A look into “Trong” of TRANG

When Minimalism Becomes a Double-Edged Sword

Since her debut, Trang has built a very distinct musical identity: minimal, intimate, emotionally restrained, and heavily centered around songwriting. For many indie artists, relying less on production can easily make their music feel flat or repetitive. But Trang has always been able to compensate with strong melodies, thoughtful lyricism, and an emotional honesty that keeps listeners invested.

The first two singles from Trong — Mùa xuân and Cuộc đàm phán với nỗi đau — seemed to reaffirm exactly that. Both songs worked because of the stability and maturity in Trang’s songwriting rather than any particularly ambitious production choices.

However, what works beautifully in isolated moments slowly becomes a problem when stretched across an entire 14-track album.

The Two Lead Singles and the Expectations Around Trong

Taken individually, most songs on Trong are genuinely strong. Trang still excels at turning small emotional details into deeply relatable stories.

Cà phê và trà sen immediately resonated with me because it quietly reflects the idea of learning to take care of yourself for the sake of happier days ahead. Làm bạn với em continues the kind of mature, gentle approach to love that Trang has always portrayed — whether in togetherness or separation, there is little bitterness, only understanding.

Meanwhile, Kiểu revisits the emotional complexity that songs like Đừng để em một mình and especially Đàn bà explored so successfully in the past. Thế giới khác đi feels spiritually connected to Cách mình xa nhau, while Điều đẹp đẽ nhất về tình yêu carries shades of Thư cho anh từ Người tình.

That familiarity makes Trong easy to emotionally connect with, especially for listeners who have grown alongside Trang’s music over the years. At the same time, though, it also creates the feeling that she is staying within a space she already knows too well.

What Trang Still Does Better Than Most Artists

Criticizing Trong does not mean it is a weak album. Compared to many indie releases this year, it still sits comfortably above average because Trang’s songwriting remains significantly stronger than most of her peers.

Many artists may have similarly understated production but lack the lyrical precision or melodic instinct necessary to sustain an album like this. Trang, on the other hand, still knows how to hold attention through emotion alone.

Her vocal performance has also noticeably improved since her first album. There is more control, more confidence, and a clearer emotional delivery throughout the record.

Why 14 Tracks Become the Album’s Biggest Problem

The biggest issue with Trong is not any individual song — it is the listening experience as a whole.

At 14 tracks, the longest album in Trang’s career so far, Trong often feels overly stretched. Eleven songs exceed the four-minute mark, and because so many tracks operate within the same restrained sonic palette, the album gradually starts to feel monotonous.

Her debut album benefited from a certain youthful spontaneity. Even if the production was relatively simple, it matched the innocence and directness of the songwriting. There were also collaborative tracks like Đừng hát về cơn mưa and Ta mơ thấy nhau that helped diversify the album’s pacing and atmosphere.

Her second album may have had weaker moments, but songs like Đàn bà pushed both the sonic direction and thematic ambition forward in genuinely exciting ways. Ngã tư không đèn also worked as an important shift in pacing.

With Trong, I never quite found a moment that elevated the album in the same way those songs once did.

The Moments That Don’t Fully Work

The two moments where Trang attempts to increase the tempo and experiment more sonically — Ăn chay and Tại sao phải say — unfortunately do not fully succeed for me.

Although her vocals have clearly improved, they still do not feel strong enough for the kind of production these tracks demand. The songwriting itself also feels less concise and more drawn out, perhaps because this style is not entirely within her comfort zone.

Ăn chay at least recovers somewhat through its outro, while Tại sao phải say struggles to leave much of an impression at all.

I was also confused by the inclusion of two sub-two-minute tracks. They do little to reshape the album’s pacing and instead feel more like unfinished demos that were ultimately too meaningful to leave out.

Trong Is Still a Good Album — Just Not a Great One

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Trong is expectation.

If this were an album from a newer indie artist, I would probably be far more impressed. But this is Trang — the artist behind one of the best Vietnamese albums of 2019 and Đàn bà, which I still consider one of the strongest Vietnamese songs of this decade.

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Trong is further proof that Trang remains one of the best songwriters of her generation. Nearly every track works when listened to individually, especially for listeners who deeply connect with the emotional world she creates.

But as a complete album experience, its minimalism eventually becomes limiting. When everything remains soft, restrained, and understated for over an hour, listeners naturally begin searching for something more: a dramatic shift, a memorable climax, or simply a moment powerful enough to redefine the entire record.

Rate: 7/10