#cloo-ssant crew log

[cloo-ssant]

Crew Log #1: Reminiscing On The Ride

A Reflection While Listening To "After We Ride" by Brave Girls

As the years go by… bit by bit… day by day, there are moments where some memories brush against my mind repeatedly. I have noticed it becoming more prevalent in the past 2ish year. Maybe it’s life transitions. Maybe it’s because I reached past the first quarter of my life. But sometimes when the memories flow by, I always seem to reminisce on a song sung by Brave Girls, currently going by the name BB Girls. That song is “After We Ride”, or according to the translated version of the full title, “Drunk Habits (After We Ride)”.

Now before we continue on, I would like to make a confession. When I was watching the music video with closed captioning the first few seconds of the song weren't transcribed so I assumed the ladies were singing repeatedly "20-ah-ah", as if reflecting on their early twenties. Upon reviewing it over at colorcodedlyrics.com which credits popgasa for English translations, it was actually Eunji singing "seulbeoreut" followed by Minyoung singing "drive, drive, drive, drive". "Seulbeoreut" roughly translated to "drunk habits". That line is in the caption and is apart of the song’s title.

Though that revelation did change my thought trajectory for this song, I could still relate to it in some aspect. To sum it up the best I can, the song is about what happens as a result of a breakup. I took it as both a breakup and the ending of a chapter. It doesn’t have to be romantic-centric and can be interpreted as something internal and happening to yourself.

I wish I could remember when I first listened to the song but it may have been at least a year or two after its release date, August 23rd, 2021.

When I listen to this song, I could feel the past memories rush back to me. Some happy moments. Moments of regret. Why did I say that? I wish some things were unsaid. Some moments that are achievements. A big step like getting a job. Getting the help I needed for my health. Loneliness. Friendship. Love. Romantic and platonic.

I could see myself at the steering wheel. Should I turn around like the ending line? Should I keep driving? What do I do in this new moment in my life?

It is tempting, isn’t it? Turning around would be, for me, to review my past. I think life isn’t meant to be a completely straight path. There will be moments where you’ll have to make U-turns, come across intersections and T-sections, where instead of driving you have to take the sidewalk or another means of transportation (or multiple for one trip or day). Granted this can be taken literally but I do mean figuratively as well.

For me, I kept on going for a bit until I realize that I needed to take breaks. I can’t keep doing too many things at once. So I had to leave. For my sake. I am still on the wheel, but not as often as before. The memories aren’t as stressful as before. Sometimes I do feel like life is a lot. But I’m not alone. I’m fortunate for the help. I’m starting to focus on myself and actually feel like I’m present with people, with life. And it’s not the end. I don’t want my life to end yet.

BB Girls/Brave Girls and the fans thought that “We Ride” was gonna be the end but it fortunately wasn’t. I’m fortunate that we got “After We Ride” after… well… “We Ride”. It is understandable if there will be moments where you have to turn around, and I don’t want you to be hard on yourself for it. Allow yourself the grace and comfort. The road ahead is still available.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading this reflective piece from me. This is the first time in a long time that I’ve published an essay or any reflective writing.

If you want to listen to the song, the music video is linked below.

If you're interested in learning more about the lyrics, I recommend checking out colorcodedlyrics which is focused on romanization of lyrics. If you have the means to, give them your support by tipping them on their Ko-Fi. I also recommend checking out popgasa.com which is focused on Korean to English translations of songs. They unfortunately haven't updated since 2022 but I do recommend checking them out as another source.

Also I recommend checking out the members’ work, whether through their social media and/or through their work. The Kpop Profiles link below has their social media and other info if you’re interested.

Also, I think Tumblr is only allowing me one poll per post so I will make a separate post where if you want an audio/video version of this piece where I narrate it, please let me know by voting on there if you see it.

So yeah… that’s all for now. Thank you for reading all the way down here. See you next time.