Release Date: May 8, 2024
Track Listing
- S
- Girls Never Die
- Heart Raider
- Midnight Flower
- White Soul Sneakers
- Chiyu
- 24
- Beyond the Beyond
- Non Scale
- Dimension
Review
tripleS is a 24-member Korean girl group under the MODHAUS agency. It is a decentralized idol group whose members rotate between the central unit, sub-units, and solo activities.
They last released a whole group album in February 2023 with their debut EP, Assemble. Back then, they were only ten members deep. Over a year later, they have 14 more members and a new full-length album that you could say was two years in the making, Assemble 24.
In my review of Assemble, I said that those getting into this group only had a small number of members to learn about. Well, now you have an entire school field trip of members to memorize.
Those who came from the Japanese side of pop music and were or are still fans of the large idol conglomerates in Japan will have no problem getting to know 24 members. However, I can see how it can be daunting for even the most ardent K-pop girl group fan to stan this group and wonder how they will sort through all the members and pick their biases and such.
That’s for you to figure out. I recommend chronologically watching the Signal playlist on their YouTube channel; it greatly helps. It’s okay not to know who the members of this group are to enjoy their music, but it’s a bonus if you do.
Anyway, let’s get to the music on Assemble 24. Minus the tracks that bookend the album (S and Dimension), you get eight new songs to absorb. So, one more song than their debut Assemble.
Assemble 24‘s first full-length song is the album’s title track, Girls Never Die. It is a song that has all the hallmarks of a tripleS song, including the “LA LA’s” and the funky Hip-Pop instrumental. What differentiates Girls Never Die from other tripleS title tracks is that it has a bite to it with the empowering lyrics and the darker imagery in its music video.
Those into Japanese idols can think of the emo Keyakizaka46 era for a simple but not exact comparison of the type of theme Girls Never Die is going for.
The other promotional song from Assemble 24 is Non Scale. Its bright, girl-pop feel is the opposite of the title track. While this is familiar territory for tripleS, it’s also not a well they go to that often. So it’s nice to know they can bust out something for those who like the flowery songs.
The remaining six songs are a cross between Urban Pop and Dance Pop, and if you are familiar with tripleS’ material up to the release of this album, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect.
What stood out the most to me from this batch were Midnight Flower, Chiyu and 24. Chiyu, in particular, caught my attention as it is very relaxing compared to the rest of the songs on this album, which are more frantic.
An honourable mention will go to Dimension, a staple song in previous tripleS releases. The version on Assemble 24 has influences from New Jack Swing and Y2K-era R&B/Pop, making it one of the more unique renditions of the song.
Given tripleS’ track record, it was expected that they would deliver something enjoyable when they reached their final form. Assemble 24 is a great album that will satisfy their long-time followers and catch the ears of casual listeners.
