Eschewing the typical K-pop girl group fare, TWICE dropped their latest song, “Cheer Up,” this week. Released less than a year after their debut single “Like Ooh-Ahh,” “Cheer Up” is a follow-up track that solidifies TWICE’s unique style amid the new generation of K-pop groups.
Since their formation in 2015 on a reality program, TWICE gathered a massive following, leading to high expectations for “Cheer Up.” With a spastic sound that verges on jarring, the single moves through different beats and pulls from a variety of genres to create a song that never really goes where the listener expects, but helps defines TWICE’s overall musical concept. The atypical composition of “Cheer Up” necessitates repeat listens, and emphasizes TWICE as an alternative to so many homogeneous K-pop girl groups.
Instead of promoting TWICE’s oneness, “Cheer Up” highlights the individuality of TWICE’s nine members while foregoing musical wholeness for the sake of eccentricity. The song comes together through underlying beats and sudden shifts while thriving on the diverse ranges and tones of TWICE’s members. Each woman is given a distinct role in the song with few overlapping harmonies, and even the chorus focuses on particular singers rather than bringing all the vocalists together. Despite the irregular style, “Cheer Up” didn’t do anything to harm TWICE’s popularity; the song took the No. 1 spot on the iTunes K-pop chart shortly after its release.