TWICE’s 12th mini album, READY TO BE, arrives at the perfect time for Australian onces (AKA their fanbase), three weeks after the announcement of their fifth world tour, with the girls coming to Melbourne and Sydney for the first time.
TWICE will be performing at Qudos Bank Arena on May 3rd and Rod Laver Arena on May 6th. This will mark their first performance in Australia and second time visiting since filming a Pocari Sweat advertisement on the Gold Coast in 2017.
'READY TO BE' is the group's most mature album to date. For a group of nine girls most known for their bubble-gum pop concepts, it was a step towards a new sound, but still reminiscent of what the group is loved for: powerful vocals and catchy love songs.
The album’s opener, ‘Set Me Free’, is also their promotional single for the album. The song incorporates powerful vocal melodies and a reminiscent retro-pop bassline. "I bet everything on me, risk it all. Except for this love, fade out. I’m gonna set me free,” Members Nayeon and Jihyo belt in a power-house chorus.
Aussie Once won’t need to worry about concert preparation, as TWICE have surprised us with two English tracks on the album. The second track ‘Moonlight Sunrise’ is their second all-English track since the success of ‘The Feels’ in 2021. The song was their first to enter the top 100 US Billboard’s main singles chart, according to South China Morning Post.
Unlike the coming-of-age pop track ‘The Feels’, ‘Moonlight Sunrise’ uses a sensual whisper-like vocal tone to plea for their lover to come to them in the moonlight until sunrise. ‘Loving undefeated, on your knees pleading. Baby you can hit my line when you need it’, Chaeyoung whisper-raps in her best title track line. The second English track is a version of Set Me Free, their third English title track since ‘More & More’ and ‘I Can’t Stop Me’ in 2020.
The mini album includes four Korean B-sides to fill in the gaps. The first, ‘GOT THE THRILLS’, compliments the title track perfectly. In an explicit emphasis on the fast-beat rhythm, TWICE asks their partner to groove rhythmically together.
‘BLAME IT ON ME’ follows a strong rock-pop theme to continue the maturity and confidence the girls have established. The electric guitar foregrounded with the power-house vocals emphasises the need to not blame the attractiveness of the TWICE girls on them.
My favourite, ‘WALLFLOWER’, takes a step back from the intensity of the previous tracks, ut TWICE do not lose their confidence here. If anything, they guide their partner to dance with them without any fear at all.
‘CRAZY STUPID LOVE’, the final Korean track on the mini, is written by member Kim Dahyun. Dahyun has proved her song-writing skills throughout TWICE’s career, writing B-sides for the group since their first full-length album ‘TWICETAGRAM’ in 2017.
Lyrically, the track follows a different theme from the rest of the album. As the girls question their lover's feelings in their up-and-down relationship, TWICE proved they sing about all the different themes of love.
Overall, the album is a statement towards their younger past self, moving towards a mature love. TWICE are set free from their previously bubble-gum pop concept and are ready to present themselves as K-pop queens during their worldwide tour.
Jade Psihogios is a 3rd year studying for a Bachelor of Media, majoring in Journalism. She consumes all forms of media, including niche Korean-pop girl group releases and Oscar-nominated feature films. You will either find her studying with ASMR no-talking in the background or trying to buy VIP concert tickets in class.