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My heart truly flutters as Girls’ Generation’s leader, Taeyeon, has just released her third solo studio album, INVU. Nowadays many people refer to Music as a hobby or even a way to relax, hence why it is one of the most recognizable and well-known art from around the globe. Now if you take a chance, Taeyeon’s different philosophical topics represent her uniqueness, as in this album Taeyeon goes through a heartbreaking relationship.
The review is based on the opinion of the writer and does not reflect the thoughts of Team Genius Korea or Genius Media Group Inc.
Introduced as the lead track, “INVU'‘ is an agonizing synth-pop track that captures a dark relationship as the lover envies the other for having better quality and considers it being a mistake that they’re together in the first place. The term 'INVU’ is meant to be really saying: “I envy you”. In a quick summary, “I Envy You” means you’re wanting to have something that somebody else has. In this song, Taeyeon envies her lover because she wants the qualities of her lover. The song is written by the one and only legends, PhD, 진리 (Jinli), Peter Wallevik, Daniel Davidsen, Rachel Furner & Jess Morgan.
The elegant melody fuses with it’s house-made production, alongside the cherry on top is Taeyeon’s angelic vocals as her true potential is shown in smooth yet extended high notes and pitches.
Music Video
It’s music video showcases Taeyeon’s elegant visuals in warrior-concept outfits as she tries to battle her lover in a war using her bow and arrow to fight reminiscent of Greek and Roman goddesses like Athena. In the ending, however, it seems that she couldn’t win the game and loses as she is rained down by arrows, and surrounded by circles of planetary reflections. The music video also fits into the aesthetics of Kwangya, the larger SMCU concept created by her company.
The song’s choreography also fits into the music video with sharp moves and representation of the song’s main message of “INVU”. To show Taeyeon’s envieness, everytime they repeat the constant lyric, they use their ‘pointer finger’ to show “I,” the peace sign reversed on top of your eye to show “N”. Normal peace sign to show “V” and both your pointer finger and middle finger together in front to point to your target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbZH7XWDW_k
B-SIDES
“그런 밤 (Some nights)” is an calming R&B influenced anthem that describes Taeyeon’s wonderful night wondering and fantasizing about past memories of nostalgia, while Taeyeon is going through difficult times. The song’s drastic and moody beat fits her vocal range to showcase her true emotions. It’s catchy ballad melody will get you in the moment in under seconds of listening to the song.
I personally like this song because to me, in life, memories of the most important times in life are valuable because those moments may only happen once in our lifetimes. So this song flashbacks to those memories and could calm me down in any emotion of missing something, or feeling gloomy someday.
One of the best tracks in this album to me, “Can’t Control Myself” is what every pre-release single of an album needs, or what every title track needs. The song is a pop-rock track fused with an acoustic vibe during verses, pre-choruses and of course the bridge. Lyrically the song describes a downfall of a relationship turning into chaos, while Taeyeon still tries to get back her love although it sadly won’t work that way.
The song’s engaging lyrics can easily relate to the reality of normal celebrities you’ve seen on television, newspapers, magazines and even more to come from. The song captures the audience with a touch of a pop-rock groove shown more in the 2nd chorus and gets you hooked to the song’s message at the same time.
The deeper meaning of the song’s lyrics are perfectly displayed throughout the music video which tells the story of a famous “perfect” theater couple, but behind-the-scenes the couple don’t have any affection for one another and Taeyeon is upset that she’ll get hurt many times trying to love her lover. In the end, she’s upset and done with him, so she yells out her feelings towards him on stage while the others ignore her almost like an internal monologue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RccDIpx4ZMM
“Set Myself On Fire” is the fourth track on the album. The song is an acoustic ballad mixed R&B/Soul. It is about being ghosted in a relationship and wanting to set yourself on fire to make the other person happy.
The song’s sharp acoustic pop melody draws in the listener, but also what catches the ear the most is the effort Taeyeon put into her vocal delivery in this song. During the bridge, Taeyeon charms the audience even more, with a variety of high-notes sung, which are similar to Ariana Grande’s “whistle notes” in “Imagine”. In my opinion, this track is one of the songs where Taeyeon puts the spotlight on her vocals to emphasize the internal conflict seen in the lyrics.
Different from the other tracks, “어른아이 (Todder)” is an synth electronic-pop anthem about still dreaming that a happy ending will come in all romantic relationships just as all toddlers think when they watch a romantic cartoon movie.
Knowing that most K-Pop artists make good use of synth-pop in their songs, raised the expectations for this track and Taeyeon delivered perfectly. The mesmerizing bridge fits all the standards of a great K-Pop bridge, rated by its “moodiness,” and slow build-up to its final chorus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfTlcPGGCU
“Siren” is a dreamy-pop track that lyrically talks about a Greek mythology legend of a siren, as you both fall deep into the relationship, although it’s more like you are sinking in water and losing your lover’s affection for you due to the siren destroying their ships in the end. A Siren (Σειρήν) is a Greek myth that is a mermaid hybrid involving a mermaid and bird fused together. They are known for their charming voices attracting (Mainly sailors) men to them. Surprisingly, if you also take a deep listen into the song, the song contains a police siren ring in the background of each chorus. This song’s mesmerizing melody captures the viewer like a “Siren” also allows the listeners to visualize another place where it truly feels like home. A song like “Siren” while being a soaring ballad also calms the listeners down and is best to listen to during difficult times.
Now that Taeyeon finally realizes that their relationship is becoming “Cold As Hell,” she reminds her lover that it is now ending and it’s time to go, in a cold-hearted pop-rock beat. “Cold As Hell” changes from an emotional ballad in its verses into an instrumental electronic pop-rock chorus. This glitched pop-rock track catches the listener into an addicting-beat where Taeyeon’s anger and resentment can be felt sonically and lyrically. Additionally, this track transitions into a new refreshing part of the album as the beats go from ballad-R&B style into pop-rock, creating a nice change in pace.
“Timeless” is a synth-pop song that travels back in time to see the good memories that happened back then, and now are gone after the relationship’s downfall. Following the change in beats, this synth-pop track is also fun and upbeat giving off a summer aesthetic from the 80s and 70s. The song is best to dance to, or the best to listen to when having some time to rest and chill after a long day.
”품 (Heart)” is a heart-warming piano ballad that talks about hiding all your wounds and bad moments inside your heart in order to cure from them. “품 (Heart)” is another fun song, but includes deep lyrics, which makes it relieving to be able to connect to something and not only knowing that it is just you who goes through it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsYpYBQCPzs
Starting to introduce viewers to the very end of this relationship, and Taeyeon’s true disguised emotions in an electronic-pop track fused with a guitar melody, “No Love Again” describes how Taeyeon is tired of this love and knows it can’t continue anymore.
“No Love Again” reminds me a bit of “Ride It” by British-American producer and singer, Jay Sean, and the guitar melody reminds me of a true hit of David Guetta’s Sia-assisted song, “Titanium”. The song allures the listeners into its unforgettable melody. I personally enjoy how the plot-twist also starts to begin here as now we see a brave version of Taeyeon truly showing how she feels instead of hiding her feelings.
“You Better Not” is an electronic-pop anthem that captures the relief Taeyeon feels as her bad relationship is now all over and there is no more struggle. The song’s chorus is an outstanding beat that shocks the listener even during the first listen but is in fact very addicting. The bridge included in this song is also very different as it repeats the chorus with a smoother guitar melody lifting Taeyeon’s high vocal pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-0-i5vmtBo
Another track that raises the album up into success and good-rates is “Weekend,” a calming city-pop song that describes the freedom that you please once the weekend comes. It’s the time where people take the time to have fun and be free after a long week of busyness.
The song’s calming chorus uplifts the listener and gets them in the mood to get up and dance. The lyrics are awfully relatable to everyone’s jobs that consist of the weekend-break. The song mainly stands out to me with its catchiness that will get you singing the lyrics anywhere, and everywhere you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmuL-BPFi2Q
Closing the album is “Ending Credits” the outro to Taeyeon’s album as she describes the relationship is now off, the ending is here, and they won’t be together or ever seen next to each other ever again. The song ends off the album with a pop-rock ballad.
This song’s electronic-pop-rock chorus fuses with Taeyeon’s addicting vocals that fit into the song’s relieving and joyful lyrics. The chorus stands out the most, as also the first verse guitar background lifted me up into an emotional mood. The chorus also showcases how it is the end and it is all over so Taeyeon can be free from the struggle of keeping up appearance, dealing with the tumultuous relationship, and internal conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCtcLIS3yhw
INVU
In conclusion, there are many different kinds and types of songs out there which many listeners like me and you enjoy, but when it comes to INVU her diversity and transition in concept was portrayed smoothly. After a rollercoaster of emotions and stories to tell, Taeyeon pleasures her mental health in this relationship by ending it after a long and exhausting adventure. Thanks to Taeyeon’s angelic vocals, she was able to fit every range, pitch, and potential in high-notes into these 13 tracks of the album. INVU is an emotional, and touching album that helps you calm down during difficult times overall.
