Taeyeon - "To. X" MV Review (+ a short mini album review)

Kim Taeyeon is the leader of Girls' Generation who debuted solo with "I" on October 7, 2015. "To. X" is the title track and lead single from her 5th mini album also titled To. X.

"To. X"

This song took me by surprise as I thought from the teasers that it was going to be more chill, like a coffee shop song. 

The song starts with a guitar riff that greatly accompanies Taeyeon's voice throughout and is quite catchy, to me it feels like the faster-paced cousin of "Rain", which is my 2nd favorite Taeyeon solo ("INVU" is first place).

The MV is great; I loved all the upside-down shots, especially the one at 2:26 with Taeyeon looking at the projection of an upside-down city, but my favorite shot, the one that takes the cake, is the one at 2:00 where Taeyeon is seen walking in something like a Praxinoscope (?). 

In the music video, Taeyeon is shown as having a controlling and narcissistic boyfriend and noticing that the relationship is bad for her, so she metaphorically burns the house (the relationship) down. 

There is a blue crystal bead curtain that reminds me a bit of Taeyeon's "Rain" performance at the MAMA's, although in that live performance, they are blue LED strips.

Style-wise I'm a big fan of dark-haired Taeyeon, who looks great in this MV. 

My favorite look is the one with the light blue dress, I love the details on the straps of that dress and I also liked the outfit with the leather jacket and green skirt, but I don't like the red heels too much.

Rating

Song – 10/10

MV – 10/10

Style – 8/10

Upside Down Shots – 10/10

Overall Rating – 10/10

Song Credits

Release Date: November 27, 2023.

Length: 2 min 50 sec.

Lyrics by: Kenzie.

Music by: Stephen Puth, Dazy, and Kristin Carpenter.

Arrangement by: Stephen Puth and Dazy.

MV Directed by: EEHOSOO (cpebq)

"Melt Away"

Length: 3:16.

Lyrics: Kang Eun-Jeong.

Music: Kevin Wolfsohn, Paul Goller, Zara Larsson, Luke Andrew Grieve,

Shakka Malcolm Philip, Abby-Lynn Keen, and TMM.

Arrangement: The Elements.

The guitar riffs of "Melt Away" are phenomenal; I love them. I also love Taeyeon's falsetto during the chorus.
Although the song is R&B, the instrumental at the intro and outro reminds me more of a Bossa Nova song...

Rating – 9/10

"Burn It Down"

Length: 2:50.

Lyrics: Lee O-Neul.

Music: Sibel Redžep.

Arrangement: Gustav Blomberg.

The guitar of "Burn Away" is also great. I love the harmonies in the background and Taeyeon's cadence (? during the pre-chorus.

Rating – 9/10

"Nightmare"

Length: 2:55.

Lyrics: Hanroro.

Music: Celine Svanbäck, Jeppe London Bilsby, Lauritz Emil Christiansen, and Svea Kågemark.

Arrangement: Jeppe London Bilsby and Lauritz Emil Christiansen.

I found "Nightmare" to be slightly boring, but as the previous songs the guitar sounds fantastic.

Rating – 8/10

"All for Nothing"

Length: 3:10.

Lyrics: Taeyeon and Hwang Yu-Bin.

Music: Mike Robinson, Sarah Troy, and Thomas Daniel.

Arrangement: Mike Robinson.

"All for Nothing" sounds like a sad dream. I can totally imagine it being perfect for a Kdrama OST, not as the "main" ballad, but more as the type of song that appears when the protagonist is melancholic...

Rating – 9/10

"Fabulous"

Length: 2:51.

Lyrics: Rachel Kanner and Sammie Gee.

Music: Rachel Kanner, Sammie Gee, Mich Hansen, Jacob Uchorczak, and Oliver McEwan.

Arrangement: Mich Hansen and Ubizz.

After "To. X," "Fabulous" is my favorite song of this mini album; it's such a charming song.
I love how Taeyeon says "She's so bad, but she's classy."

Rating – 10/10

Final Thoughts

To. X is a great conceptual mini album that tells the story of the breakdown of a relationship and it's aftermath. 

To be sincere, at first, I didn't really understand how "Fabulous" fitted with the rest of To. X, but now I think that the song portrays how Taeyeon's character ended up becoming a narcissist herself. -I might have misunderstood the meaning of the song, though 😅-

Overall To. X Rating – 9/10

Photo source: SM Ent.

*The song credits are taken from To. X Wikipedia*