Thoughts: “Sour Candy” by Lady Gaga and Blackpink, “More & More” and “Fanfare” by Twice, “Stay Gold” by BTS, and “How You Like That?” By Blackpink

Hello!

From May to June, there had been a couple of releases from some of my favorite artists. I decided to put my thoughts about them together in one post because I’ve already written about them in my journal and I noticed that I have been behind in posting them here.

For some of these releases, I’ve been waiting for them ever since they were announced but for some, they came as a surprise just because I was unable to note down their releases or they were dropped without prior notices.

“Sour Candy” by Lady Gaga and Blackpink

Photo taken from Google Images.

I was kind of surprised about this collaboration first because I was unsure how their collaboration would go. Second is because, although I knew that they were going to have a collaboration released in May, I wasn’t able to pay attention to the date of the release so it surprised me when it popped up on my Youtube feed.

I was able to listen to the song on May 30 but I found out that it had been released two days prior which was on May 28.

I kind of had high expectations for this collaboration because I knew that Lady Gaga and Blackpink usually have really catchy songs and I was not disappointed. I thought that the song was really catchy although it seemed a bit too short for me. I hope someday they get to work together again because I think this song is good. I was also quite happy about this because I felt that it had been too long since we last got a Blackpink comeback so I think that at least we had this song to get us by while waiting for their latest comeback. (At that time, I was unaware that they will have a pre-release song that was coming out by June.)

Just a side note, I was slightly disappointed at the amount of lines for Jisoo because I thought that her voice suited this song especially because she and Lady Gaga had a bit of a deeper voice. As I recall, she only had two short lines for the entire song which was quite disappointing.

“More & More” by Twice

Photo taken from Google Images.

I was able to watch the music video for this last June 6 which was a few days after its release last June 1.

I felt that the intro prior to the song was quite long but I did like that it seems like they’ve tried a new style with lots of prints and a colorful nature feel. The song and the music video also seemed more mature which I think was a good move because they’re growing with their audience and they’re expanding their concepts. I think that this was a good way to show that they have range and versatility.

I thought that the song was very catchy and it seemed to me that it kind of had a summery vibe. I also thought that the music video style was similar to “Fancy” but more grown up.

I think this song exceeded my expectations because I thought that it might not be as catchy as their previous songs since it initially looked to me like a more mature and dark concept. I was pleasantly surprised at how catchy it was and how they were able to mix a more mature concept with a cheerful and fresh vibe.

“Fanfare” by Twice

Photo taken from Google Images.

This release also surprised me because I knew that they were also going to have a Japanese comeback after their “More & More” comeback but I didn’t pay attention to the dates again.

I liked that the intro actually sounded like a fanfare and that the whole song was cheerful and upbeat. It had a different feel from “More & More” which I think was a good choice because people might not like listening to similar songs released so close to each other and I think that a lot of Onces will listen to both songs.

There was just one set that I didn’t like which is the one with the piles of clothes because I didn’t think that it had the same aesthetics as the other sets. I also didn’t find it pretty to look at because it looked too cluttered and messy.

I also liked that the song seemed to be about cheering someone up and reassuring them that they are always by their side to cheer them on and support them. I think that by listening to the song, it just makes you have good vibes because it’s just so cheerful and happy.

“Stay Gold” by BTS

Photo taken from Google Images.

The release of this song also took me by surprise because I was just coming down from the high of the 2020 Festa. I also haven’t been able to keep track of their Japanese releases which is also another reason why this surprised me.

Although I had been aware of the song’s release prior to watching the music video yesterday, June 26, I never really got around to fully listening to it. Yesterday was the first time that I was able to sit down and actually watch the music video while listening to the song.

I actually liked the song because it kind of sounded like something you’d hear as an OST of a drama. I thought that it had so much emotion that it would have been a good part of a soundtrack for a series or a movie.

For some reason, this also seemed to me like they were going for a more mature concept. For some reason, the song kind of had that vibe to me probably because of how it sounded.

I loved the end portion with the beautiful trees and flowers landscape because it was so pretty to look at. It was so visually appealing to me with all of the soft and bright colors that seemed to fit the meaning of the song about not letting hardships dull your shine.

“How You Like That?” by Blackpink

Photo taken from Google Images.

I had been waiting for this song ever since I found out that they were releasing a pre-release single this June. So when it was released yesterday, I immediately watched it.

I actually had high expectations for this because they said that it is a part of their upcoming full-length album that they had been working on for some time now.

I think that they seemed edgier and more mature in this compared to their previous releases. It also sounded a bit different than what I had imagined it would be like based on the teasers. But I don’t think I like it very much especially compared to their previous releases. I didn’t think it was that catchy and I wasn’t as hyped about the chorus. I was actually kind of disappointed about this because I kind of expected more since it’s been about a year since their last comeback and their songs are usually bops. But this time, I felt like there was something missing or there’s something about the chorus that just doesn’t do it for me.

Although, I thought that their styling was good for this release. They all looked good and edgy and expensive.

I’m not sure if this song would grow on me if I listen to it more but I hope the rest of the songs in their upcoming album would be good. I’ll still keep my hopes up that I would love their other songs if I don’t grow to love this.

That’s all for now, bye!