SNSD’s Taeyeon can always be counted on for a long-lasting chart hit, but this summer’s Heaven didn’t seem to have the stranglehold on the public the way most of her singles do despite hinging on similar elements as Sabrina Carpenter’s world-conquering Espresso. New single Letter To Myself is a more comfortable fit for Taeyeon, drawing upon her emotive singing style.
This time around, she’s tackled a rock sound. Letter To Myself switches between soft verses and a big, singalong hook. It manages to be both explosive and restrained. As boisterous as the song grows, you never get the sense that Taeyeon will unleash an Alanis Morissette-style rant. Despite Letter‘s cathartic nature, it’s still quite buttoned up when it comes to structure and scope.
Sonically, the song reminds me of Red Velvet’s Psycho at times. Psycho is one of those singles that everyone but me seems to love, and I worry I might have a similar feeling about Letter To Myself. The track is polished and well-performed, but I feel like I can predict its every move before it happens. There’s a lockstep formation to the structure that neuters much of its potential emotion. With that said, the chorus works well — particularly its opening, titular line. I also appreciate the post-chorus, which delivers anthemic heft. Letter To Myself concludes with a soaring, Britpop-esque instrumental that should have underlined the entire track. As usual, Taeyeon elevates the whole thing with her idiosyncratic delivery.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Love the vibes, the production, and the overall sound. Taeyeon’s work has always been a favorite, and this just reinforces it.
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I was hearing more Taeyeon having her Taylor Swift album.
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Are you hearing this in the verses (Tortured Poets esque kindof)? I honestly don’t really hear it apart from the lyrics maybe?
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Not a swiftie here, so speaking as the one who hears Tay all the time on the radio. The self-confessional style with some sing song parts that lead to an everybody sing-a-long perfectly pop chorus, and its all packaged to Mean Something About Life, and it means something to some people but to some like me it just eludes us.
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Ooh yeah I can kindof see that, especially because this kind of thing is not done a lot by kpop artists. I don’t consider myself a Swiftie in the real sense (meaning I don’t think Taylor Swift is the best thing since Shakespeare, especially not since the latest album) but I’ve listened to her quite a bit and didn’t really hear it musically. I can see it in the overall concept though.
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Love the description of her voice as idiosyncratic because you can really feel it on this album. There are some B-sides on this one where she’s just inimitable, it surprises me every time how flexible her voice is (even though it shouldn’t at this point). “Blur” is shocking, especially those last few seconds.
I do wish the single was a bit more “full” and I think by that, I mean I wish the music itself wasn’t quite so polished. This is going to be a great one live, where she plays with a full band behind her, but I think the track doesn’t feel quite as full as her voice does.
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I’m also missing that feeling of ‘fullness’ in the instrumental!
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Not really familiar with her so I don’t get what u mean with “even though it shouldn’t at this point”. Could u elaborate pls
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“There’s a lockstep formation to the structure that neuters much of its potential emotion.” I was going to try and express this as well but I can’t do a better job at it than this.
I have been randomly going down a rock rabbithole the past week, and having that comparison makes this even more evident. It also makes me want a more solid rock riff underneath it all. Instead, one half of this instrumental is sort of bouncy and floaty and slow, and I don’t feel that it fits the soaring anthemic vibe it’s trying to go for in the vocals and the other half of the instrumental. It’s not a bad song, but I think I’ll go back to my playlist of rock anthems for now.
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A decent passable indie-ish song.
Straight 8 for me
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asian mimi,c visual sound 4 su,re!
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and just like Red Velvet Psycho, it’s such a One Republic coded song. Therefore I love it. 8.5/10
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This is a weaker version of her “Can’t control myself”
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Very 2021 coded. Reminds me of Chung Ha and SOMI full albums, a blend of Western pop rock with rich vocals basically. But this is very forgettable.
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I didn’t realize the hook was the hook when it opened. I would’ve preferred it to just be at the bookends of the track instead of actually being the chorus. I like the post chorus better
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the best
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an average indie rock… my rating is the same
Listening to Taeyeon makes me wonder what sound Irene will debut on. Well, I doubt it’s a sound made for me. My expectations are low for this month. I’m not betting on any artist anymore
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