NSYNC reuniting for Trolls Band Together is ridiculously catchy

The band reuniting with Justin Timberlake for “Better Place” really got me

• With
  
  Julia Lee
  

• on December 1, 2023 2:38 pm

Once upon a time, maybe 20 years ago, I loved NSYNC. Maybe not as much as my older sister, who had the screen name “justinsgirl309” on AIM, but I was as much of a fan as a 7-year-old could be. NSYNC officially broke up in 2004, Justin Timberlake went it alone and the rest of the band members scattered, appearing at various random shows. (Chris Kirkpatrick plays Chip Skylark The Fairly OddParents it meant a lot to me as a kid.)

I was skeptical when I saw NSYNC get back together at shows like Hot and making a fool of himself TikToks together. Many old boy bands have reunited to tour and cash in on nostalgia. Maybe it’s elitist of me to say that I didn’t want my old, fond memories of NSYNC to be washed away by the kinds of new promotions that seem like cheap cash grabs. I became even more concerned when people started commenting on the group’s TikToks, saying, “They’re only together for the Trolls movie.”

For the TROLLS MOVIE? Yes, I knew Mr. Timberlake voices one of the two main characters in the 2016 animated film Troll and its continuation for 2020, Trolls World Tour. But I really only knew about the Trolls movies through my nieces: Back in 2016, I was talking to my cousin about her daughters’ interests and she said, “Oh, they’re just obsessed with the Trolls movie right now.” I thought nothing of it. I had no particular desire to watch Troll. I had heard it had a great soundtrack, but I wasn’t the right age for those movies, and that’s okay.

That all changed last week when my TikTok For You page was flooded with clips from the new movie Trolls Band Together. At this point, it’s almost like I’ve watched all the important scenes from the movie via TikTok. I have seen every song that the Betty Spaghetti-like bad guys Velvet and Veneer sing. I know they ate up every song. (How many letters are in “EVOURED”? Eight. They ate. That’s what all the TikTok comments on these videos say.) I haven’t watched the actual movie — only huge amount of TikTok clips.

By the time the trolls took over my TikTok feed, I had admittedly forgotten about the NSYNC promo videos I saw two months ago — until I scrolled through and was smacked in the face with “Better Place,” the song for which the band. Trolls Band Together. And it’s good. It is very good!

I know NSYNC was mostly Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. I I know Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick had literally zero solo lines on most NSYNC songs. And it looks like it line distribution in “Better Place” repeats this pattern. I realize I obviously just wanted Justin and JC to sing together again. But something about the song tickles my mind just correctly. I can’t get it out of my head. I keep humming and singing the chorus whenever I do anything.

It also exists in reality another version of the song Branch (Timberlake’s Troll character) sings with his brothers towards the end of the film. Some people think this version is better. I don’t know if I agree with that. The harmony is nice and Kid Cudi kills it with the commercials, but I like the more upbeat pop-y version better.

“Better Place” only made me go back and watch the previous Trolls movies. Troll it’s on Netflix and Trolls World Tour it’s on Peacock, though I ended up paying $7.99 for a digital copy. My professional opinion? Trolls World Tour it’s better than the original Troll. That makes Trolls Band Together class? Based on the TikTok clips and this soundtrack, at least, it might be better than Trolls World Tour. I’ll find out eventually.

“Better Place” is played in my house 24/7. I’m afraid my partner is annoyed with me. But he should be happy, because it means he doesn’t have to listen to me complain about how NSYNC came back for a damn Trolls movie and made a song about trash. They did it right.

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