Review

TWS TRY WITH US: In-Depth Album Review – Freestyle


1. Lucky To Be Loved // 2. Countdown! // 3. Random Play // 4. Freestyle // 5. Now Playing // 6. Go Back


FREESTYLE

This is where the album gets into a bit of trouble for me. It’s clear that most TWS albums will now have an obligatory hip-hop track, and I liked last year’s Double Take quite a lot. It was a fun take on the genre with some unique vocal flourishes and a catchy (if repetitive) hook. Freestyle has its fun moments too, but they’re bogged down by a chanted chorus that sounds too much like other current boy group tracks.

The song opens with a percolating electro blip that instantly raised my hackles. I wish producers would stop using obnoxious samples/loops in K-pop tracks. If the sound itself is annoying, it’s going to be annoying in the context of a song as well!

Things improve as TWS’s vocals come in, offering a bright take on this playful hip-hop sound. I like the marching-band-esque pre-chorus and as much as I hated it the first time through, the chanted hook is beginning to grow on me. The “doo-goo-doom” accent is particularly endearing. I don’t think I’d skip this song entirely, but it’s definitely my least favorite on the album.

 Hooks 8
 Production 7
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 7.75

Grade: C+

3 thoughts on “TWS TRY WITH US: In-Depth Album Review – Freestyle

  1. the “do goo doom” part might be my favorite thing of the whole album, followed by that baby sound in the end😂

    Having said that, I think my favorite song is Random Play.

    Slowly getting over my beef with Countdown. It’s going to take a while, but I think I’ll get there eventually.

    Only OhMYMY, Plot Twist and HeyHey were instant likes. Their other titles have been growers.

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  2. Continuing my TXT comparison from the last post, this feels like a real Cat & Dog to me. (I’ve also forgotten what their other hip-hop-likes sound like so making this connection now) Would prefer if they leaned into something more melodic like Angel or Devil if tackling this again.

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