TXT are about to release their third Japanese studio album, making them well-established within the territory. Their albums have featured a mix of new material and Japanese re-recordings of Korean tracks, and this time we’ve got a proper lead single as well. Can’t Stop pulls from an addictive 80s sound and offers a peak at potential unfulfilled.
Apart from one major issue, this is my favorite TXT track in a long time. The production is perfectly suited to my taste, utilizing slapping percussion and rhythm guitar to brilliant effect. As production techniques have improved over the years, many artists have refined their soundscape to become more detailed, but I’ve missed hearing heavy drum beats targeting the mid-range. This approach is so 80s — even more than the many synthwave nostalgia plays we’ve gotten over the past decade. Can’t Stop pulses with bright funk energy and that momentum is enough to pull its serviceable melodies over the line.
So, what’s keeping me from rating this a full “9”? It’s the damn length! At two minutes, twenty-four seconds, there is absolutely no time to spare. It’s possible (though difficult) to make such a slight runtime work. Earlier this week, TWS’s Overdrive lasted only twelve seconds longer yet still felt like a full, satisfying song. In the case of Can’t Stop, we get a verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure. Then, the song simply… ends. Where’s the extended dance break? Bridge? Final chorus? Payoff?? It’s honestly infuriating, especially when the track has been building up so well to that point. I can’t in good conscious rate this higher even though I absolutely adore the parts we have. The song is simply incomplete. Someone needs to work on an extended mix, stat!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
