Even though I am current with all of Hearts2Hearts’ music, this is my first full comeback with their newest mini album, Lemon Tang. I’d also like to point out that this is the only girl group that has managed to catch and hold my attention – a true feat!
Compared to the rest of H2H’s discography, this album definitely presents an evolution of sound for them. As a whole, it has a much brighter, youthful, and summer-y vibe to it. For me, it’s not my favorite style, and in my opinion it’s kind of a downgrade from their classier, sophisticated pop. For me, songs like “Focus,” “Style,” “Rude,” and honestly almost the entirety of the rest of their discography belongs in the same catalog, though I know it wouldn’t be wise to keep producing songs that sound like that. I actually interested to see how their sound progresses over the next few releases. Will they do more songs in the vein of the Lemon Tang EP, or will they branch out to other sounds? Remains to be seen!
With that criticism aside, I have listened to these songs a number of times, and I do like them all to some degree, so don’t think I hated this thing at all. Not the case. Just something that took a little getting used to. Take for instance the title track, “Lemon Tang.” This song was a lot to digest on the first listen. There were so many groupings of sounds and styles that it sounded like it was whipping me all of the place. In one breath there is a bit of a saloon piano, and then the bridge gets completely turned on its head with a smooth bass-heavy jazz element, and then it sounds like you’re looking the summer sun straight in the eyes in the next beat. The pre-chorus is heavenly though, and I really have come to like this song as much as their other singles.
I will say, the rest of the album has a youthful flair to it – even just the song titles themselves! And in fairness, all of the members are twenty years old or younger, so they deserve to be youthful in their sound! The only thing I question with this style is that if they have real longevity, will these feel awkward to perform later in their career? Probably, but I guess that’s just the K-pop cross they have to bear. I liked the sporty, upbeat nature to “15-LOVE,” and as a tennis fan, I liked it probably a little more than most. The chorus here adpopted a stronger 80s mall or mid-2000s asthetic which both worked and didn’t work for me. I guess it’s a little bit of love-hate for that style of music.
“Baby Steps” might be my next favorite song off the album and I credit that to the truly bizaare intro the song had. It almost sounded like something you’d hear in a video game. And as I listened more, the more to me it sounded like something one could definitely hear in a video game, or maybe more accurately, a cute anime? I’m not totally sure, as I don’t really spend much time with either of those pastimes. If you really wanted to place it in a certain genre, I think I’d call it a rock-heavy jazz. Perhaps “Heart Emoji” best captures the spirit of their old style with all of the new shiny bells and whistles. I really liked the upbeat pacing of this song, but what impressed me most was how smooth we transitioned both in and out of the bridge!
“Secret Recipe” is my least favorite of the batch (see what I did there?), but that’s not saying much. It just seemed a little more cheesey than that rest of their songs. The style at times seems like it’s going in a Jamaican direction with a lack of steel drums, but their heavenly harmonizing makes me forgive it a little bit. Despite how different it sounds to “Rude!,” their single from a few months back, I love how the song almost seamlessly transitions. Of course, “Rude!” remains a banger, and I think that’s largely because it still sound so similar to their older songs. In restrospect, I think their song ordering was smart here. Putting this first would have really confused the listening experience for the rest of the album, so I’m impressed with what they did here.
All in all, this was a solid comeback for Hearts2Hearts. I’m excited for what their future holds, and I wouldn’t be opposed to another live viewing someday in the future!