'we didn't mean taste, literally'

Taste of Love; TWICE

This was the first album release from the main big3 girl groups, but do they live up to their title? Let's find out.

01. Alcohol-Free

'Alcohol-Free' was definitely something i wasn’t expecting from TWICE, but for some reason it feels exactly like TWICE doesn’t it? Perhaps, something they would have released before they switched things up with 'Fancy' and 'Feel Special'. Here, they used a latin soundscape but it doesn’t feel tired. Kpop has wrung latin dry but TWICE used it simply and it didn’t sound gimmicky to me which I enjoyed. My favourite part of the song was the 2nd verse. It really is the only interesting moderation in the whole song. It's the same melody but with lower notes to give some variety. However, the let down of this song is the vocals. i don’t think they utilised their vocalists well enough. The last chorus should've had more ad-libs and maybe a strong high note from Jihyo or something. 'Alcohol-Free' is the classic TWICE we all know and love but with a more refined and mellow understanding of their style to reflect their maturity. It just needed extra vocal support to be a full sounding track.

02. First Time

All the vocals they sucked out of 'Alcohol-Free' they pumped it into 'First Time'. Right from the start they begin with falsetto before they transition to lower vocals as the bass comes in. The chorus however, is really the highlight. The plucks of the bass guitar with that strong baseline gives the song a sexy edge. But what really brings the chorus together is the vocals. The line “but I get butterflies…i'm always satisfied”, especially the way they stretch out the vocals on the rhyming words, sticks well in the ear. Another reason why the chorus is the highlight is because it takes up around half the song. Its a very long chorus, longer than usual but its so good. The only disappointment of 'First Time' is that weak shouting part of the bridge. I think the producers relied on the fact the chorus is gorgeous. It's another simple song but propelled by the slick vocals.

03. Scandal

'Scandal' sounds like it was a demo for a Western pop artist, but it is good regardless. I can tell the producers were trying to follow on the sexiness of 'First Time' but with an 80s pop melody. 'Scandal' reminds me a lot of Dua Lip’s album Future Nostalgia, particularly 'Don’t Start Now'. They started off with the bass guitar forming the baseline but they moved to a piano baseline in the 2nd half of the chorus which was really cool; it made the song a little more interesting. However, because the track is so short it doesn’t leave room to do anything else. There's no space to progress the song. Even the way 'Scandal' ends feels incomplete. I would have liked to hear them repeat that last melody one more time to round off the song cleanly.

04. Conversation

At this point you can definitely tell Western producers are responsible for this one. Again its not terrible at all, the songs still sound good, but theres really no creativity here. 'Conversation' is a less exciting version of 'scandal'. They do add cowbells and things like that but its just not as intriguing. The chorus is dull compared to 'Scandal’s' piano baseline. The worst part is that it's short again. In fact it is even shorter than 'Scandal'. 'Conversation' is the shortest song on the album, standing at 2:27 mins. The bridge also doesn’t do anything but give a slight distraction from the fact the song isn’t going anywhere. The reason why the bridge in 'First Time' could be salvaged is because the chorus was good. That's not the case here. Again they end the song truncately. It just cuts off, theres no resolve.

05. Baby Blue Love

Another song that sounds older but this one is actually pretty good. We start with a strong bass and a groovy electric guitar melody, but it really blossoms in the bridge. Don’t get me wrong, the chorus is nice but that bridge is fantastic. After enduring lacklustre bridges for this entire album, it was really nice to hear one executed well. Honestly it sounded more like an extended chorus to the 2nd chorus, but i’m calling it a bridge because without it, this song has none. I think this is probably the most well rounded song on the album. Perfect balance of groovy rhythms, vocals, variation, and a fantastic bridge to really elevate it. The only thing I’m irritated by is the ending. AGAIN its cuts off too early. I have no idea why they keep doing this but it constantly keeps the listener hanging.

06. SOS

'SOS' is a fitting ending to this album. iI's not memorable but it's bright enough to maintain your interest, so it doesn’t overpower the rest of the album. A standard an album closer. I do really like the chorus of this song. I think its catchy and fun. However, this song has no variations. It rests on how glamorous the soundscape is to push the song. The bridge is also very average. Its another really simple song that relies on the chorus. But wait! Everyone act shocked, the song is also too short!

Final Comments

If you’ve read my stuff, you know I'm especially hard on minis. They’re supposed to be short and punchy. No room for fillers. TWICE certainly had the short part down. This album is only 17 minutes despite having 6 songs. Tt is fleeting, there and then gone. That is the main issue. The production on this album isn’t bad. The songs are mixed well, generally good instrumentation etc. It's just way too short. Even though it is a mini album, the songs still have to be full and complete. Some albums that do this are, Map of the Soul: Persona; BTS, Bon Voyage; Yooa, or Bambi; Baekhyun.

One big reason why the songs are too short is because they focus so much on the chorus that they neglect the bridge and the outro. Bridges in this album are especially weak (except 'Baby Blue Love'). Bridges are the perfect opportunity to switch things up or give a fresh perspective on the last chorus e.g. So What; LOONA, Gotta Go; Chungha or Next Level; aespa (I know I have my criticisms of this song but it does keep the listener engaged). Good examples of kpop songs with great outros would be Violeta; izone (3:20) or We are; EXID (3:51) or ironically Say Something; TWICE (4:07). Notice how all these songs are longer. 'Say Something' especially, standing at a whopping 4 minutes. It's no surprise that it's easily one of the best songs in their discography. When people take time to produce songs and then finish them well, it will be longer. You will hear the care and consideration in the song. That is another reason why I’m not a fan of the current trend of making songs shorter so its easier to stream. It feels like you’re rushing to finish the song, and you can hear that rush.

Another odd thing about the album is the theme. It's slightly dated in some songs but completely fresh in others, so 'First time' and 'Alcohol-Free' are out of place on the album.

One compliment I can give to 'Taste of Love' is that it is on brand for summer. Kpop groups tend to do summer really well, and this is one of those times. TWICE also did their choruses spectacularly. Though it may be at the sacrifice of rest of the song, the choruses in this album were really well done.

Best songs: First Time, Baby Blue Love

Would I listen again? Yes

Rate: 7/10