For groups like TWS who debut with a bright, youthful concept, the need to “mature” their sound is always lurking just around the corner. I’ve seen it with pretty much every act I’ve loved over the past decade and the inevitable arc from cute young kids to grown, sexy adults can go two ways. Either a group comfortably finds their footing with new concepts or the sudden change takes all the wind out of their sails. I ended up loving TWS’s hip-hop pre-release Head Shoulders Knees Toes, but understand that it was too much, too soon for many fans. Title track Overdrive corrects this in a very satisfying way.
I’ve always thought that, as TWS’s music matures, they should lean further into funk and rock. These genres fit them well and there’s already a precedent for success set by agency seniors Seventeen. Overdrive feels a lot like an early Seventeen track, bounding with energy in the same way that Mansae and Adore U did. It’s a lean, mean pop track, bursting forward immediately with its bombastic guitar riff. The melodic lines are as bright and energetic as you’d expect from a TWS track. This has quickly become my favorite calling card of theirs. Their vocals unfurl like a series of exclamation marks, as if they have too much energy to contain within the song itself.
Overdrive‘s slim frame means some aspects are sacrificed, but the song smartly truncates its second verse to offer a bridge instead. This is a structural tradeoff I’ll gladly take and has been used to great effect in many K-pop highlights of the past. I do wish HYBE producers realized they can make songs longer than three minutes because I just want more of this song. Fortunately, Overdrive does not skimp on its chorus. There’s a reason the pre-release teasers all focused on this segment. A big pop chorus is a thing of beauty and has become increasingly rare in K-pop. In this regard, Overdrive wraps its arms around you in a warm embrace, building toward a series of exuberant peaks. It’s a fantastic way to slightly mature TWS’s sound without sacrificing everything that makes their music so refreshing.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
As soon as the first riff hit, all I could think about is “Adult Swim” by Kai.
and now thats literally all i can keep singing during the entire song.
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I am writing here cause idk where can I write separately
honestly it’s one of the best genres of kpop rn I would say..admist the cool and girl crush concepts theirs is like a fresh summer breeze..hope they do more and explore more genres(cause why not?>>)..
fighting TWS
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I think it’s way too understated and underwhelming to get even a 9. Personally, I didn’t feel pulled or moved by it like Ceremony, and I think for me, it’s around an 8.5. It felt like a throwaway comeback that any number of 4th and 5th gen boy groups could release.
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Ceremony by Stray Kids?
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I enjoyed how clearly this emulates funky-era Seventeen, but I do also think that comparison kind of hurts them given just how much better Seventeen did that stuff – this song is a good meld between both of their sounds, but ends up not being the best of either for me. Regardless, I’m glad we’re getting more bright and upbeat sounds out of TWS, and I hope they stick to this as long as possible.
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that’s how I feel. obviously inspired by early SVT but not as strong as any of those tracks. I still like it though.
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I love it. I have the album on repeat all day and I’m obsessed. This song is the type of song that is released by people who are having fun in the studio, and it shows. They are truly glowing in this comeback. From the album, my only complain is that the songs are too short. Other than that, Caffeine rush and Here for you are fantastic and Hot blue shoes has this amazing rock instrumental which reminds me of the Strokes and it just works, their energy is contagious. I would love it if kpop leaned on this type of rock sound more and TWS went for it. The only song I don’t really care about is Overthinking and this is because I’m not really into club/house, but they can make anything work. As per Nick’s fav expression, they ate! Sincerely, a very objective reviewer.
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it’s good but I don’t really have any strong feelings over it. overthinking and Here For You are the best tracks on the album.
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I MANIFESTED THISSSS
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I agree that it is good for TWS to dip into funk rock genre and this song still retain their bright youthful vibe. However, I am not sure that they should sacrifice the melodic approach that they used in early release to embrace shout & noise music approach like their senior. I don’t really enjoy this song compared to their old music.
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Yeah, I feel the same way. I do like the song, but I kind of miss the more melodic sound they had in their earlier music. It felt more unique to TWS
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How is that chorus not melodic, though? It’s got more melodic range than the vast majority of K-pop songs this year.
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Haha yeah, I see what you mean! I wasn’t talking about melody in a technical sense – just that the style & overall vibe feel a bit different from their earlier songs. Still really enjoy this one, though!
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For those who missed debut-era Seventeen, here is one for you.
I am hearing a great big mashup of Boom Boom + Mansae + Clap + Call Call Call + Adore U. But mostly Boom Boom. Which one is that post-chorus guitar from – that is all SVT too.
Anyway, I can only rate it so high, perhaps mid-8’s for me.
For the kids here
https://youtu.be/bCLVNeX4MKw
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thank you! can’t believe I’d never heard some of these before ㅠㅠ they’re so good!
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It’s a fun song, I really love the easy rocking energy they give. I’ve got nothing to complain about, but not too much to write home about either. A solid song that is above average.
For me it’s a 7,9,8,9 = 8.25
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in classic TWS style, this probably already grew another .25-.5 for me.
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As it should 🙂
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Just a mediocre song!
BBIIIIIAAAASSSSSS 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
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its fun. I like this sound from tws but I do hope they can go into a more mature sound soon (and not pull off something like head shoulders knees and toes)
8.75/10 (8, 9, 8, 10) for me
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Definitely better than whatever HSKT was😬. Definitely early Seventeen but here’s the thing. Back then, I did not listen to these kind of songs and think they were generic. I actually fell in love with Kpop boy groups with this sound. In that sense this is a very good song, but a little generic in today’s Kpop environment. I’d say 8.25
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Timing has a lot to do with impressions, I think. I’ve been around in this K-pop space for so long now that I know all the tropes and very little (if anything) feels genuinely new or interesting anymore. In the absence of that newness, I often find myself reverting to the styles and tropes that I reliably love. Flash back more than a decade ago and I was definitely not finding anything generic because it was all so new and exciting. I’d love to get that feeling back but I don’t think it will happen given the way trends recycle or simply stagnate.
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I get it…timing and mood. Often I’m in a “mood” (these days I’ve been listening to DaeHyun, Day6, The Rose, HyunSang, Woodz) so when a song like this plays on, my mind is just not in the right place to accept it. Often, I listen to them a few weeks later and I think to myself “why did I dismiss this song, it’s just so good?” (recent examples, Ampers&One’s “That’s That” and Evnne’s “How Can I Do”, and probably this song😅).
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Oh wow, TWS really can do no wrong in your eyes haha.. Sadly, this was a very mediocre output in my opinion. Super average. Not bad but not good. Last festival is always going to be difficult to top.
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Middling song tbh
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This reminds me of the era when Pitchfork would automatically give a 10 to every Radiohead record just because it was a Radiohead record, thanks for the nostalgia.
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LMAO
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Except their last three singles were rated in the 8’s?
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I’m probably as hopelessly smitten with TWS as Nick is, but this title track was definitely a successful broadening of their funky side. It’s great to see a focus on brass and guitar instead of synth and electronics to avoid demeaning comparisons. Although I was not a fan during SVT’s early era, I still do enjoy songs from that era, which maybe helps me enjoy this track without nostalgic comparisons that diminish its effect? I was also worried about the topline being too chirpy from the previews at first, but I’d say it fits in the context of the whole song. As expected from the album highlights, overthinking is a hit with the switch-up in the second chorus, and I’d love to see them mature their sound in a house/club direction too in the future!
(8,9,9,10)=9
(Also, is it just me or the guitar riff reminded me of SVT’s Clap?)
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When I first heard the teaser I immediately thought of Clap, so I’m glad that they followed through with the early SVT sound but updated for a current audience. Actually it reminds me of Go Back from their previous album, which I thought would have made a good title track.
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It’s totally in the same family as Go Back! A great sound for them imo
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saw this rating from a mile away…
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i think we know what some of the songs are gonna end up in this year’s top 10 😂
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You might! But you also might be surprised 😉
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I wonder if the said surprise is the placement of songs.
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In a few weeks I will forget this exists.
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Mmmhh I find this a bit average, I’m afraid. It’s not that I don’t like the genre, but it’s been done so many times that it’s got to be at the level of the best, or else I’ll just find it boring. And to me this is “OK” but not at the level of the best.
By the way am I crazy for absolutely loving Taylor Swift new single? Entirely western, I agree, but the chorus is stuck in my head. I have seen pretty bad reviews around though, I don’t know why.
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I like that new single also but tbh it is very unoriginal. There are just many better versions of that type of song. Dont get me wrong, its catchy but it isnt incredible (tbh nothing taylor swift releases anymore is even amazing lol)
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I thought the same first listen, but then it got totally stuck in my head and I got addicted. I’m not sure why as I kind of agree with you but still can’t get it out of my head ha ha!
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I don’t even like or listen to the TS album, but that dang Ophelia song is still stuck in my head somehow so I agree about the catchiness.
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I’ve listened to it a few times and although it is solid, I personally still can’t remember how it sounds 😭 I think Elizabeth Taylor or Opalite both would’ve made more interesting and inventive singles.
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Yes, yes, and yes! That’s really the only word that I can think of right now!
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