Bugs Music
Review
Album Review: Hyngsn – New Teeth
Release: May 15, 2023
Label: Self-produced
Distributor: Poclanos
Genre: R&B
Score: 
An earnest piano and strings of varying gauge plink and glide their way down a bossa-nova tune, and Hyngsn sounds almost lazy as she breathes the album’s opening words: “Those particularly endless thoughts that I // Naturally put behind me, and only then my heart is like // A relaxed silence”. Though this intro track doesn’t resemble the rest of New Teeth sonically, its feel-good drowsy ease, and that lyric’s notion of release, do characterize this auspicious first full-length from Hyngsn.
Hyngsn has quietly built a nice discography since her debut EP Damdi (which landed as an Honorable Mention in our 2019 In Review), but it’d have been tough to call it a standout in the vast ocean of excellent R&B out there today. To cut to the chase: New Teeth is significantly better than Hyngsn’s previous EPs, and good enough that it does stand out. This is actually somewhat of a rarity, a full-length that appreciably raises the bar for an artist who already has a few albums out.
What changed? I think the biggest thing is simply that New Teeth has more interesting tracks. The album’s best tracks pose synths and electronics front and center: “Candyfloss” does it in a retro way with big electric-piano groove and cowbell-filled rhythm, while “Give Me Love” is powered by a wriggling bass melody that’s reminiscent of Sumin’s “Sparkling”. (It also happens to have a song titled “Sparkle”, perhaps the only track with a hint of urgency in its bouncy beat.) Both “Candyfloss” and “Give Me Love” live up to their title-track status with memorable melodies and patterns, something that the previous work didn’t always have. “Deeper” has this too, in a sweeping chorus that enunciates slowly but forcefully, albeit in a more analog style.
It’s worth noting that Hyngsn’s style doesn’t rely on vocal acrobatics or elevated intensity to create these interesting moments. Her singing is gentle and steady, making reliable use of the lower range and never flagging. The toplines are rolling and nuanced. Some songs like “Candyfloss” and “Dream” flow so conversationally that the choruses seem to blend into the arrangement; in “It’s Our Time”, another highlight retro track, the chorus actually shifts down in pitch from the prechorus and glides along tastefully. I will say the middle of the album does drag on a bit from how long the steady and nondescript ambience lasts, but the album has a supported, grounded feel thanks to this approach. It’s like if Hoody sang Boni’s Love, this intentional eschewing of dramatic performance.
This is also part of that aforementioned senses of ease and release that New Teeth tries to achieve. An assured confidence permeates this album’s performances and also its writing, as Hyngsn whispers that “You can put it all down // Don’t have to worry about anything” (“Candyfloss”), ruminates on love that can’t be controlled and is better left to flow (“Give Me Love”), and celebrates the resilience of our lives (“It’s Our Time”). When she sings about love, it’s consuming and knowing and knees-buckling; when she looks into herself, it’s balanced and secure. Even “Dream” – when the album comes closest to unresolved vulnerability – is colored with a poetic polish. This consistency of voice makes New Teeth that much more persuasive.
At the same time, to the listener at least, this narrative of New Teeth isn’t the most compelling. That’s not to say the album needs an arbitrary conflict or forced story, when it’s clearly not about that. But as an album that’s a collection of vignettes, New Teeth doesn’t quite have the exquisite quality of writing or consistently excellent sounds (as opposed to individual moments and tracks) that would truly elevate it to the next level. It’s a problem faced by any album of this type, and one that Hyngsn doesn’t completely overcome; but the cohesiveness of its tone and the sparks of brilliance make New Teeth well worth the listen.
Tracklist (recommended tracks in bold)
- 정적 (Silence)
Written by Hyngsn; composed by Gr3n, Hyngsn; arranged by Gr3n - Candyfloss
Written by Hyngsn; composed and arranged by Edaich, Hyngsn - Give Me Love
Written by Hyngsn; composed by A_bloom, Hyngsn; arranged by A_bloom - 냄새 (Smell)
Written by Hyngsn; composed by Gr3n, Hyngsn; arranged by Gr3n - I Gotta Go (Feat. Odee)
Written by Hyngsn, Odee, Lym En, Dahee; composed by Yunu, Hyngsn; arranged by Yunu - 톡톡 (Sparkle)
Written by Hyngsn; composed by A_bloom, Hyngsn; arranged by A_bloom - 꿈 (Dream)
Written by Hyngsn; composed by A_bloom, Hyngsn; arranged by A_bloom - Deeper
Written by Hyngsn; composed by Gr3n, Hyngsn; arranged by Gr3n - It’s Our Time
Written by Hyngsn; composed by Edaich, Hyngsn; arranged by Edaich
Album cover images from Bugs Music. Lyric translations by author (jungbae@hellokpop.com).
Spotify link: New Teeth
