Twice’s Nayeon made her solo debut in June of 2022 with the splashy, addictive Pop. Now, nearly two years later to the day, she’s picked up the place she left off with the even splashier ABCD. There should still be room to develop, however on this period of flattened, fluttery earworms it’s refreshing to listen to one thing this unabashedly old school in its showmanship.

ABCD has the driving drive of a Loopy In Love. Or, to place it in Ok-pop phrases, it appears like one thing Ailee might need unleashed in the course of the first few years of her profession. Nayeon clearly enjoys this sound and revels in ABCD‘s breathless mix of bombast and swagger. It’s a stitched collectively string of highlights, from the charismatic hip-hop of the central drop to the explosive brass that follows. Not each second is equally partaking, however there’s at all times a peak ready across the nook. Nayeon ties all of it along with loads of perspective, wrapping her vocals round a wide range of rhythms and tones.

ABCD‘s audio model cuts out a superb dance break, which is a disgrace however inevitable given the calls for of streaming tradition. Nevertheless, even at underneath three minutes the observe manages to take us by means of a wide range of segments with out feeling slapdash. I like how we end with a repetition of the breakdown, however want the manufacturing indulged in these rhythms for longer. I might simply lose myself in an additional minute of percussion, dismantled and reassembled with renewed funk. The music requires a serious jam session and we simply don’t get that. However that’s me wishing for one thing that doesn’t exist. ABCD is compelling by itself and a welcome blast of contemporary air.

Grade: B+