Japanese mega-girl group/collective Sakurazaka46 recently released a few stunning singles, which got me thinking about what a 20+ member group can sound like. In my mind, the music should be as immense as the configuration, and I haven’t often felt that way about tripleS’s output. Their songs feel too small for their concept, and I keep waiting for them to blow their sound wide open.
We inch closer to that moment with new title track Baby Flower, which takes them down a propulsive, rock-infused route. The song boasts more than a little of the “powerful innocence” concept re-popularized by GFriend a decade or so ago, which isn’t surprising given producer EL CAPITXN‘s involvement in the track. His work with AHOF has pointed toward a fondness for the sounds of K-pop’s mid-2010s, and I would love nothing more than that kind of songcraft to make a resurgence this year. Baby Flower isn’t up there with the best of the genre (that’s a tall order to fill!), but it tries its heart out and that’s a very winning formula.
So many K-pop tracks these days function firmly in the “I”. “I’m the best. I’m your bias. I’ll make it lemonade.” In contrast, Baby Flower feels like a good old fashioned “we” song. “We can do it. We’ll get ’em!” I’ve always preferred this approach and I admire the musical ambition on display here. The song climaxes with a few high notes that feel uncomfortably executed (24 members and you couldn’t get them to sing together?), but overall this is good, rousing fun in a classic, anthemic style.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Nothing for me to complain about here, definitely their best release as a group thus far. Though I wished it had a more GFriend-esque sound to it.
8.75(8,9,9,9) for now
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I kind of agree, I find myself wanting a pure gfriend sound, but I think this song makes sense as a fusion of that sense with Triples’s sensibility
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It’s a welcoming sound for these girls, for a big group, we really could use an operatic-esque sound, like go crazy, put in some genre-switches, a grand finale with all members singing, but this is not bad!
8.25 (8, 8, 9, 8) for me
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Dreamcatcher and Girlfriend would be proud. Finally TripleS delivered a banger! 9/10 easily
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Idk I liked the high notes😌
8.5/10😌
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Agree with others its very GFriend adjacent by way of the AKB48-style franchises. I think the production could have been tighter, the vocals less processed and samey-samey sounding, but on balance it’s a solid kpop song.
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I hate how they keep going with the we thing while insisting on giving 24 members 3-second lines instead of letting them sing together… Their voices already sound thin as it is, stack them together so they sound fuller.
(An issue with a lot of Modhaus tracks–vocals always seem to miss the mark somehow.)
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the fact that they dont sing together or harmonize more often is my biggest gripe with tripleS’ management. like, you have so many choices and options to see who sounds the best together and somehow the best decision is to *still* make them sing individual parts? personal stuff aside, i like the hook and production! 8.5 from me as well
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This!
I wonder if their company could get a better mixing of their voices because I’m expecting a good harmony before the chorus, during the bridge… etc. But what we get is just a high note and ad-lib (in the end) which for me feels quite disoriented.
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I love it! Wouldn’t have expected tripleS (which already is my current favorite group) to do a GFriend-esque concept, but they executed it so well! They also still retain their own color and the signature la-la-la-s.
As for the high notes, I enjoyed them myself. Dahyun did a great job, imo, and it gives the song a clear highlight.
8.75-9 for me right now, but I’m pretty sure it’ll still rise.
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the best one among today’s ggs comeback
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These girls really like to use ‘la la la’ too much. I know it’s their signature thing to do, but I still wish they would take a break. Otherwise the song is a 7.7 to 8 for me. I hope the rest of the album is good.
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This is easily one of the best tracks of the year, and it goes all in more than what I expect of K-pop this is not half-baked. Baby Flower is very surprising to me and this instantly ends Rising for me which I still consider as their best work. 9/10.
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so sorry for the long comment but as a triples follower i cannot help it.
I am mixed on this. There are parts that are strong, like the 1st half of that chorus that then gets immediately kneecapped by the lala section. That could have had some actual writing. Every good thing about this song then gets countered by something that breaks off from what it should reasonably reach.
The chorus production wise is great. Not a fan of the slower, snappy beat but then again, not every member is a power vocal, so I guess they are playing to that. (Speaking of, wow that run of vocals at the end is something special if it can be hit live. And hit well.) Half of verse 2 is solid followed by a line that does not flow well with it, while verse 1 and the first prechorus were pretty solid with no notes.
I guess what I am getting at is that while there are great highlights, this song is also inconsistent and could have benefited from a different arrangement and cohesive composition. Skip the italics if you don’t want an album review
Off the album (which is, inexplicably Part 1 of 3), the output is also generally weaker than their usual releases (maybe because they’re rushing 3 album releases rather than focusing on a singular album). Sleek’s mainly been my repeat of the day (8, 8, 9, 8). Sad Girls Schemin’ is also a pretty solid drop (7, 9, 8, 8). Type of Girl would have benefitted from an Imogen Heap/underscores type production on it (think the latter’s The Peace), and felt too tinny for my taste (7, 7, 8, 8). I Like That feels absolutely pointless as a track and is weirdly muffled compared to everything else (6, 4, 5, 5). Me Myself Mode could have been a good title track had it not been capped at under 2:30 (9, 9, 8, 8).
Yeah so LtF : I Like That (skip), Baby Flower, Type of Girl, Sad Girls Schemin’, Sleek, Me Myself Mode
7.25 (7, 8, 7, 7). This whole project suffered from a greater amount of production inconsistency but this one was by design rather than everything else that felt like some sort of unfixed error or incomplete polishing. I don’t hate it, but this current approach to an album rollout is hurting their ability to just make a line of solid tracks like they did the last 2 cycles.
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yeah, the high notes and ad libs felt messy and really strained at the end, so idk what to think of this
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I quite like the high notes. I wish the girls would harmonize too, but after watching their live performance, I’m bowled over by the talent of their main vocalist. I can see why they’d want to isolate her vocal, because holy shit!
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Also I’m glad they’re getting a little more creative with the 24-person choreo, which was a big issue for me during the Girls Never Die promotions. It’s still not quite where I’d like it to be, but it’s an improvement.
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