March 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Today’s episode features two pop princesses, Tate and Lisa, going head-to-head with their latest albums. Both ‘So Close To What,’ Tate’s third studio album, and ‘Alter Ego,’ Lisa’s first full-length album, share a striking similarity in sound and draw inspiration from the same sources. This begs the question: what does this mean for the evolution of pop music? Is this a new trend that will shape the musical landscape of this year? Stay tuned for more insights!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, welcome to the Overshare pamphlet.
(00:25):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show.
I'm going to be talking to you every Monday 6am UK time.
And today, well, yes, today we're talking about something a bit more chaotic I guess,
like unusual.
I'm waiting for the Oscars to just, you know, happen in general, to just get in this custom,
(00:49):
but I need an episode for Monday.
And this occurred to me very recently, and specifically, well, I guess this comparison
that I'm going about to make, but it is in this whole episode.
I think basically the main question I want to ask the let me ask the audience.
Let me ask the audience.
I mean, I have my own view on this, but it's just a fun little, you know, experimental
(01:14):
game, I guess.
But my question for y'all is, I mean, if you have listened to both projects, but did Tate
McRae and Lisa make the same album?
And I'm referring specifically to like the first full length album by Lisa called Alter
(01:35):
Ego and also Tate McRae's third studio album, so close to what?
And I'll get into my, you know, reasoning behind this comparison later.
And again, fair warning, this is not like, you know, a video, what an episode on, you
know, specifically saying that they are exactly the same, but there are so many similarities
(01:59):
that I could just like, I just started wondering while listening to Lisa's album, drawing so
many comparisons and so many like instances where I'm like, this seems like, you know,
it could be something that it could be on, you know, think later, not think later, but
so close to what as well and that might take my brain.
It seems to me that there is a case to be made here, but I will get into it after the
(02:24):
songs of the week.
So as for the songs of the week, of course, two songs that I want to put in for this week
are they are from Lisa's new album and they are specifically Elasti-Girl and Chill, but
I will talk more in depth, I guess, about them when I, you know, properly address the
topic of the day, but you can find them, these two songs in the playlist of the month, the
(02:50):
Overshare pamphlet songs of the week, March 2025, which is available on my Spotify.
You can just simply search on Spotify, basically the title, the Overshare pamphlet songs of
the week, March 2025.
So yeah, but they're there and you can find all the songs of the week for every month
this way.
You just, you know, type the podcast in the songs of the week and then the month you're
(03:14):
looking for depending on the episode you're listening to.
But yeah, these two songs, Elasti-Girl and Chill, I will talk about them as I said later
on and I will explain to you guys why I love them so much.
I mean, not to say I don't like other songs from the album, but these two are my favorites
as of now.
(03:34):
Granted, I only listened to the album, well, the past few days because it came out literally
on Friday.
So I didn't have much time to like, you know, properly let it marinate with me.
So yeah, now these will be talked, oh, you know, I'll address them later, but I have
another song, well, I have three songs to be fair, I don't want to talk about.
(03:56):
First one is Reprogram by Keel Kish.
If you know anything about Keel Kish, I guess you would know why this song is very cool
and very like unique.
It's very much Keel Kish's own like sound, I guess.
I mean, she does make very, I guess I would say like synth pop is her main thing, like
(04:19):
old synth pop, like early 2000 synth pop, like 2010s I guess as well.
But just very synthy, very unusual type of production.
Very old school, I guess, but very cool.
And I cannot explain about Keel Kish as her own sound, I guess.
(04:42):
And this sounds like a Keel Kish song, of course, like very, very cool, very unique
and you know, unique to her own style and all that.
So I recommend listening to this.
I cannot explain much about it, but lyrics very, you know, poignant and interesting and
daring, I guess, and very cool production, very experimental.
(05:04):
So a lot of cool stuff, a lot of cool stuff.
So I really recommend listening to this one.
It's very, very cool, very, very interesting.
And maybe just also explore a bit more.
Oh shit, a bit more that the emails, a little bit more of the Keel Kish productions, I guess,
(05:25):
like more songs by her.
They're all very interesting.
Just go have a listen, you know.
Yeah, then next I want to talk about Butterflies by Hearts to Hearts.
And this is a song by a new group that just debuted under SM Entertainment in K-pop.
(05:49):
And I guess, like, I really enjoyed also their title track, which is called Jaze, produced
by the way by Flo, the British group.
Incredible stuff.
I would say this second song that was in the single EP is my favorite song out of the two.
It's just so, you know, perfectly R&B.
(06:12):
It just is that SM R&B song.
It has a bit of like typical R&B love ballad type of production, but also has a lot of
strings and a lot of interesting vocal melodies and very catchy sounds.
And just the delivery by the girls, who are by the way all so young, like I think average
(06:35):
age is like what?
14, 15, something like that.
So yeah, scary stuff.
But this song is just incredible, like incredible vocals, incredible melodies and production
as well.
The Jaze is also very good.
(06:55):
I would also recommend maybe listening to that, but Butterflies to me is the better
song in there.
It's just so good.
I have been obsessed with it.
I've been listening to it nonstop.
Just very whimsical and very like, you know, I guess Butterflies is actually a very good,
you know, it matches the production of the song, the name of it.
(07:16):
So I'm impressed.
I'm very much impressed.
I'm very much impressed.
Slay.
So that's that.
It reminds me also, by the way, well, the group in general, the project, like, you know,
the concept itself is more like new jeans, unfortunately, not unfortunately, but you
(07:36):
know, it seems like every group is getting that aesthetic.
Sound wise, I'm not saying that they are coming new jeans at all, but the visuals are very
much like, you know, clean girl, girl next door, clean girl aesthetic, you know, that
kind of vibe, which is very new jeans, new jeans adjacent, like, you know, long hair,
(08:00):
all, you know, in a quote unquote natural makeup and all that stuff, you know, there's
no K-pop in this about this at all.
So yeah, but it's very cool.
The visuals are incredible in terms of that, like just the editing and everything.
And the song itself and the two songs are like very unique to SM, of course, and to
(08:23):
the group.
So I'm excited about that and cannot wait to find out what more, you know, what they
have in store for us later on.
So yeah, Slay.
Then next and last song, I guess.
It's also like K-pop R&B maybe, but it's like completely different.
(08:45):
It's like very experimental, to be fair.
Well, the beginning of the song, I think the chorus and like the production of the chorus
is what makes it very experimental.
It's just very interesting and very unusual, but it is a K-pop R&B song after all.
And it's just very cool, very cutesy, very well, cutesy in the verses, but then it gets
very like interesting in the bass line in a chorus, like very interesting production.
(09:07):
And it's called Messy Room by Da Deep.
And I'm very familiar with the deep per se.
I think I do have another song saved, which is a collab between the deep and other artists
that I follow.
But apart from that, this is the first solo song that I think I have saved from the deep.
So very cool stuff, very cool stuff.
(09:29):
So yeah, I'm giving y'all a very good, well-rounded, I guess, roster of songs.
So just give it a go.
Just like, you know, it's just five songs for the beginning of this month.
So just give it a go.
I think you're going to find something that you really enjoy, hopefully.
(09:49):
But I personally enjoy this song so much.
So I'm so, you know, so in awe of like how many good songs like female artists are coming
up with.
Just the girls are always like, you know, very hungry and very diverse and very, you
know, much about the performance of it all as well.
So and that's what the boy groups and the male artists are also missing is that willingness
(10:15):
to get into a variety of performances and different sounds and be a bit more daring
in their production, I guess.
Like just, you know, surprise us, you know, don't do the same shit.
It sounds so mad, but I think that's the problem why so many male artists are not really thriving
(10:35):
at all is that, you know, neither stick to the same fucking thing or they just try different
cosplays of other male artists, I guess.
So there's nothing really fresh about these people.
There's nothing very unique about any of the male artists that are like out and about right
(10:56):
now.
So yeah, boys learn this thing.
But anyways, I get into the topic.
The two albums in question, So Close to White and Alter Ego came literally came out literally
like one week apart, I think.
And they are released by two artists who are under sort of, I guess, like the bigger umbrella
(11:19):
of RCA records.
So that's a big label.
But I think some of these things are important to keep in mind, which may explain why Alisa
and her direction and the soundscapes of these two albums are quite similar, in my opinion.
Maybe it's like, you know, a stylistic choice of the label or like a direction that the
label wants their artists to go into and maybe they're trying to set this new direction for
(11:46):
also pop music in general.
So interesting.
But I think there's also a lot to be said in terms of the similarities between the two
types of artists.
They're very similar in terms of like why they are, I guess, marketed as.
They're two very, very excellent performers, first and foremost, I would say.
(12:08):
And therefore, I guess, also the selection, I guess you could you could have in terms
of songs, not to say that they are limited, they cannot do other types of songs, but their
forte, I guess, comes down to performance type of songs, I guess, like performative
songs, like songs that you can actually perform and especially like, you know, dance to, you
(12:29):
know.
So that also was keeping that in mind.
I was like, well, they are actually very interesting, you know, very similar artists in what they
do.
I mean, Lisa is a bit more, I guess, diverse in terms of skill set.
She's not necessarily like the strongest vocalist, but she's a decent vocalist, very good dancer,
(12:50):
good rapper as well, and just, you know, charisma to the max.
So that's one thing.
But Tatey is also very, very skilled, I think, vocally, and she has a very signature type
of like vocal tone.
And of course, she's one of the best dancers ever.
(13:12):
And so they are very similar, you know, vibes in that sense.
But I think it goes a bit beyond that, though, because you could literally, you know, make
other types of like pop songs and still perform your ass off to, I guess.
But I think the vibes specifically they're going for are both interestingly similar.
(13:32):
Now I want to start off with like, oh, so close to water, I guess, because it came out
first.
So my journey with that is that when it first came out, I listened to the album and I was
captivated just by a couple of songs.
I thought when somehow I still think that the album is has very strong moments, like
in terms of some very strong songs.
(13:54):
But overall, I think while being very cohesive in terms of soundscape, the songs are somewhat
some of them are somewhat forgettable.
I think the first half of the album is actually really, really good in terms of run.
Like we have like Miss Possessive opening, then Two Hands, Roving Door, Blond in My Hands,
(14:15):
Dear God, Purple Lace Bras, Sports Car, like a little sports car locked in.
Then there's like some decent songs, of course.
It's OK, My Game is also down there a bit.
No I'm Not In Love is also a cute song.
And then we have, you know, Greenlight, Nostalgia and all that stuff.
But I think the first half of the album is very, very good.
(14:38):
And then we start getting a bit into more forgettable territory, I guess, with some
of them.
But overall, the album is performing really well.
I think it sold as of now, 177k copies in between, you know, physical and streaming sales, you
know, streaming numbers, I guess.
(15:00):
So it is projected to debut as the number one album on Billboard.
So that's incredible without having even one number 10 hit in that sense out of this album.
So that's how I guess a big teller of how much people are interested in Tamei Cray in
general as an artist, I guess.
(15:21):
So the album is doing well.
The girl is going to be fine.
So is it the strongest album that she could have made?
Probably not.
But there are some incredible moments, I guess.
And also sports card to me is the song Little Year already.
Like I've screened it so many fucking times.
It's my number one song already.
So I can complain personally because she gave us that song specifically.
(15:46):
But there are also so many moments.
I love Purple, purple, purple, purple lace bra.
Oh, I forget the fuck it's wrong with me.
Purple lace bra.
I love Dear God.
I love Revolving Door.
They're all very interesting songs.
I love Greenlight personally.
Underrated, but cool song.
So yeah.
But I think the soundscape of it all in the album is a continuation of Think Later in
(16:11):
some aspects.
While there are less ballads per se, there are more like, you know, heavy hitters here,
like more like, even though they're all very similar in production, I guess, like very
cohesive, there's less room for like, you know, more slow songs and ballads than Think
(16:32):
Later, but it's still like in the same soundscape.
It's very much, to me, it's like a very similar type of album, I guess.
But the influence is clear, you know, from the beginning, like Miss Possessive is very
hip-hop, I guess, in terms of what they're giving us, very hip-hop, very trap, but also
(16:52):
a lot of like, old 2000s music, I guess, is also informing this album, I guess.
We have Timbaland productions types, I guess.
We have a bit of promiscuous in Dear God.
We have a bit of, you know, the Pussycat Dolls and like, Bernie Spears in the Zone with Sportscar
(17:12):
and No, I'm Not in Love.
And yeah, there's also, I would venture to say a bit of, well, I think the main vibe
basically is like early 2000s pop and hip-hop, both contemporary and modern, like modern
and, you know, sorry, modern and like, you know, 2000s, I guess, hip-hop a bit.
(17:34):
But to me, it makes sense because it's like, you know, part of what also made Think Later
a bit more of a success compared to like, you know, other previous albums and then I
guess it was only natural for her to progress with that, so close to what.
So it's like...
In terms of like the main tenets of the albums, I think the album is like very much in, well,
(17:59):
overall there are like a lot of like love songs per se, but they're also filtered through
this like character that is the Miss Possessive type of girl.
And I think personally Miss Possessive would have been a great, I've seen it on Twitter
as well, but it would have been a great album title for this project because it does explain
the central tenets of the album itself.
Like it is about this girl who's like very much cold-hearted and like very, you know,
(18:25):
it girl type of person, like very prima donna, very, you know, confident type of person and
it's also very, you know, sensual and possessive and when it comes to the love songs, you can
also see a bit of that.
But yeah, so the main tenets are like, you know, confidence and sensuality and just,
(18:46):
you know, a bit of like love songs as well.
But yeah, overall a very sultry album as well.
There are some deeper cuts like Greenlight as I said and you know, like Nostalgia I guess
as well.
(19:08):
But yeah, like very cool stuff, very cool stuff.
I think she's definitely taking inspiration from the Britney's etc.
So yeah.
Now turning to Lisa's album, I was so pleasantly surprised by this album, not even kidding
because I think that the singles were, I don't want to say a mix back, but they were all
(19:32):
in different areas as she was trying I guess like showcase her versatility which is noted.
And out of the singles I would say Rockstar really grew me a lot and I think it's one
of the best songs on the album as well.
It fits very well with the album.
I love New Woman in terms of production and everything.
I think it also fits.
Moonlit Floor, I don't know man, like I don't think it does fit with the album at all and
(19:58):
I think it's the weaker one of the singles and then she released also Fuck Up the World
with, well the album version is with Future as well but she released that as the single
with the album and it's very very much in Lisa's alley.
(20:20):
But what I want to say basically is that the album itself, so so good.
Like melody wise, they're all very memorable songs, very performative songs, they're all
very very catchy, very memorable and there's a lot of, also here, a lot of inspiration.
(20:40):
God, what happened there?
But there's a lot of like you know, a big influence I guess coming from also the early
2000s and a lot of like you know Soul Tree, Pussycat Dolls type of like you know, I don't
want to say Eastern but top of productions as well, like Elasti-Girl and a bit of Bad
(21:03):
Girl as well but overall it does seem to me very similar in terms of inspiration as well.
Like to me for example Thunder could be on So Close to What and you know, it does seem
like a very Taemin-like type of song but also you know, that type of vibe that Taemin
(21:25):
is currently going for.
Same thing with Chill for example.
Chill sounds like also a song that is very much inspired by the you know Timbaland and
the Pussycat Dolls and all that stuff and it could be swapped in you know, So Close
to What.
But Chill, as I said, and like Thunder for example, they're all Elasti-Girl and all that,
(21:47):
they're all very interesting songs.
I think especially with the lyrics and the concepts are very cool.
They're all about the same stuff though.
I think the main topic of the album is also very much similar to what So Close to What
is but there are less songs about love, there are more, most of the songs are about like
you know herself and her confidence and her it girl behaviour as well though.
(22:12):
I think it's a very confident album as well, very similar, very you know, conti type of
lyrics and production.
So but Rockstar for example, Elasti-Girl, you know, Fuck Up the World, Rapunzel, Batgirl,
Lifestyle, you know they're all about the same concept I guess.
(22:36):
So that's the interesting part.
But yeah, like Elasti-Girl is such an interesting metaphor I guess.
She's so flexible and she's such a good performer, basically that's the topic of the song.
And using Elasti-Girl as you know, she's Miss Incredible and I say she's referencing also
Miss Incredible from the Fantastic Four.
Genius, so fucking cool.
(22:57):
Rapunzel as well, very cool stuff.
You know, hair down like Rapunzel, like bundles and all that stuff, like period.
Cool stuff.
Fuck Up the World is also so incredibly interesting.
I think it's like you know about, what is it, like you know, her basically performing
(23:19):
her ass off and making the world all look at her and she did girl, that's what it is.
So, honestly.
I love the line where I think she said in, I think it's a bridge, well she said it's
like if you want to listen to my old shit go listen to, you know, if you want the old
Lisa back go listen to my old shit or something like that.
Very cool stuff.
(23:39):
So, yeah, like I think most of the songs here are very memorable and that's what really
interested me the most.
Like I was not, like overall I think it's like more memorable in terms of songs but
I would say it's less, and yeah, and also I think it showcases her versatility a lot,
(24:00):
you know, a lot more.
In this album, like in some songs she both raps and sings and for example with the Tyler
collab When I'm With You, she takes over the rapping while Tyler takes over the singing
or with the Rapunzel one, she does rap a bit I guess but she mostly sings and leaves Megan
DeSalihan to rap and carry I guess.
(24:22):
So cool.
And then she shows off of course her rapping skills in Fuck Up the World as well so she
does have a bit of everything in all of them so just incredible.
I think it's just the perfect debut full length album because it does show a lot of what she
can do I guess.
I would take out Moli for from this because it's just, I don't know, like I don't think
(24:49):
sound wise also if it fits with the album maybe but I like Dream as well for example.
Dream was a good addition to this but still in the same soundscape but again here I can
see a lot of influence coming from the early 2000s and the hip hop scenario I guess.
(25:10):
And also I guess the concept of the two albums I guess are very similar.
So I mean there are some differences I guess in the way these two artists perform in general
and the singing and all that stuff but you can make a case about most of the songs on
(25:31):
Alter Ego that could be swapped with So Close to Adam and vice versa I guess so like Thunder
could be swapped easily with I don't know Purple Lace Bra as well or Dear God.
Like Tamek Ray could easily sing Chill which is also one of my favorite songs of course.
Chill is very much you know like that Timbaland production.
(25:55):
So yeah Elastic One is more like that sultry eastern type of production like Middle Eastern
type of production very cool.
I do want to say however like there is one like Fuck Up The World for example is very
like hip hop in that sense but it reminds me so much of also Y a song that could be
(26:19):
easily a song like Blackpink in general sings.
That probably is the only song that I wouldn't fit I think on Think Later.
Sorry So Close To Y but yeah.
And I guess another outlier on this album is for example Born Again because it's more
like disco-y I guess 80s which I don't know maybe doesn't also fit with the album but
(26:39):
I suspect it was added because of the features Doja and Ray but yeah.
I would say So Close To Y is more cohesive in terms of overall production but Alter Ego
has more memorable highs and more memorable songs and catchier hooks and all that stuff
(27:02):
so yeah.
But yeah now again maybe it could be that RCA wants this to be direction that all the
pop girls are gonna go in for 2025 or like they're trying to lead the conversation because
these two albums literally came out they're the bigger I guess the openers for 2025 in
terms of pop moments.
(27:25):
But again it's interesting it's interesting maybe this will be a big moment for 2025 in
terms of what's the inspiration and it seems like we are getting into that type of like
early 2000 Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls type of performances and production so and
I'm not mad at it because that is my sound girl that is literally what I breathe.
(27:48):
But yeah like I hope you guys listen to both albums and give it a spin.
I still think overall Sports Car is the best song ever made.
I'm sorry but that's literally so fucking good.
I wish Tate went a bit more into that and like really focused on making more catchier
(28:10):
hooks and focused more on the I guess like you know taking the inspiration of course
but also making the songs a bit more memorable and more like honed in that sense and specific.
But I'm not mad at it like literally the first album the first half of the album of So Close
(28:35):
to What is pretty much skip-less but I think if I were to like want to listen to the entire
album I would choose Alter Ego if that makes any sense.
But yeah also the hit rhetoric going around around Lisa is just crazy I don't fucking
get it.
I do understand the Alter Ego promo that thing about her different versions that they're
(29:00):
all a bit cringy in terms of the way they are you know portrayed to the public like
I think it was a bit unnecessary like she could have maybe still done the Alter Ego
situation but without necessarily making a full profile for each alternate version of
Lisa like there's no need for that and also there's no need to have so many different
(29:21):
versions of her like come on.
But also this doesn't you know justify going into you know hating her specifically like
that doesn't make any sense and also the album is so fucking good that really I already forgot
about the whole discussion like I just am focused on the music and it's good so I am
satisfied with that.
(29:41):
I do want to make a video a video oh my god not again but I don't make an episode about
the Blackpink solos but I will probably do that once Jennie's album which comes out next
Friday comes out basically so I can have a full sweep of everything and maybe make a
bit of a case for each one of them and maybe crown the best song ever by Blackpink so yeah.
(30:06):
But anyways go listen to their albums have fun, slay the house down boots and maybe expect
an episode on the Oscars so yeah bye.
Hey, welcome to the Overshare pamphlet.
(00:25):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show.
I'm going to be talking to you every Monday 6am UK time.
And today, well, yes, today we're talking about something a bit more chaotic I guess,
like unusual.
I'm waiting for the Oscars to just, you know, happen in general, to just get in this custom,
(00:49):
but I need an episode for Monday.
And this occurred to me very recently, and specifically, well, I guess this comparison
that I'm going about to make, but it is in this whole episode.
I think basically the main question I want to ask the let me ask the audience.
Let me ask the audience.
I mean, I have my own view on this, but it's just a fun little, you know, experimental
(01:14):
game, I guess.
But my question for y'all is, I mean, if you have listened to both projects, but did Tate
McRae and Lisa make the same album?
And I'm referring specifically to like the first full length album by Lisa called Alter
(01:35):
Ego and also Tate McRae's third studio album, so close to what?
And I'll get into my, you know, reasoning behind this comparison later.
And again, fair warning, this is not like, you know, a video, what an episode on, you
know, specifically saying that they are exactly the same, but there are so many similarities
(01:59):
that I could just like, I just started wondering while listening to Lisa's album, drawing so
many comparisons and so many like instances where I'm like, this seems like, you know,
it could be something that it could be on, you know, think later, not think later, but
so close to what as well and that might take my brain.
It seems to me that there is a case to be made here, but I will get into it after the
(02:24):
songs of the week.
So as for the songs of the week, of course, two songs that I want to put in for this week
are they are from Lisa's new album and they are specifically Elasti-Girl and Chill, but
I will talk more in depth, I guess, about them when I, you know, properly address the
topic of the day, but you can find them, these two songs in the playlist of the month, the
(02:50):
Overshare pamphlet songs of the week, March 2025, which is available on my Spotify.
You can just simply search on Spotify, basically the title, the Overshare pamphlet songs of
the week, March 2025.
So yeah, but they're there and you can find all the songs of the week for every month
this way.
You just, you know, type the podcast in the songs of the week and then the month you're
(03:14):
looking for depending on the episode you're listening to.
But yeah, these two songs, Elasti-Girl and Chill, I will talk about them as I said later
on and I will explain to you guys why I love them so much.
I mean, not to say I don't like other songs from the album, but these two are my favorites
as of now.
(03:34):
Granted, I only listened to the album, well, the past few days because it came out literally
on Friday.
So I didn't have much time to like, you know, properly let it marinate with me.
So yeah, now these will be talked, oh, you know, I'll address them later, but I have
another song, well, I have three songs to be fair, I don't want to talk about.
(03:56):
First one is Reprogram by Keel Kish.
If you know anything about Keel Kish, I guess you would know why this song is very cool
and very like unique.
It's very much Keel Kish's own like sound, I guess.
I mean, she does make very, I guess I would say like synth pop is her main thing, like
(04:19):
old synth pop, like early 2000 synth pop, like 2010s I guess as well.
But just very synthy, very unusual type of production.
Very old school, I guess, but very cool.
And I cannot explain about Keel Kish as her own sound, I guess.
(04:42):
And this sounds like a Keel Kish song, of course, like very, very cool, very unique
and you know, unique to her own style and all that.
So I recommend listening to this.
I cannot explain much about it, but lyrics very, you know, poignant and interesting and
daring, I guess, and very cool production, very experimental.
(05:04):
So a lot of cool stuff, a lot of cool stuff.
So I really recommend listening to this one.
It's very, very cool, very, very interesting.
And maybe just also explore a bit more.
Oh shit, a bit more that the emails, a little bit more of the Keel Kish productions, I guess,
(05:25):
like more songs by her.
They're all very interesting.
Just go have a listen, you know.
Yeah, then next I want to talk about Butterflies by Hearts to Hearts.
And this is a song by a new group that just debuted under SM Entertainment in K-pop.
(05:49):
And I guess, like, I really enjoyed also their title track, which is called Jaze, produced
by the way by Flo, the British group.
Incredible stuff.
I would say this second song that was in the single EP is my favorite song out of the two.
It's just so, you know, perfectly R&B.
(06:12):
It just is that SM R&B song.
It has a bit of like typical R&B love ballad type of production, but also has a lot of
strings and a lot of interesting vocal melodies and very catchy sounds.
And just the delivery by the girls, who are by the way all so young, like I think average
(06:35):
age is like what?
14, 15, something like that.
So yeah, scary stuff.
But this song is just incredible, like incredible vocals, incredible melodies and production
as well.
The Jaze is also very good.
(06:55):
I would also recommend maybe listening to that, but Butterflies to me is the better
song in there.
It's just so good.
I have been obsessed with it.
I've been listening to it nonstop.
Just very whimsical and very like, you know, I guess Butterflies is actually a very good,
you know, it matches the production of the song, the name of it.
(07:16):
So I'm impressed.
I'm very much impressed.
I'm very much impressed.
Slay.
So that's that.
It reminds me also, by the way, well, the group in general, the project, like, you know,
the concept itself is more like new jeans, unfortunately, not unfortunately, but you
(07:36):
know, it seems like every group is getting that aesthetic.
Sound wise, I'm not saying that they are coming new jeans at all, but the visuals are very
much like, you know, clean girl, girl next door, clean girl aesthetic, you know, that
kind of vibe, which is very new jeans, new jeans adjacent, like, you know, long hair,
(08:00):
all, you know, in a quote unquote natural makeup and all that stuff, you know, there's
no K-pop in this about this at all.
So yeah, but it's very cool.
The visuals are incredible in terms of that, like just the editing and everything.
And the song itself and the two songs are like very unique to SM, of course, and to
(08:23):
the group.
So I'm excited about that and cannot wait to find out what more, you know, what they
have in store for us later on.
So yeah, Slay.
Then next and last song, I guess.
It's also like K-pop R&B maybe, but it's like completely different.
(08:45):
It's like very experimental, to be fair.
Well, the beginning of the song, I think the chorus and like the production of the chorus
is what makes it very experimental.
It's just very interesting and very unusual, but it is a K-pop R&B song after all.
And it's just very cool, very cutesy, very well, cutesy in the verses, but then it gets
very like interesting in the bass line in a chorus, like very interesting production.
(09:07):
And it's called Messy Room by Da Deep.
And I'm very familiar with the deep per se.
I think I do have another song saved, which is a collab between the deep and other artists
that I follow.
But apart from that, this is the first solo song that I think I have saved from the deep.
So very cool stuff, very cool stuff.
(09:29):
So yeah, I'm giving y'all a very good, well-rounded, I guess, roster of songs.
So just give it a go.
Just like, you know, it's just five songs for the beginning of this month.
So just give it a go.
I think you're going to find something that you really enjoy, hopefully.
(09:49):
But I personally enjoy this song so much.
So I'm so, you know, so in awe of like how many good songs like female artists are coming
up with.
Just the girls are always like, you know, very hungry and very diverse and very, you
know, much about the performance of it all as well.
So and that's what the boy groups and the male artists are also missing is that willingness
(10:15):
to get into a variety of performances and different sounds and be a bit more daring
in their production, I guess.
Like just, you know, surprise us, you know, don't do the same shit.
It sounds so mad, but I think that's the problem why so many male artists are not really thriving
(10:35):
at all is that, you know, neither stick to the same fucking thing or they just try different
cosplays of other male artists, I guess.
So there's nothing really fresh about these people.
There's nothing very unique about any of the male artists that are like out and about right
(10:56):
now.
So yeah, boys learn this thing.
But anyways, I get into the topic.
The two albums in question, So Close to White and Alter Ego came literally came out literally
like one week apart, I think.
And they are released by two artists who are under sort of, I guess, like the bigger umbrella
(11:19):
of RCA records.
So that's a big label.
But I think some of these things are important to keep in mind, which may explain why Alisa
and her direction and the soundscapes of these two albums are quite similar, in my opinion.
Maybe it's like, you know, a stylistic choice of the label or like a direction that the
label wants their artists to go into and maybe they're trying to set this new direction for
(11:46):
also pop music in general.
So interesting.
But I think there's also a lot to be said in terms of the similarities between the two
types of artists.
They're very similar in terms of like why they are, I guess, marketed as.
They're two very, very excellent performers, first and foremost, I would say.
(12:08):
And therefore, I guess, also the selection, I guess you could you could have in terms
of songs, not to say that they are limited, they cannot do other types of songs, but their
forte, I guess, comes down to performance type of songs, I guess, like performative
songs, like songs that you can actually perform and especially like, you know, dance to, you
(12:29):
know.
So that also was keeping that in mind.
I was like, well, they are actually very interesting, you know, very similar artists in what they
do.
I mean, Lisa is a bit more, I guess, diverse in terms of skill set.
She's not necessarily like the strongest vocalist, but she's a decent vocalist, very good dancer,
(12:50):
good rapper as well, and just, you know, charisma to the max.
So that's one thing.
But Tatey is also very, very skilled, I think, vocally, and she has a very signature type
of like vocal tone.
And of course, she's one of the best dancers ever.
(13:12):
And so they are very similar, you know, vibes in that sense.
But I think it goes a bit beyond that, though, because you could literally, you know, make
other types of like pop songs and still perform your ass off to, I guess.
But I think the vibes specifically they're going for are both interestingly similar.
(13:32):
Now I want to start off with like, oh, so close to water, I guess, because it came out
first.
So my journey with that is that when it first came out, I listened to the album and I was
captivated just by a couple of songs.
I thought when somehow I still think that the album is has very strong moments, like
in terms of some very strong songs.
(13:54):
But overall, I think while being very cohesive in terms of soundscape, the songs are somewhat
some of them are somewhat forgettable.
I think the first half of the album is actually really, really good in terms of run.
Like we have like Miss Possessive opening, then Two Hands, Roving Door, Blond in My Hands,
(14:15):
Dear God, Purple Lace Bras, Sports Car, like a little sports car locked in.
Then there's like some decent songs, of course.
It's OK, My Game is also down there a bit.
No I'm Not In Love is also a cute song.
And then we have, you know, Greenlight, Nostalgia and all that stuff.
But I think the first half of the album is very, very good.
(14:38):
And then we start getting a bit into more forgettable territory, I guess, with some
of them.
But overall, the album is performing really well.
I think it sold as of now, 177k copies in between, you know, physical and streaming sales, you
know, streaming numbers, I guess.
(15:00):
So it is projected to debut as the number one album on Billboard.
So that's incredible without having even one number 10 hit in that sense out of this album.
So that's how I guess a big teller of how much people are interested in Tamei Cray in
general as an artist, I guess.
(15:21):
So the album is doing well.
The girl is going to be fine.
So is it the strongest album that she could have made?
Probably not.
But there are some incredible moments, I guess.
And also sports card to me is the song Little Year already.
Like I've screened it so many fucking times.
It's my number one song already.
So I can complain personally because she gave us that song specifically.
(15:46):
But there are also so many moments.
I love Purple, purple, purple, purple lace bra.
Oh, I forget the fuck it's wrong with me.
Purple lace bra.
I love Dear God.
I love Revolving Door.
They're all very interesting songs.
I love Greenlight personally.
Underrated, but cool song.
So yeah.
But I think the soundscape of it all in the album is a continuation of Think Later in
(16:11):
some aspects.
While there are less ballads per se, there are more like, you know, heavy hitters here,
like more like, even though they're all very similar in production, I guess, like very
cohesive, there's less room for like, you know, more slow songs and ballads than Think
(16:32):
Later, but it's still like in the same soundscape.
It's very much, to me, it's like a very similar type of album, I guess.
But the influence is clear, you know, from the beginning, like Miss Possessive is very
hip-hop, I guess, in terms of what they're giving us, very hip-hop, very trap, but also
(16:52):
a lot of like, old 2000s music, I guess, is also informing this album, I guess.
We have Timbaland productions types, I guess.
We have a bit of promiscuous in Dear God.
We have a bit of, you know, the Pussycat Dolls and like, Bernie Spears in the Zone with Sportscar
(17:12):
and No, I'm Not in Love.
And yeah, there's also, I would venture to say a bit of, well, I think the main vibe
basically is like early 2000s pop and hip-hop, both contemporary and modern, like modern
and, you know, sorry, modern and like, you know, 2000s, I guess, hip-hop a bit.
(17:34):
But to me, it makes sense because it's like, you know, part of what also made Think Later
a bit more of a success compared to like, you know, other previous albums and then I
guess it was only natural for her to progress with that, so close to what.
So it's like...
In terms of like the main tenets of the albums, I think the album is like very much in, well,
(17:59):
overall there are like a lot of like love songs per se, but they're also filtered through
this like character that is the Miss Possessive type of girl.
And I think personally Miss Possessive would have been a great, I've seen it on Twitter
as well, but it would have been a great album title for this project because it does explain
the central tenets of the album itself.
Like it is about this girl who's like very much cold-hearted and like very, you know,
(18:25):
it girl type of person, like very prima donna, very, you know, confident type of person and
it's also very, you know, sensual and possessive and when it comes to the love songs, you can
also see a bit of that.
But yeah, so the main tenets are like, you know, confidence and sensuality and just,
(18:46):
you know, a bit of like love songs as well.
But yeah, overall a very sultry album as well.
There are some deeper cuts like Greenlight as I said and you know, like Nostalgia I guess
as well.
(19:08):
But yeah, like very cool stuff, very cool stuff.
I think she's definitely taking inspiration from the Britney's etc.
So yeah.
Now turning to Lisa's album, I was so pleasantly surprised by this album, not even kidding
because I think that the singles were, I don't want to say a mix back, but they were all
(19:32):
in different areas as she was trying I guess like showcase her versatility which is noted.
And out of the singles I would say Rockstar really grew me a lot and I think it's one
of the best songs on the album as well.
It fits very well with the album.
I love New Woman in terms of production and everything.
I think it also fits.
Moonlit Floor, I don't know man, like I don't think it does fit with the album at all and
(19:58):
I think it's the weaker one of the singles and then she released also Fuck Up the World
with, well the album version is with Future as well but she released that as the single
with the album and it's very very much in Lisa's alley.
(20:20):
But what I want to say basically is that the album itself, so so good.
Like melody wise, they're all very memorable songs, very performative songs, they're all
very very catchy, very memorable and there's a lot of, also here, a lot of inspiration.
(20:40):
God, what happened there?
But there's a lot of like you know, a big influence I guess coming from also the early
2000s and a lot of like you know Soul Tree, Pussycat Dolls type of like you know, I don't
want to say Eastern but top of productions as well, like Elasti-Girl and a bit of Bad
(21:03):
Girl as well but overall it does seem to me very similar in terms of inspiration as well.
Like to me for example Thunder could be on So Close to What and you know, it does seem
like a very Taemin-like type of song but also you know, that type of vibe that Taemin
(21:25):
is currently going for.
Same thing with Chill for example.
Chill sounds like also a song that is very much inspired by the you know Timbaland and
the Pussycat Dolls and all that stuff and it could be swapped in you know, So Close
to What.
But Chill, as I said, and like Thunder for example, they're all Elasti-Girl and all that,
(21:47):
they're all very interesting songs.
I think especially with the lyrics and the concepts are very cool.
They're all about the same stuff though.
I think the main topic of the album is also very much similar to what So Close to What
is but there are less songs about love, there are more, most of the songs are about like
you know herself and her confidence and her it girl behaviour as well though.
(22:12):
I think it's a very confident album as well, very similar, very you know, conti type of
lyrics and production.
So but Rockstar for example, Elasti-Girl, you know, Fuck Up the World, Rapunzel, Batgirl,
Lifestyle, you know they're all about the same concept I guess.
(22:36):
So that's the interesting part.
But yeah, like Elasti-Girl is such an interesting metaphor I guess.
She's so flexible and she's such a good performer, basically that's the topic of the song.
And using Elasti-Girl as you know, she's Miss Incredible and I say she's referencing also
Miss Incredible from the Fantastic Four.
Genius, so fucking cool.
(22:57):
Rapunzel as well, very cool stuff.
You know, hair down like Rapunzel, like bundles and all that stuff, like period.
Cool stuff.
Fuck Up the World is also so incredibly interesting.
I think it's like you know about, what is it, like you know, her basically performing
(23:19):
her ass off and making the world all look at her and she did girl, that's what it is.
So, honestly.
I love the line where I think she said in, I think it's a bridge, well she said it's
like if you want to listen to my old shit go listen to, you know, if you want the old
Lisa back go listen to my old shit or something like that.
Very cool stuff.
(23:39):
So, yeah, like I think most of the songs here are very memorable and that's what really
interested me the most.
Like I was not, like overall I think it's like more memorable in terms of songs but
I would say it's less, and yeah, and also I think it showcases her versatility a lot,
(24:00):
you know, a lot more.
In this album, like in some songs she both raps and sings and for example with the Tyler
collab When I'm With You, she takes over the rapping while Tyler takes over the singing
or with the Rapunzel one, she does rap a bit I guess but she mostly sings and leaves Megan
DeSalihan to rap and carry I guess.
(24:22):
So cool.
And then she shows off of course her rapping skills in Fuck Up the World as well so she
does have a bit of everything in all of them so just incredible.
I think it's just the perfect debut full length album because it does show a lot of what she
can do I guess.
I would take out Moli for from this because it's just, I don't know, like I don't think
(24:49):
sound wise also if it fits with the album maybe but I like Dream as well for example.
Dream was a good addition to this but still in the same soundscape but again here I can
see a lot of influence coming from the early 2000s and the hip hop scenario I guess.
(25:10):
And also I guess the concept of the two albums I guess are very similar.
So I mean there are some differences I guess in the way these two artists perform in general
and the singing and all that stuff but you can make a case about most of the songs on
(25:31):
Alter Ego that could be swapped with So Close to Adam and vice versa I guess so like Thunder
could be swapped easily with I don't know Purple Lace Bra as well or Dear God.
Like Tamek Ray could easily sing Chill which is also one of my favorite songs of course.
Chill is very much you know like that Timbaland production.
(25:55):
So yeah Elastic One is more like that sultry eastern type of production like Middle Eastern
type of production very cool.
I do want to say however like there is one like Fuck Up The World for example is very
like hip hop in that sense but it reminds me so much of also Y a song that could be
(26:19):
easily a song like Blackpink in general sings.
That probably is the only song that I wouldn't fit I think on Think Later.
Sorry So Close To Y but yeah.
And I guess another outlier on this album is for example Born Again because it's more
like disco-y I guess 80s which I don't know maybe doesn't also fit with the album but
(26:39):
I suspect it was added because of the features Doja and Ray but yeah.
I would say So Close To Y is more cohesive in terms of overall production but Alter Ego
has more memorable highs and more memorable songs and catchier hooks and all that stuff
(27:02):
so yeah.
But yeah now again maybe it could be that RCA wants this to be direction that all the
pop girls are gonna go in for 2025 or like they're trying to lead the conversation because
these two albums literally came out they're the bigger I guess the openers for 2025 in
terms of pop moments.
(27:25):
But again it's interesting it's interesting maybe this will be a big moment for 2025 in
terms of what's the inspiration and it seems like we are getting into that type of like
early 2000 Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls type of performances and production so and
I'm not mad at it because that is my sound girl that is literally what I breathe.
(27:48):
But yeah like I hope you guys listen to both albums and give it a spin.
I still think overall Sports Car is the best song ever made.
I'm sorry but that's literally so fucking good.
I wish Tate went a bit more into that and like really focused on making more catchier
(28:10):
hooks and focused more on the I guess like you know taking the inspiration of course
but also making the songs a bit more memorable and more like honed in that sense and specific.
But I'm not mad at it like literally the first album the first half of the album of So Close
(28:35):
to What is pretty much skip-less but I think if I were to like want to listen to the entire
album I would choose Alter Ego if that makes any sense.
But yeah also the hit rhetoric going around around Lisa is just crazy I don't fucking
get it.
I do understand the Alter Ego promo that thing about her different versions that they're
(29:00):
all a bit cringy in terms of the way they are you know portrayed to the public like
I think it was a bit unnecessary like she could have maybe still done the Alter Ego
situation but without necessarily making a full profile for each alternate version of
Lisa like there's no need for that and also there's no need to have so many different
(29:21):
versions of her like come on.
But also this doesn't you know justify going into you know hating her specifically like
that doesn't make any sense and also the album is so fucking good that really I already forgot
about the whole discussion like I just am focused on the music and it's good so I am
satisfied with that.
(29:41):
I do want to make a video a video oh my god not again but I don't make an episode about
the Blackpink solos but I will probably do that once Jennie's album which comes out next
Friday comes out basically so I can have a full sweep of everything and maybe make a
bit of a case for each one of them and maybe crown the best song ever by Blackpink so yeah.
(30:06):
But anyways go listen to their albums have fun, slay the house down boots and maybe expect
an episode on the Oscars so yeah bye.
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