January has already been stuffed with debuts, but TWS are surely the most hyped of all. They’re Pledis Entertainment’s first new boy group since Seventeen, buoyed by a similar brightness they’re calling “boyhood pop.” Pre-release Oh Mymy: 7s was a promising taste of this sound, though it was undercut by a threadbare chorus. Debut single Plot Twist (첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아) is even more promising, but it needs an extra minute to fully develop its ideas.
I’m calling it now. A debut track should never be under three minutes in length. This is TWS’s grand introduction. All the pent-up excitement and emotion needs more than 152 seconds to unfold. This is even more important for a song like Plot Twist, which thrives on its sonic detours and pull-the-rug-out-from-underneath-you twists. Just as the song really gets going, it comes to an end.
To be clear, I love most everything about this. I just want more of it. It’s refreshing to hear a new boy group play around with a brighter palette. Plot Twist isn’t too dissimilar from what The Wind have been doing over the past year, though it will receive much more attention. The unconventional structure of the track works well. It’s mostly build with little pay-off, but that sense of acceleration keeps the tension high. By the time Plot Twist crests in its sing-along climax, we’ve stumbled upon something very special. That’s why the track’s short length is so frustrating. There’s too much song to stuff in this narrow frame. In my perfect world, they’d bring that first chorus instrumental drop back and layer the melodic hook on top with added guitar for a knockout finale. K-pop remixers of the world… I leave it to you!
Hooks
9
Production
8
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
8.75