Korean girl group TWICE has released its first English single, “The Feels,” in anticipation of their upcoming sixth album.
Admittedly, the JYP-managed girl group has earned for itself a reputation for cute, cheerful, high energy pop songs like “Heartshaker,” “TT,” and “What is Love.” The group’s latter discography, though, seems to be moving into more contemporary pop territory, with more mature pop-driven tracks like “Fancy” and “Alcohol Free.”
“The Feels” sounds like the perfect marriage between the early aegyo sound and more contemporary sound that the girls are now offering us. Taking some inspiration from the feel-good almost retro-disco sound of crossover hit English singles “Butter” and “Permission Dance” from fellow K-Pop phenomenon BTS.
The song is an irresistibly upbeat track about the feelings one gets when they fall in love with somebody. The chorus’ hook, “Boy I, boy I, boy I know, I know I got the feels,” utilises a key phrase easily recognisable to today’s youth, and singable regardless of your age. In the hands of less confident girl groups, it almost crosses over into cheese territory, but the TWICE girls pull it off with aplomb and self-congratulatory bravado. The video takes that confidence even higher, with bursts of colour and slick choreography that will undoubtedly take Tiktok by storm.
Hopefully, pop radio will join ONCEs all over the world in embracing “The Feels” and bring even more deserved success to one of Kpop’s most recognisable acts of the past five years.
