[subtitles by twitter @angelade17]
RAFFI: OOH she said DESSERT! (SAM: Okay!)
[Rossini's Semiramide overture plays]
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OWEN: Let's get to reacting now!
UMU: You are now reacting to Hyoyeon of Girls Generation as her solo alter ego DJ HYO,
UMU: and her 2020 release "Dessert". (CLOUD: DJ HYO!) UMU: DJ HYO!
UMU: The music video shows off her dancing power since she's the main dancer of Girls Generation,
and some of the desserts featured in the music video are jewel-studded, perhaps relating to the metaphorical meaning of dessert as a reward.
But the song's main hook, [singing] "You know what I deserve? Dessert" could also mean she's just, you know, hungry.
UMU: Yeah I tried, do you like that attitude? (KEVIN: Yes, it was good.) It's a little hint at what's to come.
UMU: But some fans do theorize that the song could maybe be referring to the reward which HYO feels she deserves after working hard in the K-pop industry everyday for over 10 years as a member of Girls Generation.
Even if this experience in particular is not what HYO is referencing, she believes that she deserves more than what she gets.
Most likely based on the fact that she works VERY hard, as said in the lyrics "24 hours is not enough everyday / No time to spare at all".
This song also features 2 other Korean artists,
the K-hip-hop artist Loopy, and the leader of the girl group (G)I-DLE Soyeon.
The song is composed by Moonshine, Celine Helgemo, Tooji Sakutan, HYO, Loopy, and Soyeon.
UMU: Let's go! HENRY: Ice cream sundae!
BRIANNA: Oh!
OWEN: That's quite the transition.
KEVIN: Or lack thereof.
RAFFI: I like when the voice is like percussive (SAM: Yeah.), you know like they edit it, it's like...
RAFFI: Ooh! She said DESSERT! (SAM: Okay, yes!
RAFFI: Yes you do, take it. SAM: That's right.
KEVIN: It's a drop that doesn't feel like it's- the song is relying on it, which I like.
It's just part of the journey.
RAFAEL: I like that hook.
SAM: Ooh, that's a voice I have not heard.
BRIANNA: Oh!
SAM: Oh wow, they're- the fact they're like octavating their speaking voices is VERY interesting.
LEON: Mmm.
KEVIN: This has such a weird section.
KEVIN: I feel success of the drop is also because of the pre-chorus. OWEN: Has to do with that section. KEVIN: Yeah.
SAM: Her singing voice is so similar to her speaking voice, I just realized.
RAFFI: It's really appealng. SAM: Yeah.
RAFFI: It's very appealing. SAM: Yeah.
RAFFI: Easy on the ears. SAM: Very easy on the ears.
CLOUD: Chromaticism, who?
OWEN: Wow.. KEVIN: Woah, it kind of goes off-beat.
OWEN: They got some 4 over 3 polyrhythm going on there, that's pretty cool. (KEVIN: Yeah yeah.)
KEVIN: Whoo!
KEVIN: I like the very hollow sounding *imitates beat*
BRIANNA: I love me some honey butter too, so I know what she's talking about. Mhmm.
BRIANNA: Oh! *sings*
JAMAL: In the club!
SAM: Wooow.
BRIANNA: Oh... (UMU: Yeah!) BRIANNA: That was cute!
CLOUD: Was it doing Phrygian?
(BRIANNA: *sings* It was like-) UMU: I think it's Phrygian, but then the *sings* is Mixolydian.
CLOUD: That was, that was cool. 10 out of 10 would listen to again.
UMU: So that song seemed to be quite a lot about timbre. What- do you want to continue on what you guys started commenting on during the song?
RAFFI: Yeah I think- um, it was an interesting comment that the tone of voice is the same, like when speaking or singing.
I think that part of that comes from the collapse of the soft palette,
so when you hear like opera singers and people who like have a really spacious sound, it's because they're creating that space.
But um, I like the authenticity in her sound, 'cause she doesn't do that.
So you might- you could say it's like nasal, a little more nasal, or just that like collapsed soft palette.
And it's, it makes for a very speech-like thing.
And it- very direct communication, I think you'd use it if you're being direct about what you're saying.
SAM: I think it's also really interesting, I want to mention how when they were doing the octave up- doing octaves over their speech,
You don't really think about how when like two people are saying the same things at the same time, if they're sort of dissonant or if they're-
You- you just hear that and you say, "Oh, two people are just speaking at the same time."
But when you have that really locked in octaves as you speak,
that's something that really jumps out to you because you just don't hear it very often in normal everyday commonplace like, conversation.
So that's something that I think is really interesting to note.
RAFFI: And it takes a lot of effort, 'cause we- like that's what we call like intoning the text (SAM: Yeah.), when we're working like with a text.
So it's not just like speaking it, but [intoning] speaking it in an evenly distributed tone.
RAFFI: It, it takes a lot of effort, so they deserve dessert. I'm-a keep saying that. SAM: They deserve the dessert!
JAMAL: I thought it was interesting like, the confidence that she had.
And just the fact that like she's like leading in the dancing and shit, I dunno I got like Beyonce vibe.
BRIANNA: Join the formation!
JAMAL: Not necessarily like what the exact music was, but just like the vibe and the presence just gave me like- UMU: Queen vibes.
JAMAL: Yeah yeah yeah, like queen vibes, like dessert, getting what I deserve.
RAFAEL: I thought the song overall, while it didn't go many places, I thought the fact that it didn't was a good thing.
RAFAEL: Yeah I thought that was a good thing, it kind of like stayed on this one good vibe, um- JAMAL: Good vibes!
RAFAEL: I think if a piece doesn't go many places, if it's a well enough written piece it doesn't matter (JAMAL: It has a good vibe!) in this-
JAMAL: And this has a good vibe. RAFAEL: ...Correct.
UMU: You finish each other's... JAMAL: Sentences! RAFAEL: Sandwiches.
*sad violin music plays*
JAMAL: NOT sandwiches, I don't make any sandwiches shit, I don't even make myself sandwiches.
CHARLOTTE: It got better when she hit the dance break. After that, better.
But yeah, that's about all I can say about it.
HENRY: I didn't feel like there was a lot of build-up like, tension release in this. (CHARLOTTE: Yeah.)
HENRY: Even for like a dance song, like there's gotta be that sort of suspense, it's gotta keep you tight somehow.
There was some good sounds, but it just didn't really feel like it had a lot of direction, which is so pompous of me to say without giving like, backing up what I mean.
But you know, I have to trust my ears, and definitely how I felt about it. 'Cause that- I mean, other listeners will react to it honestly too.
UMU: Right, what about- what about the dance breaks make it more successful?
CHARLOTTE: I think she just changes the instrumentation that's back- in the backtrack yeah. (HENRY: Interesting.)
(HENRY: Yeah it's like "Ooh, that's something new.") CHARLOTTE: It just becomes more interesting. Because we've been listening to the same thing over and over and over again.
CHARLOTTE: And it's like "Okay, are we doing it again?" And it's like "Oh just kidding, no we're not, here's a dance break." And I was like "Cool".
And then it started adding some other things in the final chorus too.
UMU: It's so interesting because some of the other reactors didn't like the first half of the song but loved the last drop because of the changes, and then for you guys it's the opposite.
OWEN: I feel like it, the other two had that- that just amount of like, your faces said it best.
KEVIN: Yeah, *stank face* (OWEN: And that- yeah exactly.)
KEVIN: And the very strange body movement that I must have been doing.
OWEN: Yeah, so that intowards is what the first drop had, and then the second- the last drop just didn't have it.
KEVIN: Yeah I can try to explain it. Because right before the last drop, she re-introduced the beginning material.
You know, the all- the food montage, all the marshmallow, mango juice and stuff. It was very vivid.
And the second time she said it, I- I imagined it even stronger than the first time. There's just so many waffles and stuff, I'm like woah!
And then I- I was getting lulled into that feeling of familiarity, like "Oh yeah we've heard this already."
Yeah I kinda needed something equally jarring as that first drop to almost make me realize that this is new material.
KEVIN: Like when the- when the drop start, I didn't even realize like there was a drop. OWEN: Yeah.
KEVIN: It was- it was kinda just like "Oh I'm still digesting the fact that the first section repeated", and then I'm like "Oh this is new material!"
And then my brain thought "It's cool that she's doing new material, and it's actually kind of a nice ending, but yeah it's not the same as the, the early drop."
OWEN: And the- the pre-drop is definitely, that's the magic in it. That's what makes you like really get into it. (KEVIN: Yeah, yeah.)
OWEN: Um I think that's the, that the biggest thing is like the-
I mean in music in general, like the penultimate is what makes the last thing matter in almost every case. It's how you set it up.
And I think uh the, like the weird space that you get in before the drop, and how the percussion like leads there, and it's like "Not yet."
And it leads, and it's not yet. But then it brings it in, and it's so satisfying. I think that's what makes it so effective.
CLOUD: I like that it's kinda vague. I feel like if I was listening to a Cardi B song and she was being like "You know what I deserve? Dessert."
I'd be like, she wants some sex, like she's embracing her sexuality, she's also talking about like wanting her equal share of pay.
And like I don't know how much they're embracing all of that, but I'm here for it.
'Cause I'm like, they're like "I want dessert" and then they're like dancing,
I'm like okay, they want like empowerment, they want what they're due, if they want like sex, like sure!
Embrace your sexuality, you're allowed to do that, like that's fine! I thought it was great.
CLOUD: I was like yay for female empowerment! Get that dessert! (BRIANNA: I thought she was just hungry. I just thought she was hungry)
CLOUD: Dude that's the other thing, I'm like sometimes you're hungry and I just freaking want waffles. That's where we're at. (BRIANNA: I was just like, if you're just gonna eat. If you want a burger, eat a burger.)
STEPHANIE: That was interesting, woah. UMU: What was interesting about it?
STEPHANIE: I usually don't really like rap music in general, and then this one honestly like the "You know what I deserve? Dessert",
It's cool that it's kind of like I guess rhyming, that deserve and dessert, you know play on the words.
And I thought usually just rap is just like words, um but in this one there was some melodic elements to that part,
so that felt like it was kind of, it felt- that sounded fresh and kinda unique to me.
And yeah, I was gonna say more but you can go. I'll probably come-
UMU: Your turn? LEON: I'm speechless. I'm totally speech- this, this production is amazing!
LEON: It's like, I was so startled, like oh my god!
It's like watching Cory Henry shred on Lingus! It's amazing!
Oh like, like- I love the second chorus the most.
That thing, like you know the like, the out of tune, the de-tuned, like the sparkling kind of like percussion instrument,
but I don't know how they did it, it's just out of this planet.
Yeah that's like totally different level than other K-pop music.
Usually when I hear K-pop I can somehow reference some songs from the Western music.
Like oh this synth sounds like Martin Garrix something something.
But this one is like completely new, especially like yeah the- the 2:10 over there, that place.
Like the, the half-step detuned and sparkling thing. This is my first time hearing such a new sound.
KEVIN: Excuse me???
Oh.
OWEN: What's that for? KEVIN: I had broccoli at home and I had to cook it,
so I made a one-time alarm but it's going off every day now.
KEVIN: Broccoli time, I just have a broccoli time alarm. (OWEN: Broccoli time!)