It took awhile before members of Twice embarked on solo careers, but we’re now at a stage of their career where that feels like an appropriate extension of their brand. I can’t say I have any particular allegiance toward one member or another, but Nayeon’s solo work has been most suited to my pop-loving taste. Next on the docket is Chaeyoung, whose debut album is scheduled for September. Prior to unveiling that project, she’s teased us with pre-release Avocado.
Someone needs to study how and why K-pop has become so much slower and subdued these past couple of years — particularly on the girl group side of things. The easy touchstone is NewJean’s 2022 breakout, but we’re now three years removed from that. I know genres and taste changes with the times, but as a longtime K-pop fan I never would have predicted we’d end up in a place where a song like Avocado leads the campaign for a big solo debut. We’re as downbeat as you can get with this one.
Avocado is hazy and languid and all those other adjectives I’ve been overusing during this K-pop era. Chaeyoung’s voice never raises above a hushed tone as the melodies stretch in a murky, watercolor-esque pattern. It’s almost psychedelic, but in the way that makes you simply want to take a nap. On a purely artistic level, I appreciate the 70s guitar texture and dreamy weightlessness, but as a fan I have no real interest in listening to a song like this. I assume it’s much more enjoyable if you’re under the influence of something. Again, this is not statement I would have ever expected to use when describing a song within Twice’s musical universe!
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
