By Michael Luce
I f anyone in K-pop has earned the right to sit back and rest on their legacy and achievements, one could argue it’s Kim Tae-yeon. Kim, who releases music under the stylized version of her name TAEYEON, is well-known in the K-pop sphere for her time as foundational group Girls’ Generation as well as her incredible solo career since then. She’s acted, collaborated, and become well-renowned for her vocal talents. One could say that her contributions have been instrumental for K-pop and Korean culture in general exploding into the global zeitgeist. As an artist, there are few still in the game who have less to prove or aspire to than TAEYEON. That said, there are also few other artists who have the capability to continue exploring the reach of their art with additional experimentation.
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And so, we get to her fifth mini-album: To. X. Lyrically and emotionally, the album tells the tale of an individual realizing the abusive and controlling tendencies of their romantic partner and the journey through learning to love themself enough to step away from that situation. It’s a not-quite-concept album that tells a beautiful tale of empowerment and healing that is unfortunately reflective of the very real life experiences of so many around the world. I want to make it clear: I commend TAEYEON and her team for handling this topic and emotion in a way that shows respect for those going through it. That said, I wish the music matched the depth of the concept.
Musically, To. X is about as generic as you can get. The songs are well-written, the production is clean, but there’s very little to excite or incite here. For an album about learning to love oneself, I would have expected a much deeper emotional sound from the songs. That’s not to say there aren’t high points to find here, such as in the second track “Melt Away.” The muted trumpet and filtered piano samples supported by a Latin American-influenced beat subtly grooving on behind everything help create a lounge-y atmosphere. The track is enjoyable, if not a bit simple. Also, the last couple seconds out context sound vaguely reminiscent of Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know,” so do with that information what you will.
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“Nightmare” has a more laid-back, lax energy that I wish we had more of in K-pop. It’s not pensive, quiet piano (that’s the song after, “All For Nothing”); it’s just a vibe. In a vacuum, this song is incredibly enjoyable, and I’ve listened to it a bunch since the album’s release in November. Unfortunately, any appeal is washed out in the context of To. X, as it comes right after another song with almost the exact same sonic palette. As much as I enjoy muted electric guitar intro leading into a sparse beat with vocals, it’s just been done so many times. The fact that it happens multiple times (in consecutive tracks, no less) on this six-song mini-album makes it just that much more obvious how formulaic the writing here is.
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I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this style or sound, but I would have loved to have heard an artist as legendary as TAEYEON take a few more risks and really push the concept to the peak to match the intensity of the topic she covers here. Ultimately, my disappointment stems mostly from the missed opportunity rather than any issue with the quality of the music.
Like I said, TAEYEON has more than earned the respect of the K-pop community to the point where she can make what she wants how she wants (and I am certainly the last one to tell an artist what they should or shouldn’t do), but To. X could have been so much more. There is a lot of great pop and K-pop in the annals of history, and unfortunately the album just doesn’t go far enough to add anything to them.