Excited for summer, k-dreamers? Maybe if it would stop raining where I live, I would be too. Now, I want to start by saying that I don’t have a personal vendetta against summer songs. It just bores me when a song is too easy to listen to with simple instrumentation and simple lyrics. A lot of summer songs are deliberately built this way, so I tend to only like high-energy summer songs. But Twice have come back with a song that’s both laid-back and musically interesting all while being “Alcohol-Free.” Let’s take a closer look at this song, shall we?
I’m alcohol-free but I get drunk off of this instrumentation.
As Twice themselves have explained, this song is a blend of bossa nova and hip hop. Bossa nova happens to be one of my favourite latin music genres. It’s got an infectious rhythm, but you don’t hear this genre a lot in kpop. The few kpop songs inspired by this genre that I have listened to instantly earned a spot on my playlist.
My favourite part is the instrumentation of Dahyun and Jihyo’s parts in the second verse. I love the chromatic notes in the riff (I heard it’s called a montuno?) The instrumentation during Dahyun’s rap comes at a close second. I really like how the guitar and the piano sound like they’re having a conversation. Overall, the song has a lot of fun choices of instrumentation sprinkled in it. The twinkly bells at the beginning of the song and in the verses, to the funky flute sounds during Mina’s part, to the distant trumpet heard in the chorus. The background music changes frequently, pretty much every time a different member takes over the song. As a result, the listener is never bored.
Twice give us a nice break from the future.
The trend nowadays has been the 80s music soundscape, which I’m not the biggest fan of. In general, more and more kpop groups have been going for that futuristic sound. You end up with a lot of synth-heavy songs, insane music videos, and overpowering energy. Don’t get me wrong, I love energetic songs, but it’s nice to see Twice breaking away from trends and just giving us a fun summer song. I don’t know if “Alcohol-Free” is Twice’s best work, but it doesn’t matter. Sometimes music isn’t about outdoing yourself every time. It’s perfectly acceptable to release a song based on what the listeners need. And you can never have enough summer bops!
Honourable Mentions: LIGHTSUM – Vanilla, Seori ft. Giriboy – The Long Night (so many memorable lyrics this week!)
If you like this song, check out: Soya – Oasis (2018), Yoona ft. 20 Years Of Age – Summer Night (2019), MAMAMOO – AYA (2020)
Momo really caught my attention in this comeback. Her part in the chorus is my favourite. What parts did you like in “Alcohol-Free” by Twice? All of them? Let me know in the comments!