K-pop’s ultimate girl group speaks on love over seven summery tracks

TWICE are often held up as K-pop’s ultimate girl group—all iridescent vocals and empowered raps encased in Day-Glo arrangements and percolating beat. Over seven summery tracks, the K-pop queens speak on love. The flower-power styling on the album cover hints at a more open mindset; the studio squad including MNEK, Johan Gustafsson, BADD, Shift K3Y, LDN NOISE, J.Y. Park and Zara Larsson create a diverse canvas for the ladies to try out new styles and flip old ones. In what may be a TWICE first, “FIREWORK” attacks a Latin track as they get their na-nas out over propulsive moombahton and flamenco guitar accents. The title track also moves to a moombahton rhythm, reflecting on love’s sweetness as it grows and is nurtured. As “DON’T CALL ME AGAIN” and the Nayeon-penned “MAKE ME GO” ooze mood and musical maturity, “SWEET SUMMER DAY” and “OXYGEN” are classic, giddy, phones-aloft TWICE.