, and on their eighth year too. props to the girls!
LikeLiked by 5 people
This feels like the companion piece to Can’t Stop Me, albeit a much weaker song.
I like the direction they’re taking Twice in, but this song just isn’t good enough.
Chorus isn’t strong enough, Nayeon’s being given notes that are too high and the rap was dreadful.
Fingers crossed this is a grower!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hooked on the chorus bit from the teasers alone, but the full song left a littttleee to be desired – still like it a lot though! The rap was not my thing however.
The mini album though…I don’t know if it’s too early to say but wtf I really liked every B-side?? Can’t choose a favourite right now at all ahhhhh
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bit underwhelmed, gonna be tough topping Talk that Talk for me. Looking forward to see if Nick has a buried treasure for the bsides, honestly love them all
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the song but why are we still getting Future Nostalgia rehashes 3 years after its release.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why are we still comparing every song with a retro finish to Future Nostalgia 3 years after its release? Maybe it’s time to move on and just accept retro is here to stay and not everything is a “Future Nostalgia rehash”.
LikeLiked by 4 people
i wouldn’t mind if the rehashes were good but this isn’t
LikeLike
I actually thought that the verses and the pre-chorus didn’t link up well. Bridge and climax were a bit predictable but still fine on their own.
Solid 8 for me.
LikeLike
Can’t Stop Me is forever engraved on my brain because of that killer chorus. When the teaser for Set Me Free first dropped, I absolutely forgot I watched it. Days later, I randomly heard the chorus of Set Me Free and asked myself why this sht is such an absolute banger only to realize it’s not even released yet lol. Now that it’s released, I’m absolutely in love with every second of it. Also, I like that when a song absolutely kills it, they make the best English version of it with the perfect lyrics.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Comparing this to the masterpiece of a song that is I Can’t Stop Me is a bit….
LikeLike
The song is a solid base-hit double with a run batted in. Good, perhaps very good, not super great, but it’ll do.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I feel like Twice is the Seventeen of girl groups–super reliable, mass appeal, title tracks that almost never disappoint, and they’re still growing. This song isn’t particularly memorable to me but it does what it needs to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I only listened to it once, but I thought it was ok. Kinda forgettable? I usually like Twice’s outputs but this just didn’t hit with me. Maybe with a few more listens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This mini-album as a whole is really fun. I enjoy the journey that it takes me on. 😀
I can’t even name a favorite b-side because I enjoy them all together!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not blown away, but Twice will Twice – it’s pretty good. I’m sure we’ll see a dance trend pop up soon.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The song sounds nice. Almost everything about it, except for the chorus. I got a bit underwhelmed by this part. Overall, a decent-sounding classic Twice retro tune. Rating is too high, flat 8 at best.
LikeLiked by 1 person
TWICE is my favorite group, I will play this a lot, it has a lot of strong points. I still think it’s mid tier for them from the past few years – I much prefer Talk That Talk, The Feels, and Scientist.
My least favorite is the key and vocal mixing? Both this and Moonlight Sunrise have kind of a nasally, grating vocal tone that may prevent me from loving it. Usually Nayeon’s voice really does it for me but there is something off here, especially since I prefer a smoother vocal in songs like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I heard that sharp vocal timbre as well. It has a bit of piercing quality to it, whatever they did to it to get it to sound that way. The microphone choice? It might bother me more if I listen to the songs on repeat, but as I don’t I just shrug and move on.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s fine.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I really enjoyed it, but then again, I haven’t met many Twice songs that I don’t enjoy so far. I harbor immense dislike for the bridge (real buzzkill), but I like the way they pulled out of it, and the rest of the song is great. I especially like the second part of the chorus as a follow up to the first part melodically. And the stringsssss.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was underwhelmed on the first listen, feeling a but let down by an intro I loved and a pre-chorus that felt like filler. But after a few listens, I like it a lot more than _Moonlight Sunrise_ and the hook is absolutely embedded in my brain.
LikeLike
Really wish the rap bridge was not there 😟 otherwise I definitely like this more than Moonlight Sunrise. Usually this kind of retro soundscape is right up my alley but it still feels like it’s missing something… I think the song’s fine/serviceable. Personally Got the Thrills on the album is my favorite.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not a Twice fan, but this is fun. Except for the rap. I could do without that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
as usual twice songs are way overrated on this site, it barely is a 7.
LikeLike
He’s like never given a Twice song a 9.
LikeLike
Yes I have 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, but I’m not sure if that notes some wild bias in favor of Twice on this site. Considering their success as a whole, Nick doesn’t overrate them in the least.
LikeLike
You’re right. It definitely doesn’t!
LikeLiked by 1 person
i didn’t just mean nick, but the commenters as well.
LikeLike
in the grand Twice singleography, it’s just fine. It’s okay, it’s workman-like, it’s functional but not much else.
LikeLike
Their singles this year have been good; maybe not as good as 2022’s Talk That Talk or Pop!, or their high-point, 2021’s The Feels, Scientist, and the criminally-underrated masterpiece that is Alcohol-Free (their best single in this current era, and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it!:). But then, it’s only March, and this is a band made for the summer, and they’re so prolific I’ll bet more’s coming soon…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, that’s a hot take you have about Alcohol-Free! I appreciate that opinion as I’m a sucker for anything bossa nova, but I don’t have it as my personal favorite because Twice’s vocalists don’t have the finesse to truly pull off a bossa nova concept, but it has absolutely grown on me!
LikeLike
Is bossa nova considered difficult to sing? I remember Astrud Gilbero used to get knocked by jazz critics because of her voice; but that was kind of the point, it was meant to be breezy. And then there’s the father of bossa nova, João Gilberto, whose voice rarely rose above a low whisper; Tom Jobim was only slightly louder. The vocalists of Tropicália and MPB on the other hand tended to be more virtuosic belters (Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania). That’s my impression, anyway. (But I’m not a singer, just a guitarist, so probably real singers will tell me I’m very wrong! lol)
Besides being a great song, what I think really sold the song for me is timing: It came out around the same time as the K-drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, which my wife and I really loved. I just associate it with that show and how it makes me feel. The OST too has some really good songs, and Twice’s Alcohol-Free just sounds like it could exist in that universe. In fact, I burned a CD mix of Howetown Cha-Cha-Cha tues and dialogue along with a few songs that really fit that vibe, chief among them Alcohol-Free.
LikeLike
Seems like a step down from Talk That Talk or even I Can’t Stop Me. I enjoyed the video and choreography, but the song fell short to me. Like other commenters, I think the rap was unnecessary. A vocal bridge maybe would’ve been better. I wish the very loud background vocals would have been sung by a TWICE member, as it’s strange to hear another’s voice in the middle of a TWICE song when it’s not a feature or collab.
LikeLike
If it weren’t for the repetitiveness this would be a banger
LikeLike