Song Review:: A.C.E.: Just Better

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  • Release date: 2024 September 28
  • Album tracklist: Just Better, Just Better (Inst.)

  • Album runtime: 6 minutes

 We got two singles this month! I put off doing this review because the last time I did one, I got the Jeonghan news. I'm aware that I was subconsciously trying to avoid the risk of more bad news because I absolutely am superstitious, but I attribute at least part of that to the fact that I've been an athlete since I was five and almost every athlete I've ever known has been weirdly superstitious. Except Jack. He didn't have any weird, little rituals. But, this is A.C.E. They have incredible voices and they deserve so much more recognition than they have. So here I am.

And this is an English track!

Not only is this an English track, but it reminds me of Avril Lavigne, specifically of Girlfriend and Sk8er Boi. Just Better is a less aggressive version of that. I'm also hearing strong shades of Teenage Dirtbag and I'm Just a Kid in the instrumentals, so it's very early 00s in tone. If I didn't know this wasn't a band band, I'd think they were a band from the sound. I pretty much only hear guitars like this from the bands I listen to, and I couldn't be happier.

Also, if I didn't know these guys were Korean, I'd think this was an American group from their accents. I noticed this at KCon LA. Their English speaking doesn't just have a solid vocabulary, but they also don't have a lot of Korean in their accents. They have western American English accents.  All of this to say, A.C.E. could be a North American band from the early 00s with this song. Their vocal tone matches so well. The lyrics again could be from a male version of Avril Lavigne. I just— Every time I listen to anything I haven't yet heard by them, I'm just wowed all over again by them. A.C.E. use their vocal adaptability to their advantage with the perfect rock growl in their voices present for this song that is absent in songs where that wouldn't be appropriate. And they still manage to harmonize beautifully during this song. I will never shut up about their voices. It's an actual problem that I have. I wish I could (not really though because their recordings are good, but nothing like what they're like live). Alas.

And I didn't hear about anything that could upset me so I can actually enjoy it in the future! Bonus for me!

That's a recording sketch and not a proper music video. But it's adorable. They look like they're just having fun together, and I love that for them.

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