Nine years into their career, Twice continue to straddle the line between various music markets, frequently releasing work in Korea, Japan and internationally. New single Dive heralds their latest J-pop album, hinting at a more mature summer sound.
Twice have released their share of bangers in Japan, often mirroring the soundscapes present in their Korean work. If we’re making comparisons between markets, we’d have to head back all the way to 2021’s Alcohol-Free to find a single this laidback and unbothered. But while that track harnessed a subtly addictive bossa nova sound that paid dividends down the road, I’m less certain that Dive will be as big a grower.
The modus operandi this time seems to be “chill.” At no point does Dive exert itself in a way that might turn heads. The chorus gets closest, kicking off with a powerful vocal before quickly subduing. The entire song is draped in a hazy veil of sonic humidity. It’s as if the world has slowed and we’re pushing through a wall of thick air. This may be a great cure for anxious nerves, but doesn’t make for a particularly interesting pop song. Twice have enough charm and goodwill to carry even the slightest of material, but Dive looks to be a rare summer skip for me.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Personally I liked the it , it’s chill and kind of relaxing , just a nice produce so it would be 7.75 – 8.25
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The music video and the music itself just reminds me of Donut.
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I´m a hardcore ONCE and while the song is pleasant, to me it looks like ´they´ (not being the girls) didn’t do any effort to make this memorable. I expected more for a new full Japanese album. It’s a pleasant and sophisticated piece of citypop nonetheless but it just never really stands out. Like you said, the chorus gets closest. This song is somewhere in between Doughnut and Hare Hare and the girls carry it because of their experience and presence.
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Once again JYP continues its streak of copying trends rather than start their own. This song sounds like a New Jeans song which is unfortunate. TWICE is skilled enough to seek their own territory, I just wish they stuck to their own concepts and give them good songs for once
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This does not sound like NewJeans to me at all. TWICE has always done this sound. TWICE’s sound is evolving together with the girls but they always stuck their roots.
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There is this part in the chorus which you either love or loathe: The way the slide up into the note on the third syllable. “dont wade OUT, don’t go BACK”. They all sing it that way, so it is probably the producer who said “hey, lets do this thing”. My old chorus teacher would be shuddering as we had to hit notes dead on – I mean, with so many in a chorus, you can’t control that slide and it would sound horrible. With a soloist, its a choice. My guess is that hitting the note dead on sounded meh, and the slide gives it a little pop and it slightly easier to do because the singer only needs to touch that high note and it still will sound as if it is in tune.
For me, since I focus on it so much, mimic and mime it too much, I’m going to say that I don’t think it works for me.
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Definitely their worst Japanese title track to date and it’s a shame to have it on a summer themed album! City pop is just too generic and boring and unfortunately in this case not even Twice could make it more exciting… Hoping for some summer bangers with the unreleased tracks!
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Summer version of donut. But personally I viped with donut a lot more, there is something nostalgic and atmospheric with that song which isn’t present here…
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Definitely the summer version of Donut.
Bland, uninteresting, barely worth the 2 minutes it took to listen.
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JYP not interested in giving Twice bangers anymore and just dedicated to sending them down gently the retirement river. What a shame! The popularity of Twice is strong enough to compete with even 4th and 5th gen groups. They should be still giving hits, not these boring, safe, coffeetable music they’ve been releasing the past 2 years. People call it “evolution”, well, I call it boring. 😦 It doesnt spark the same joy it used to.
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The album has far more interesting songs, especially Beyond The Horizon, Ocean Deep, Love Warning and Peach Soda.
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