What's on My Speakers: Rain Sounds and K-Pop

I have two sets of speakers set up in the home office—one for listening while I work and one for playing rain sounds while I sleep.

May 05, 2024

What’s on My Speakers is what’s coming through my speakers when I’m cooking, resting, writing, working, and just existing in general. Music and sound are a huge part of my life, and they deserve more attention than I usually give them.

I have two sets of speakers set up in the home office—one for listening while I work and one for playing rain sounds while I sleep. That speaker also goes with me to the kitchen when I’m cooking, and it also traveled with me to The Broadmoor for the work retreat I attended last month. That’s why I bought that Bluetooth speaker in the first place. I also have two sets of rechargeable Bluetooth wireless earphones—one for general use, but really for when I walk to exercise, and one for work when I’m sitting at my desk. I won the latter set at the same work retreat.

Rain Sounds

Meatloaf doesn’t like the sound of rain, so he’s never in the room when I sleep. I don’t know why the sound irritates him! It’s so comforting to me—my preference for this sound began when I started missing the Philippines and couldn’t sleep well. I tried putting on rain sounds and paired them with a humidifier and the scent of frangipani so the room would feel and sound like stormy nights in my childhood bedroom in Cubao. It worked! I’ve since stopped using the humidifier and scented oils and now just keep the rain sounds. I listen to two Spotify playlists: Night Rain and Nightstorms.

What’s weird about this habit is that I was scared of the sound of thunder until we moved here to Vegas. Now, I guess I just miss them—and rain in general. Try listening to rain sounds if you’re originally from the tropics and can’t seem to get yourself to sleep soundly. Works like a charm.

With YOU-th

With YOU-th is TWICE’s latest release. TWICE is a K-Pop girl group from JYP Entertainment, formed through the reality program Sixteen. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu—yes, there are nine of them—debuted as TWICE in 2015. My TWICE bias is Momo, and Dayhun is my bias-wrecker.

This EP starts with the first single, “I Got You,” an English track with a soaring chorus perfect for showcasing Nayeon’s powerful vocals. It also begins with typically-bridge-girl Mina singing the first verse, so Nayeon comes in strong. The music video has a huge budget, but what I enjoyed most was the Momo-Dahyun dance break on the rocks—my two favorites! Following “I Got You” is the current single, “One Spark,” which I don’t enjoy as much as that first single but is definitely an earworm. I like the part where Dahyun says, “Baby,” out of nowhere. “Rush” lists Chaeyoung as a songwriter, which makes sense because it feels light and airy. “Bloom” lists Jeongyeon as a songwriter, which surprised me because I don’t think of her as a songwriter—that’s on me, though. This song also starts beautifully with a blend of voices and has one of the best lyrics in the EP: “Twice the magic of the sun and moon, just you wait until you see me bloom.” I love it when they effortlessly incorporate “twice” in the lyrics.

“You Get Me” is the last track, and it takes us back to the theme of the first song—only the other way around. Dahyun is listed as a songwriter for this, and honestly, I should have known. I like her songs more than other TWICE tracks. Her “Gone” and “When We Were Kids” were my favorites from 2022’s BETWEEN 1&2. I cried when they played “When We Were Kids” during the concert in San Francisco. “You Get Me” starts with Chaeyoung sounding slightly like Momo, using a lower register. But it’s when Dahyun comes in after Tzuyu with “지금 당장 내게로, 달려와 꽉 안아줘, 절대 놓지 말아줘,” that it comes alive. In English, Dahyun sings something like, “Give me a hug, please don’t let go of me.” It’s a very sweet song and much more relatable to me than “I Got You.”

MACARONI CHEESE EP

Okay. I mention the EP above, but this really is all about my obsession with the title track, “Macaroni Cheese.” The music video reminds me of the weirdness of Orange Caramel but in a more hip-hop and youthful style.

YOUNG POSSE of BEATS Entertainment is, indeed, very young. They’re about ILLIT’s age. Sunhye, Yeonjung. Jiana, Doeun, and Jieun were all born after the year 2000—the oldest two are 2004 babies, and their maknae was born in 2009, a year before I got married! They debuted in 2023 and now have another recently released EP. My bias is Doeun, and Yeonjung is my bias-wrecker. They’re the rappers of the group.

“Macaroni Cheese” is definitely a debut single. It’s an earworm, and so, so addictive. I’ve had it on my daily playlist since it came out. But two other tracks in this four-song EP are also bangers: “Posse Up!” and “OTB.” The last song, “Cooing,” is a slow ballad and not their style.

What’s on Your Speakers?

I didn’t listen to music for the longest time after my father died. I don’t know how my brain connected enjoying music to being over my father’s death, but it felt that way. When I started listening again, I stuck to music my dad and I enjoyed together—lots of Beatles, Motown, etc. It took a long time before I found myself enjoying music again. I think maybe it was BTS that broke me out of that funk.

So, I might have missed out on some good songs. Throw me a suggestion or two. What new songs do you think I missed out on these past three or four years?

Miao? Wow!

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