It usually takes me a song or two to fully warm up to a rookie group, and TWS’s Plot Twist was a slow-burn standout that compelled more and more as time went on. The exceptional hey! hey! officially sealed the deal, and now we’re on to the group’s second mini album Summer Beat. I love nothing more than a bright, summer-themed K-pop album, and title track If I’m S, Can You Be My N? (내가 S면 넌 나의 N이 되어줘) feels like a sonic sequel to Plot Twist‘s banging bubblegum success.
In the space of just two title tracks, TWS have established a unique sound. It takes elements of early GFriend/Apink, throws in a healthy dash of Seventeen and mixes it all in a blender until the various hooks and segments are jumbled into a densely packed Easter basket of goodies. While their influences are obvious to any longtime K-pop listener, songs like If I’m S, Can You Be My N? don’t really sound like anything else. If hey! hey! was a barreling freight train, this is a messy confetti explosion with errant hooks stretching out from its chorus like tentacles on an octopus pool floatie. Needless to say, it takes a minute to get your arms around.
Luckily, we already have Plot Twist as a roadmap to the overstuffed TWS universe. If I’m S, Can You Be My N? is fused together with much of the same DNA. Its chorus feels especially familiar, though the synths are a bit beefier this time around. The arrangement is a constant assault of exclamation marks, punching hard every moment so there’s essentially no dead space. This will likely annoy some listeners, but it works especially well with the catchy rap verses. I’m even more impressed with the segments that take a smoother approach, adding backing vocals to create a hazy summertime atmosphere that feels like you’re drifting down a hill on your bike. The track is a constant push and pull between these elements, giving it tension that never fully resolves. I prefer the relentless forward-moving energy of the mighty hey! hey!, but If I’m S, Can You Be My N? is a fascinating dose of pop maximalism that’s sure to grow even more addictive with time.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
somethings off about the transition from the pre-chorus to the chorus… Is it my ears or are they in 2 different keys?
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It’s cute, though I prefer Hey! Hey! more. Maybe cause I’m not too much into the full-on bubblegum songs, but I like it, it’s cute.
8.5 or 8.75 (8, 9, 9, 8 or 8, 9, 9, 9) for now.
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And btw, we’ve officially had at least one 9+ rated song each week for this month! June had now joined January as the strongest month of 2024! Now watch July pull a February- *cough* Joke and My Idol *cough*- on us and hope August maintains her streak as the strongest month of the year 😅
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genuinely the best chorus I’ve ever heard this year, a 9 from me too
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album-wise, I prefer Sparkling Blue more
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The chorus is too much like Plot Twist for me but I really like the SVT-sounding rap verses, they come out of nowhere and almost sound like a different song. I kind of wish they’d built a song around that instead. Like with Oh mymy vs. Plot Twist I feel like hey! hey! should have been the title track instead but I guess they know what they’re doing with Plot Twist 2.0!
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TWS’s music is so good and this one is no exception. I prefer “hey! hey!” more but the melodies there are solid!
This is probably a cue for me to stan TWS now…
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Well it sure does take a minute to get your arms around! So I guess it’s another EP I’ve played so much on day one, but it’ll need many more days to unfold for me, just like Sparkling blue. When it comes to the title track, I do prefer Hey hey for now, because I’ve grown to love that one more each day. Gotta also say, love those Youngjae and Dohoon highlights in this.
I’ve seen people “claiming” songs when the highlight medley came out, so I might as well take one b-side, and make it be Fire confetti for now. I think that song is the most easily digestable right now, maybe of all they’ve released so far. Someone might mention Double take as such, but I think that one also has a dense package laying underneath. When talking about the production itself being “dense” overall, I recommend just listening maybe First hooky instrumental (one of those that people make by muting the vocals all the way down), and just pay attention to those teeny tiny flute sounds, that go all the way through and are most prominent during the bridge I think.
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I think it leans a little too far in plot twist’s direction, but I appreciate the cohesion in a sound I like overall – the climax was really good with a lot of flourishes that get it over the finish line, to the point I’ll definitely be replaying it to get there again!
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Production is dope (I don’t know why, but it does feels a bit formulaic at times). Unfortunately this is just not my type of music. It did remind me of Gfriend’s Me Gustas Tu, so it surely gets props from that on my part. Side note, wow, this has been an incredible Monday, so many high quality releases. Continues the 9+ streak we’ve been having.
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I’ll admit it took me a bit to fall in love with the first TWS album but I immediately fell in love with this release the moment I heard it. Lowkey, it reminded me of drop-pop candy and other similar sounds from 2014.
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They’ve won me over. That title is so silly though
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I’m calling it, they are really the male version of Gfriend and I’m loving it. Hope someday they will pull a Rough and I will totally stan
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Such a mediocre song.
I’m a Riizeman through and through, lol.
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Agree, didn’t expect such a high rating, thought it was mid 8s. I mean yes the song was arranged pretty well, but not really impressive. It sounded pretty formulaic.
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I loved the rap verses in it. These kind of verses are so few these days in mainstream k-pop. It is an energy booster through and through keeping TWS true to their strong musical identity that they have built by just a single album.
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