If you would have told me I’d be salivating over the prospect of a new Odd Youth comeback, I would have looked at you like you were crazy, but this one comes with a major caveat. Can’t Go Back is the first new Sweetune-produced work in ages and follows an interview in which the production duo announced that they were officially back in the K-pop game after an extended hiatus!
Sweetune also mentioned that they were updating their signature sound to match current trends, which makes me all sorts of anxious, but I’m thrilled to have them back either way. With Can’t Go Back, I can definitely hear the moves they’re making to align with our modern landscape. There’s more chanting, less dramatic vocal layering and more sing-talk. Yet, their specific touches poke through in their choice of synth textures and ability to imbue any song with a sense of dynamic progression.
Is Can’t Go Back the best Sweetune song ever? Not by a long shot. Is it better than 95% of K-pop released this year? Maybe! The chorus has a sneaky sense of anthemic heft that grows more exciting as the production ramps up. The songwriting feels like actual K-pop rather than a replica forged from American hands. And although we’re headed into the last few weeks of summer, this captures the season better than any other “summer queens” song released over the past few months. Welcome back, Sweetune. You may just save K-pop yet!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
Grade: B+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I like this one, although I’m unsure of how it’ll age for me.
8.25 (8, 8, 8, 9) for me.
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It’s cute however I find it slightly western sounding – but in a peak Carly Rae Jepsen way so that works (Canadian!)
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aw, I really thought we were gonna get out first 9-rated girl group song of the year. still happy it’s at least above an 8.5 though lol. maybe it will grow over time like ITZY’s Motto did.
Is it a bit shorter than expected? Yes. But does it sound good? Yes!
i’ll give it an 8.5 for now, feeling it might grow.
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the thing about kpop that is so great is that it’s a genre where everything is thrown at the wall and everyone scrambles for whatever they can grab onto. which is how you can go from odd youth performing possibly one of the worst songs ever to this turbobanger.
i’m glad that while this is a sweetune song clearly tugging on the strings of 2nd gen nostalgia it’s not a backwards looking novelty and shows how sweetune can produce songs for this new generation without losing their spark. i especially liked how they added my favorite element of their production, the sneaky rock melodies. Parts of this feel like a secret arena rock song especially the bridge leading to the key change and final chorus without being too showy.
it’s just a simple pop song buffed up to high heavens. in the end we all got into kpop for that.
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SO HAPPY SWEETUNE IS BACK!!! not a fan of the aegyo sing talk but the beat is nice and groovy. reminds me of the outstanding Like You Better from last summer. Even if it doesn’t reach the heights of that song, the fact we are getting something this refreshing and upbeat is a sweet summer miracle!
8.5(8,9,8,9)
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“Sweetune also mentioned that they were updating their signature sound to match current trends” I’m just afraid that the trend they referring is to make a song that’s lesser than 3 minutes. I would be really frustrated.
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Sadly, its no longer a trend and more like a feature of modern songs. I really hate it as it gives less opportunities for the vocals and production to paint a story and drama. Sigh…
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