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my (f18) best friend (f17) of almost two years and i are about to graduate high school. it’s been a long two years, and her and i have stopped talking twice before.
one time, last summer, she was always dodging my texts and didn’t want to hang out anymore so i asked her what was up and and said i’m “too sensitive” and she feels like she is “walking on egg shells around me.” i did take the time to reconsider what she meant, but she was and still is a generally mean person and i don’t like being made fun of.
last fall, i cut off contact with her because it was becoming a one sided friendship. it was things like her consistently being dismissive with me but her also consistently needing a lot of attention. we could almost never have a conversation where she truly listened to me. after a month of not speaking, we talked about it, and when i brought up my concerns, she totally missed the point even after i had restated my points and it wasn’t going anywhere. i was tired of her seeing me as the bad guy simply because i didn’t like the way she treated me so i caved and apologized.
now, it’s getting out of hand again. she is constantly sending me photos and videos of herself “looking hot” and wanting me to hype her up. i was doing it at first but it is getting super annoying. when i show her a pic of me i think is cute she will literally say “yeah…” then move on to whatever she was doing again. also, she thinks every guy who looks at her has a thing for her. and it’s usually hick/redneck lookin guys wearing camo. nothing wrong with that! however, she is a short, chubby girl who thrifts all her clothes and has blue hair. these guys are literally just existing but she thinks everyone is in love with her.
it goes so far beyond just what i’ve mentioned. she can do no wrong and if anyone tries to tell her to do better or that she’s upsetting them, she ignores it and thinks they’re wrong. the real kicker is that she thinks she is self-aware. and anytime her and i disagree, she’ll side eye me and openly judge me.
she is so self absorbed and it’s getting crazy. i know if i bring it up she’ll twist it and make it into me doing something wrong but i don’t think i can take this friendship anymore. it’s been one sided the entire time and her excuse is that i am too sensitive and she is “just like that.”
my question is if i should have a conversation with her, cut her off, or just slowly let the friendship fade? i’m going away to college in august and she’s staying here in our hometown and taking a gap year.
tldr: best friend is wildly self absorbed. should i have a conversation with the probability of it being turned on me, cut her off, or let the friendship slowly die?
I will try to explain this as best as I can. Last year we lost our father quite suddenly. He was youngish, 64 and died of sudden aggressive cancer. Needless to say we still are in mourning because he was our rock, our ray of hope and optimism and he was the patient parent. My mother relied on him for everything, paying bills, helping with taxes, anything tech related so, it has been a huge adjustment for her to learn everything in this age and well without having had any previous knowledge. She is doing really well, thankfully work also keeps her busy. Also important detail, she is super anxious. She has an anxiety disorder that makes her freeze and cannot really think straight so we've had to also deal with this and we are working for her to get therapy. So to get to the point, it's summer now and she is looking to get a few things for a trip we have upcoming and she asked my cousin that lives more centrally than us to help her out as she knows all the good places. She actually said "are you sure you have the time to do this over the weekend"? And of course my cousin (55) agreed. Apparently they shopped for hours as my mother does not really buy unless sure and my cousin felt tired and on their way back home she told her on the car "that's why your husband is dead (it's your fault), and you will kill us in the same way. That was because she took time and looked around (as was planned). My mother was shocked and didn't say anything and needless to say so was I when my mom told me over the phone. I am really far away, I am in my 30s for reference and I really don't know what to say anymore. My mother feels super lonely and this is the only family we have this close and she can spend time with. I really don't know what to say and I don't want to call and say "bitch are you crazy" to her and create another issue for my mom to deal with. Advice please?
Hello, So the steering in my 330Ci has been getting worse since I bought it a year ago. The car was travelling all over the street etc, mechanic told me to start off by replacing the RTABs since they were in terrible condition. It helped, but then there was the issue with my steering wheel not always recentering (even at highway speeds!), which further exaggerated the issue. Was told 90% percent of times it’s the steering rack that’s had the adjustment nut tightened to get rid of the slack, but which at the same time gives the symptom of steering feeling stiff (which by them means the steering rack was at the end of its live in the first place since it needed to be tightened so much to not be loose). I must also add, there were easily audible creaks coming from behind the steering wheel when turning.
Fast forward to today, they fitted a “rebuilt” steering rack and it’s even worse than before; it’s much stiffer in the centre than on my previous “broken” one. Basically it’s impossible to drive straight at 120kph, because the microadjustments are difficult to make and the wheel doesn’t completely return to the center. The creaks are still present, maybe even louder. I got a new reservoir, new fluid and new tire rods on top of that.
What should I do now? The guy that sold me the rebuilt rack is telling me it has to be the issue with my pump not giving enough pressure or the strut mounts binding. I’m not a mechanic, but have a feeling the rebuilt rack also had the nut tightened to eliminate the slack instead of proper rebuild. Don’t want to throw more money at the issue and replace my whole power steering unless it’s really necessary. Thanks for any responses :)
Tldr: steering even stiffer after replacing steering rack with rebuilt unit
I'm open to trading several of my [h] per [w], but if it's not on my list, I'm not interested
[W]
Phantom Brigade
Mechwarrior 5+DLC
Earth Defense Force 5
World War Z
Troubleshooter: Abandoned children
Airmech Wastelands
Until the last plane
Highfleet
Chaos Galaxy
Assassins' Creed Odyssey
[H]
11-11 Memories Retold
AER Memories of Old
Aaero
Acceleration of SUGURI 2
Almost There: The Platformer
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Bear With Me - Collector's Edition
Black the Fall
Bleed 2 Steam Available
Caveblazers Steam Available
Chasm Steam Available
Crazy Machines 3 Steam Available
Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) Steam Available
Dandara Steam Available
Darkside Detective Steam Available
Emily is Away Too Steam Available
Evergarden Steam Available
Figment Steam Available
Flat Heroes Steam Available
Fluffy Horde Steam Available
GoNNER - Press Jump To Die Edition Steam Available
God's Trigger Steam Available
H1Z1 Trickster Crate H1Z1 Trickster Crate Available
HackyZack Steam Available
Hard Reset Redux Steam Available
Has-Been Heroes Steam Available
Hustle Cat Steam Available
I'm not a Monster Steam Available
Jotun Steam Available
Kona Steam Available
Legends of Eisenwald Steam Available
Love is Dead Steam Available
MINIT Steam Available
Maize Steam Available
Metrico+ Steam Available
Morphblade Steam Available
Mr. Shifty Steam Available
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin Steam Available
Nongünz Steam Available
Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You Steam Available
Override: Mech City Brawl Steam Available
Paratopic Steam Available
Pinstripe Steam Available
Planet Alpha Steam Available
Pool Panic Steam Available
Puss! Steam Available
Q.U.B.E. 2 Steam Available
Quake Champions Early Access plus 50 Shards, 100 Platinum, 2000 Favor Steam Available
RIVE: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry Steam Available
Rapture Rejects - Humble Exclusive "Safari Outfit" DLC Steam Available
Rapture Rejects Steam Available
Regular Human Basketball Steam Available
Road Redemption Steam Available
Samorost 3 Steam Available
Seasons After Fall Steam Available
Serial Cleaner Steam Available
Seven: The Days Long Gone Steam Available
She Remembered Caterpillars Steam Available
Shoppe Keep Steam Available
Silence Steam Available
Slayaway Camp Steam Available
Slime-san Steam Available
Slipstream Steam Available
Snake Pass Steam Available
Sniper Elite Steam Available
Splasher Steam Available
State of Mind Steam Available
Steel Rats Steam Available
Subterrain Steam Available
Super Daryl Deluxe Steam Available
Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon Steam Available
Tattletail Steam Available
The Adventure Pals Steam Available
The Count Lucanor Steam Available
The Elder Scrolls: Legends: 2 Card Packs (Skyrim) 1 Event Ticket 100 Gold 100 Souls Bethesda Available
The Interactive Adventures of Dog Mendonça and Pizza Boy Steam Available
The Journey Down 1 + 2 Bundle Steam Available
The Norwood Suite Steam Available
The Shrouded Isle Steam Available
The Spiral Scouts Steam Available
Tom Clancy's The Division™ - Survival Uplay Available
Tumblestone Steam Available
Uurnog Uurnlimited Steam Available
Valhalla Hills Steam Available
Wandersong Steam Available
Aegis defenders Steam Available
Desert child Steam Available
Whispers of a machine Steam Available
Mages of Mystrallia Steam Available
Shenzen I/O Steam Available
The hex Steam Available
Warstone TD Steam Available
Exa Punk Steam Available
Turok Steam Available
198C Steam Available
Etherborn Steam Available
This is the Police 2 Steam Available
Opus Magnum Steam Available
Molek Syntez Steam Available
Raiden V Director's cut Steam Available
TRÜBERBROOK Steam Available
Niche
Heave ho
Mo:Astray
Neoverse
Chess Ultra
Horace
Supraland
Felix the Reaper
REMNANTS OF NAEZITH
The stillness of the wind
The King's Bird
Yuppie Psycho
Beat Hazard 2
Verlet swing
Automachef
Through the darkest of times
The Coma 2: Viscious sisters
A case of distrust
Fun with Ragdolls
The Occupation
The Shapeshifting Detective
Fantasy Blacksmith
Goat of Duty
The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
Lightmatter
Darkwood
Tsioque
Youropa
Zwei: the Arges Adventure
Zwei: the Ilvard Insurrection
Tabletop playground
The haunted Island, a frog detective game
Frog detective 2
Still there
Struggling
Path of giants
Tales of the Neon Sea
Minoria
Deleveled
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
Train Station Renovation
Werewolf: The Apocalypse- Heart Of The Forest
Lovecraft's Untold Stories
Iris and The Giant
Boomerang Fu
WWE 2K Battlegrounds
Hotshot Racing
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Cyberhook
Wildfire
Boreal Blade
Ageless
Remothered
In other waters
Simulacra 1 and 2
Skully
Darksiders Genesis
Cook, Serve, Delicious 3
Levelhead
Fury Unleashed
Size Matters
Morkredd
Relicta
ReTimed
Family Man
Vane
Secret Neighbour
Worms Rumble+Legend pack DLC
Going Under
Panzer Paladin
Milky Way Prince
Ikenfell
Effie
Disjunction
Dirt 5
Hammerting
Paradise killer
Kill it with fire
Bee simulator
Elderborn
Adom
Bloodstained: Ritual of the night
Superliminal
Out of space
Carto
As far as the eye
Nowhere prophet
Blue fire
Encodya
PGA 2K21
Not for broadcast
Roki
Narita boy
Heaven's vault
Fort triumph
Orwell: ignorance is strength
Framed collection
Katana zero
Amnesia: rebirth
John wick hex
112 operator
Guts and glory
Ring of pain
Garage: bad trip
The textorcist: the story of ray bibbia
Tools up
Black future '88
Syberia 3
Due process
House flipper
Wingspan
Simplerockets 2
Timelie
Wrath: Aeon of ruin
Mordhau
The Survivalists
Lacuna
8 doors
Greak: memories of azur
Fling to the finish
Tohu
Voidigo
Mafia definitive edition
Project winter
Rebel cops
The Henry Stickmin collection
Midnight Protocol
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 Director's cut
Black book
Just Die Already
Paradise lost
Everhood
Desperados 3
Mass Effect Legendary edition
Nickelodeon All-stars Brawl
The Dark Pictures Anthology
Nebuchadnezzar
Police Stories
Evan's Remains
Planet Zoo
Spongebob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom
Spellcaster university
If found
Genesis Noir
Embr
Call of the Sea
Gamedec
Pumpkin Jack
Siege survival: Gloria Victis
I am fish
Superhot: Mind Control Delete
Legion TD2
Legend of Keepers
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Banners of Ruin
Yes, Your Grace
Atom RPG Trudograd
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
The Dungeon of NAHEULBEUK
Forgive me Father
Crown Trick
Descenders
Industria
Shapez + Puzzle DLC
Deathloop
Monster Train Collector's edition
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
Maid of Sker
Epic Chef
Railroad Corporation
Golf Gang
Kingdoms of Amalur Fate edition
Shadow Tactics: Aiko's choice
Roboquest
Eldest Souls
Unmetal
Raji: an Ancient Epic
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
First Class Trouble
Backbone
Toem
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Blade Assault
Super Magbot
Doom Eternal
Encased: A Sci-fi Post Apocalyptic RPG
OlliOlli World - Rad edition
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Conan Chop Chop
The Serpent Rogue
Thronebreaker: the Witcher Tales
Othercide
Shady Part of me
Scourgebringer
Fobia - St.Dinfna Hotel
Five Dates
Rogue Lords
Demon Turf
Golden Light
Rollerdrome
Life is Strange 2: Complete Season
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
Monster Prom 2 Monster Camp
Revita
Founder's Fortune
Spiritfarer: Farewell edition
Bendy and the Dark revival
Operation: Tango
Windjammers 2
Builder Simulator
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
The Invisible Hand
My cup feels full: I am content with my life and my friendships as a sober person.
It's been almost a year-and-a-half off the sauce, and I'll admit, the last few months were difficult pushing through the signals in my brain to drink. But I'm so glad I stayed strong.
I'd like to share my Saturday thus far for anyone wondering if quitting is worth it. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I woke up at 5:30 this morning -- like every morning nowadays -- and sat on my patio enjoying delectable, local coffee while taking in the cool spring air. I journaled a bit and drew the city skyline. I basked in the first light of day as the sun peeked over the mountains.
And then I prepared to bicycle downtown to our city's first farmer's market of the year. I've been looking forward to this all winter; it was a record-breaking winter and we rarely saw the sun.
I arrived just as the market was opening and the crowds were still tame. Right away I bought a homemade huckleberry danish and sat in the sunshine savoring every damn bite. When I used to drink, I'd never treat myself to food like this because I'd "save my calories" for drinking. What a fool's errand.
With all this extra money I have from no longer drinking (and all the silly shit that comes with it, like DoorDash-ing), I purchased: a hand-carved wooden spoon for my oatmeal in the mornings; a fresh loaf of wheat sourdough; a new Emotional Support Plant for my tiny porch; and handmade pappardelle pasta.
A friend joined me and we had the loveliest of times strolling together, browsing all the booths, and engaging in stimulating conversation.
While at the market, my most important friend -- who's sober -- texted asking if I'd like to meet for coffee on the patio of a local shop. "Yes please!" I replied, and shortly thereafter I set off through the heart of my beautiful city on my bicycle to join my sober friend.
By the time I arrived to the coffee shop, it was 72 degrees, breezy, and still brilliantly sunny.
My sober friend and I felt adventurous and ordered drinks completely different than our usual, and we were both giddy like children over how good they tasted! She invited me to her house a few blocks away to come see how her garden is progressing, and I eagerly accepted.
When I arrived at her house, her and her partner's dogs greeted me as if I was their favorite human, and I felt overwhelmed with joy and love and connectedness -- words I never would have used to describe life when I was drinking. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm home now and I had a huge, fresh salad for lunch. I'm about to Skype with my long-distance partner, and tomorrow I'm marching in the city's Pride parade.
Life has never been so lovely. When I drank, I was perpetually terrified to change for fear of missing out -- but I was really missing out on the most essential elements of life by continuing to drink. I'll never go back.
There will be hard times, sure. But I'll never, ever give up the chances life has given me since quitting. May we all weather the storms of life together, SD community, so that the sun might shine a bit brighter on the other side.
Everyone has been DMing me about my situation since it was removed, so here it is
Throw away account but here is some background info: Me, F27, and my bf, 25M, have been an item for 5yrs now. It's 3 days shy of being a month of us losing our entire house, our belongings, and all of our pets, except for 1 dog. Since all this chaos has happened, I have had to be on antibiotic meds and have been experiencing symptoms of a yeast infection and have not taken my birth control pills since I lost them in the fire. I have made an appointment with my doctor but they are booked out for the month and I made an appointment for the soonest available day and time. Throughout ALL of this, my bf has been trying to have sex. With everything that has happened, plus my health, I have not been in the mood. I have told him how uncomfortable I have felt since I don't feel well and with everything else and even though he's not touching super sensitive areas I still do not like it at the moment. Usually, I laugh along and just say no when im not in the mood, which has not changed since everything has gone down, however, recently he keeps trying to have sex until I get an attitued and tell him to stop pestering me and THEN he stops... He has always stopped if there was ever a direct no or even an indication of no, so idk why he is doing this now.
Fast forward to now, after working at our jobs and coming home today and working more to unpack our house, we took our showers. After I came out in a towl to grab some clothes and get dressed, he came up and kept fondling and groping me in "special places" (idk Reddits rules so I will just call it that for now) even when I nicely said stop he kept touching me. It pissed me off and I screamed at him to get the fuck off of me. I shouted that he knows that im sick with something, how I have not felt okay enough before I was unwell to do things due to the fire, and how I am sick and tired of this shit and how it physically hurts right now. I then screamed that if he ever laid a fucking finger on me again sexually then we are done. He was very shocked and lost for words and we have been in different rooms from eachother. He did say sorry and said he thought it had healed by now but it just pissed me off even more. Now I just want to know if I was wrong to snap and express my thoughts of ending it and feelings like that? Im just sick and tired of him doing that but was I overreacting?
*
AA2525 handmade
AA 25ffr25 .50
AA 25ffr25 radium
AA 2525 Agl
AA 25ffr90 Gatling laser
AA E15r combat shoty
AA 50vhc25 hunting rifle
AA 25ffr25 railway rifle
AA 25ffr15r poon
AA 50c90 fatman
AA 50c15c crossbow
AA 40+S chainsaw
AA rap+S chainsaw
AA 50limb+ S chainsaw
AA 40+S Bowie
AA 40+S deathclaw
AA SS+S machete
AA SS+S golf club
AA SS+S walking cane
AA SS+S mole miner gauntlet
AA SS+S sheep staff
*
Aristocrats 25ffr25 Agl
Aristocrats E25 mini
Aristocrats E25 handmade
Aristocrats SS+S ripper
* Assassins E25 double barrel
* Bezerkers SS+S cultists blade not dagger
Bezerkers 25ffr25 ult laser
Bezerkers 40+S powefist
Bezerkers E25 assault rifle
* Bloodied 25ffr90 Agl
Bloodied 25ffr15r epr aligned auto,stab,reflex
Bloodied 50c15r epr aligned auto,stab,reflex
Bloodied 25ffr25 railway rifle
Bloodied 25aim90 flamer
Bloodied E15r railway
Bloodied 50vhc25 railway
Bloodied 50vhc25 assaultron head
Bloodied 50c15c assaultron head
Bloodied 25ffr15r lever
Bloodied SS+S chainsaw
Bloodied SS+S security baton
Bloodied SS+S assaultron blade
Bloodied SS+S bone club
Bloodied SS+S combat knife
Bloodied SS+S knuckles
Bloodied SS+S Bowie
Bloodied SS+S pool cue
Bloodied SS+S bear arm
Bloodied SS+S walking cane
Bloodied 40+S lead pipe
Bloodied 40+S bat
Bloodied 40+S board
Bloodied 40+S bone hammer
Bloodied 40+S death tambo
Bloodied 40+S guitar sword
Bloodied 40+S wardum
Bloodied 40+S knuckles
Bloodied 40+S ski sword
Bloodied 40+S Drill
Bloodied rap+S ripper
*
Executioners 25ffr25 auto pipe rifle
Executioners 50c15c nu laser
Executioners SS+S shishkebab
Executioners SS+S mole miner gauntlet
Executioners rap+S ripper
*
Furious E25 fixer
Furious 25ffr90 poon
Furious 40+S buzz saw
Furious 40+S revolutionary sword
Furious SS+S power fist
Furious SS+S revolutionary sword
Furious SS+S switchblade
Furious 25ffr25 railway rifle
Furious 25ffr15r Gatling gun
Furious E25 .44
Furious 25frr15r .10 mm pistol
* Ghoul slayers 25ffr90 Gatling plasma
Ghoul slayers SS+S Bowie
Ghoul slayers SS+S chainsaw
Ghoul slayers SS+S machete
*
Gourmands 25ffr90 cryolator
Gourmands E15r lmg
Gourmands SS+S combat knife
*
Hunters SS+S bat
Hunters 25ffr25 tommy gun
*
Instigating SS+S assaultron blade
Instigating SS+S Chinese sword
Instigating SS+S knuckles
Instigating SS+S switchblade
Instigating 40+S deathclaw gauntlet
Instigating E90 lmg
Instigating E90 mini
Instigating E25 fixer
Instigating 25ffr25 handmade
Instigating 25ffr25 fixer
Instigating 25ffr90 Gatling gun
Instigating 25ffr15r .50
Instigating E15r combat shoty
Instigating E25 .44
*
Juggernauts SS+S death tambo
Juggernauts SS+S cultists blade not dagger
Juggernauts SS+S pickaxe
Juggernauts 2590 ultracite Gatling laser
Juggernauts 25ffr90 mini
*
Junkies SS+S meathook
Junkies SS+S multipurpose axe
Junkies SS+S switchblade
Junkies 25ffr25 fixer
Junkies E15r .44
Junkies E15r BPP
Junkies 25ffr15r mini
Junkies 25ffr15r ult Gatling laser
*
Medics E15r bpr
Medics 25ffr25 poon
Medics E15r .10 mm smg
Medics 25ffr90 flamer
*
Mutant slayer SS+S super sledge
*
Mutants 25ffr25 fixer
Mutants 25ffr90 .50
Mutants E25 .10mm pistol
Mutants 25ffr25 combat shoty
Mutants SS+S bear arm
Mutants SS+S chainsaw
Mutants 40+S war drum
Nocturnal E90 lmg
Nocturnal E25 handmade
Nocturnal 25ffr25 pepper
Nocturnal SS+S chainsaw
Nocturnal 40+S rolling pin
*
Quad 25ffr15r broadsider
Quad 25ffr15r assaultron head
Quad 50c15c radium
*
Troubleshooters 25ffr90 .50
Troubleshooters 25ffr90 cryo
Troubleshooters E90 mini
Troubleshooters 25ffr25 mini
Troubleshooters 25ffr25 10mm smg
Troubleshooters 25ffr25 nu laser
Troubleshooters E25 assault rifle
Troubleshooters E15r double barrel
Troubleshooters SS+S guitar sword
Troubleshooters 40+S grog axe
*
Two shot 25ffr15r Agl
Two shot 50L15r Agl
Two shot 25aim15r m79
Two shot 25ffr15r combat shotgun
Two shot E25 double barrel
Two shot E90 pump
Two shot 25ffr15r lmg
Two shot 25ffr90 Gatling gun
Two shot E25 sar
Two shot 50vhc25 hunting rifle
Two shot E25 handmade
Two shot 50vhc90 missile launcher
Two shot 50c25 gamma
*
Vampires SS+S assaultron blade
Vampires SS+S bone hammer
Vampires SS +S ski sword
Vampires 40+S tire iron
Vampires 50L+S chainsaw
Vampires rap+S chainsaw
Vampires rap+S ripper
Vampires 40+S deathclaw gauntlet
Vampires 25dmg+S deathclaw gauntlet
Vampires 25ffr25 railway rifle
Vampires E25 railway rifle
Vampires 25ffr25 Gatling laser
Vampires 25aim90 ult Gatling laser
*
Zealots E15r mini
Zealots 25ffr90 .50
Zealots 25ffr90 Gatling laser
Zealous 25ffr15r Gatling gun
Zealots E25 combat rifle
Zealots SS+S rolling pin
Zealots SS+S golf club
Zealots 40+S fire axe
*
Wishlist
Bsss ripper
I work at a family run garden center, but I was really taken aback by this suggestion. And maybe I’m entirely uneducated. Looking to learn. A customer came in looking to lighten their herb container. I recommended peat moss, which I understand its ecological reservations but it’s a product we have available. One of the owners comes and says peat moss is horrible because it lacks the nutrients you need. The customer asked about cardboard and my boss said cardboard will rot and you don’t know the products they use on it. But then he recommended putting plastic water bottles on the bottom and to put a piece of fabric between them and the soil. Is this actually a solution ??
I'm a RN, living and working in NJ, but my wife and I have decided we want a change. We want to come to Florida and we keep finding our searches coming some how to the town of WinterGarden.
Anything we should know?
This is mostly a vent but I’m also open to coping advice.
How do you mentally reconcile the fact that you spent the first however many years of your life suffering needlessly, with no answers, not being believed, being called lazy, etc?
I’m 23. I moved out and finally was able to advocate for myself and manage my own healthcare at 18. Luckily my parents helped me with bills, I know that many aren’t so lucky, but I made my own appointments and managed all my meds, second opinions, treatments, etc. since then. So I’ve had most of these issues my whole life, and in the last 5 years I’ve finally figured out everything I’m pretty sure. I got diagnosed with hEDS, POTS, chronic migraines, some other stuff, and I’ve gotten meds and whatnot and now I manage fairly well.
But God, it’s just gut wrenching to think about what my life could have looked like, if someone had listened to me and believed me as a child complaining of all these symptoms. I’ve spent so long internalizing all of the comments about being lazy or dramatic. There were so many signs and nobody cared. In middle school I dislocated my knee and got quadricep deactivation but I didn’t tear anything. That doesn’t just happen to people with normal connective tissue as far as I’m aware. I had to go to physical therapy and the physical therapist was just astounded by how hypermobile I was, but didn’t say anything about it or suggest that something else might be going on. I’ve also had pots for a really long time, as a kid I would get extremely tired walking or standing for extended periods and I was always super heat intolerant. Nobody thought anything of it they just thought I was whiny.
And I know that I still am really lucky to be able to get healthcare at this point, it’s just so hard sometimes.
Intro
To preface this review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very, long read. Going through it myself just for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes — it's almost 7k words of text, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this review, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.
And yes, this is 9 months late 😭 I'm not sorry — when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in
Talk that Talk and
Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very
emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
Between 1&2 💞
Album Review
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
Talk that Talk 🎙
Lead producer: collapsedone
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICE’s best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths — the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like… Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if they’re some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyun’s voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the
Yes or Yes,
Push & Pull, and
1 to 10 references — these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that talk ttak han madi
Talk that talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~
During Sana's
Talk that Talk~ lines there’s this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling
L-O-V-E, concluding with the
deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the
deullyeojweo ooh…
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoung’s part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely — although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON… Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that
now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect — the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable “pop” voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts
this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [
Tell me]
WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights “
malhaebwa” in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another
deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The simple words “I love you”
That’s all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, I’ll go up to you
I’ll make it simple
And just tell you I love you
The word “
love” is said for the first time in the song. There’s a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoung’s part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-résistance: this final double chorus is exceptional — 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery “
Talk that Talk”, Momo comes out of nowhere with “
oh yeah it sounds so good!” — you’re damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~
Nayeon outright shouts “
Tell me what you need” and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final
deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The synths of all time
- The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
- Jeongyeon’s pre-chorus going into Nayeon’s chorus
- The entirety of that magical, final chorus and outro
Needs Work
- The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be “catchier”
Core Memory
- Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICE’s last comeback, they’ve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This song’s chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go
ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering “
What is love?” and imagining their crush responding with “
yes” when asking them out — and now concluding with the phrase “
Talk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-E”, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults — to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off
Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonet’s vocals and the production. This is the third draft I’m writing about
Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICE’s roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger that’s easy to listen to,
TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO RULE THE WORLD
Queen of Hearts 👑
Lead producer: LDN Noise of SM
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
You ain’t ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
I’mma go run the whole universe~
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah I’m the queen, I’m the queen
And it’s all because of you~~
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always,
always, gives me goosebumps — it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "
And it’s all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
And now that I’m surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls
It sounds really lovely — in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should — the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know you’re seeing what I see
Yeah I’ll be everything you need
I know I’m gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. It’s meant to be loud. It’s meant to be unapologetic. It’s meant to be sappy. And it’s all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like
Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
So thank you for the memories
You’re all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That I’m the Queen of Hearts
I still can’t believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
- Adorable fucking lyrics
- Unrelenting, roaring chorus
- English and vocal flex
- Addicting guitar riffs
Needs Work
- Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song
Life Highlight
- Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I don’t love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyo’s final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICE’s other rock songs — it’s a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Basics 🌈
Sole lyricist credit: Chaeyoung
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself — an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020’s silky
Handle It —
Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ain’t beggin’ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "
ah" sound, flirty lines in English — this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoung’s bag. Also, the line "
rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
I wanna wanna wanna take it to the basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the “
wanna”, “
weonhae”, and “
ppeonhae” all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very
Boy With Luv-sounding “
ah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah” comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende
Translating to:
Above the hot, burning desert
It’s like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesn’t let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, it’s just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
- That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
- The “spaceship” post-chorus is killer
- Chaeyoung devoured this song
- Sure-footed, confident lyrics
Needs Work
- Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
- The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Mina’s is great
Core Memory
- After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very… fitting
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. It’s dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning “spaceship” post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, it’s an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic — it's just a nice vibe. Songs like
Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and I’m happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WE’RE IN TROUBLE TROUBLE
Trouble 💃
Sole lyricist credit: Jihyo
Background vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in
First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces “
Let’s go”, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
- Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
- The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
- A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
- Jeongyeon’s pronunciation of the word “trouble” almost being a growl
- Chaeyoung slyly admitting “I like this trouble”
- The entirety of Tzuyu’s tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
- Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
- Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant
This chorus is perfect. Toronto’s residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to
SNAP this hard afterwards:
You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, I’m not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where it’s:
Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isn’t groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice — if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, it’s this. The addition of that first quadruplet for “
cannot miss this” in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG ‼ Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words they’re saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And.
AND. That's not all — with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trou-ble
Like, come on, Nayeon’s imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final
T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
- Sana and Mina’s melody in the pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Rap
- Outro
- Wees and woos
Needs Work
- Mina’s line of “falling down, falling down, falling down low” in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change
Core Memory
- While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in enjoying a song
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place
Talk that Talk above
Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best “international” sounds they’ve put out. Actually, I haven’t listened to
Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work they’ve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since
TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019’s
Fancy You and
Feel Special mini albums, but
Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well you’d think that this is TWICE’s bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyo’s magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE FOR YOU
Brave 💖
Main producer: Slow Rabbit of HYBE
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic
oohs from the members — this song is
PRETTY.
The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet — I was not expecting the song to be this emotional.
Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added — there’s even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Oh na na na neon nal naige hae [Momo, then Tzuyu, then Momo]
On and on and on
Brave brave brave for ya [Dahyun, then Chaeyoung, then Mina]
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae [Sana, then Momo, then Sana]
On and on and on oh trust me babe
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "
na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
- Special lyrics
- Pleasant sound to vibe out to
- That gentle break after the first chorus
- Jihyo’s high note at the end
- A Nayeon Jeongyeon joint high note ⁉️
- Just pretty vocals throughout
Needs Work
- Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics
Core Memory
- Form of Therapy’s life motto revolves around the word “brave”. I don’t know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction
I’m actually spoiled with the TWICE members’ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases don’t do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but
Brave is so mellow and smooth that I can’t help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart — we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with
Young & Wild,
Rainbow,
Queen,
Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's
Queen of Hearts, and, of course,
Feel Special.
Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
- 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
- 8/10s are great songs with standout characteristics
- 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
- And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way
I SEE THE LIES ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Gone 💨
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
It’s getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, they’ve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020’s
Go Hard is. So it’s surprising to see they’ve still got tricks up their sleeves and
Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing what’s yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but — it doesn’t. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, until…
I see the LIES on the top of your tongue
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, gone, gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
I’m tired of it, it’s meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort they’ve put in since the beginning, but their “partner” is so unconcerned that they’ve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyun’s thing since 2020’s
Bring It Back, 2021’s
Cruel, 2022’s
That’s all I’m saying, and even 2023's
Don't Blame It On Me — emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if she’s gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus — a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, it’s Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
I can’t stand it anymore [Dahyun]
My patience, invisible
I can’t find it, it’s all gone
Even if I try to turn back, it’s too late [Chaeyoung]
There’s no use anymore
It has left, it’s long gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out [Momo]
I know that you know what I’m talking about [Dahyun]
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
I’m gone
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that she’s finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that there’s no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that there’s no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and there’s no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoung’s rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the “
gone” in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, there’s no way I’m not going to talk about Momo’s vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeon’s belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
- They’ve still got their surprises
- Thundering chorus
- 2nd rap and bridge combo
- A bitter, crumbling relationship theme
Needs Work
- I’m not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
- The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens
Core Memory
- Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINK’s Love To Hate Me, and Dahyun’s Bring It Back. I don’t know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me — see TWICE's
Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyun’s light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, I’m happy they’re still finding new ways to explore what they’re capable of. And for that alone, even though I’m not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding “big”, Dahyun’s lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE SUPERHEROES
When We Were Kids 🧸
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. I’m totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I don’t know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song — this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, it’s one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Remember when we were kids
When we were kids, we didn’t know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember when we were kids
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production — if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeon’s — this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected — but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus — this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs don’t want to end, and
When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeon’s high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize — a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Oh, we were kids
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
- Heavenly vocals throughout
- Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
- Euphoric chorus
- Great closer to the album
Needs Work
- Refrain after the last chorus, "Back when we were kids," could’ve been executed better
Core Memory
- For an album titled Between 1&2, I don’t think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didn’t want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me — I didn’t want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing
Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing life’s obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICE’s original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-pop’s all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers — it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICE’s 7th anniversary, I don’t think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. It’s these nine women or none — 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between
TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable —
Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
Epilogue
And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey.
Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and
WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of
TTT to the anthemic euphoria of
QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of
Trouble and
Brave to the blissful glee of
Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of
WWWK to the thundering anger that is
Gone. Like
Eyes wide open, I liken
Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter — there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close — it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs — I also felt that way towards
Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and
Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that
Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July.
QoH was as glorious as expected,
Brave was a delightful surprise, and
WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with
Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to
TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.