Song Review: Twice – This Is For

Through popularity and persistence, Twice have amassed one of the largest K-pop girl group discographies out there, and that’s set to balloon even further with the release of a new album and solo tracks from each member. The album may boast a robust track list, but most of the songs’ running times take their cue from our truncated TikTok generation of pop music. New title track This Is For is a paltry two minutes and eleven seconds. With nine members to squeeze into that time frame, is there really enough song to do justice to their ability?

The answer, of course, is no. This Is For feels like a few decent ideas in need of expansion. It’s quite dull for the first forty seconds or so, mining the same early-Y2K vibes we’ve heard ad nauseum over the past two years. This sound has long since worn out its welcome and feels reductive for a group as accomplished as Twice. However, things improve from here. The percussion grows more exciting and even more attuned to the turn-of-millennium era it seeks to replicate. I heard this exact same beat in so many pop and R&B tracks back in the day. The thing is, it was almost always paired with stronger melodies than This Is For‘s sing-chant centerpiece.

Structurally, there’s not much to hang your hat on here. Just as the song is beginning to gain its footing, it’s finished. It’s like one long build without any payoff. Technically, the chorus is repeated three times, but due to its placement at the beginning of the track there’s a sketch-like emptiness to This Is For. Everything before the final third of the song is extraneous, which should not be the case in a song this brief. I would have kicked things off with the full groove and grown from there. As it stands, the musical storytelling feels flat and unsatisfying.

Grade: C