With the mini album TUNE & PLAY, girl group TUIDE (pronounced like “tweed”) entered the busy K-pop scene with a minimalist pop groove. TUIDE’s seven members (Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yi Hani) were all born between 2006 and 2011, and hail from across South Korea, the UK, Japan and the US. Member Seoyeon is the younger sister of TWICE’s Jihyo, connecting TUIDE to K-pop royalty. The group gets their name from the phrase “tune the tide”, implying the septet is poised and ready to ride the trending waves of global pop. That concept informs the laidback, electronic-driven energy of TUNE & PLAY, led by Korean producing duo GroovyRoom. Lead single “SUN KISS” samples the rolling beat of Soviente’s 2001 Latin house track “Copacabana (Escape from Rio)” for its message of believing in one’s own voice. This self-empowerment theme continues across the mini album, with “ABD” suggesting skipping “c” if “d” is what feels right.