For groups like TWS who debut with a bright, youthful concept, the need to “mature” their sound is always lurking just around the corner. I’ve seen it with pretty much every act I’ve loved over the past decade and the inevitable arc from cute young kids to grown, sexy adults can go two ways. Either a group comfortably finds their footing with new concepts or the sudden change takes all the wind out of their sails. I ended up loving TWS’s hip-hop pre-release Head Shoulders Knees Toes, but understand that it was too much, too soon for many fans. Title track Overdrive corrects this in a very satisfying way.
I’ve always thought that, as TWS’s music matures, they should lean further into funk and rock. These genres fit them well and there’s already a precedent for success set by agency seniors Seventeen. Overdrive feels a lot like an early Seventeen track, bounding with energy in the same way that Mansae and Adore U did. It’s a lean, mean pop track, bursting forward immediately with its bombastic guitar riff. The melodic lines are as bright and energetic as you’d expect from a TWS track. This has quickly become my favorite calling card of theirs. Their vocals unfurl like a series of exclamation marks, as if they have too much energy to contain within the song itself.
Overdrive‘s slim frame means some aspects are sacrificed, but the song smartly truncates its second verse to offer a bridge instead. This is a structural tradeoff I’ll gladly take and has been used to great effect in many K-pop highlights of the past. I do wish HYBE producers realized they can make songs longer than three minutes because I just want more of this song. Fortunately, Overdrive does not skimp on its chorus. There’s a reason the pre-release teasers all focused on this segment. A big pop chorus is a thing of beauty and has become increasingly rare in K-pop. In this regard, Overdrive wraps its arms around you in a warm embrace, building toward a series of exuberant peaks. It’s a fantastic way to slightly mature TWS’s sound without sacrificing everything that makes their music so refreshing.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.25 |
