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married-2-the-music · 1 year ago

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K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Gfriend

A Disclaimer: I was planning, when I first started Tumblr, to be a lurker, but then I began an office job and needed something to listen to to keep myself occupied. And then, I started going through entire K-pop groups’ repertoires, album by album, and jotting down my thoughts. And then, I stumbled into K-pop tumblr and decided, you know what, there’s at least four people on this hell site who would read in depth rants about these discographies and at least five who wouldn’t read it and then get mad because it’s kind of our job as K-pop fans. My lukewarm takes should be taken with an entire silo of salt and the knowledge that this is completely for fun and occupying my very bored, very neurodivergent brain. With that being said, enjoy!

So, let me lay out my credentials for Gfriend: I’ve been a Buddy since I stumbled across MAGO in a compilation in 2020 or so, and needless to say I was crushed to find out that they disbanded. I still consider myself a Buddy, and in the last few years, I’ve listened to all their title tracks and a decent amount of b-sides. So, this deep dive is less of me getting into a new band and more of me seeing…hmm what else can I discover? Obviously, a lot of bias is involved here.

Gfriend debuted in 2015, in the heyday of 3rd generation, with a “schoolgirl” concept not unlike their peers Lovelyz, TWICE, and WJSN. Also, as a side note, their intros are all great, even from the beginning, and I wish that more of the interesting quirks that make them so great carried through into the rest of the songs.

Their first song, Glass Bead, has more of a classical spin than I remembered from their earlier work, and I enjoyed it, Me Gustas Tu, and Rough more on re-listen. Glass Bead is sweet: it’s good, but to someone who’s listened to as much k-pop as I have, it doesn’t stand out as very unique. From the album, Neverland is pretty good too.

Me Gustas Tu’s intro starts with gentle water and the song itself continues the feeling with an overall sunny vibe; it’s another nice one, but another that feels like a lot of others. As a hidden gem, Under The Sky has great drive and payoff, and would’ve made a better title track in my opinion.

I know a lot of people absolutely adore Rough. I’m…not one of them. Don’t get me wrong; Yuju’s belted power notes are always a pleasure, and her voice with the electric guitars makes such an excellent contrast. Eunha’s high voice also stands out, but Umji’s, Yerin’s, SinB’s, and Sowon’s are great too, and their different tones all harmonize well together.

I wish that the energy of the rock guitar or the orchestra carried through more, because there’s something about the song that doesn’t feel fully realized and I can’t say what it is. Rough is less a moment of standing apart from their peers and more a very gentle sidestep—but definitely a marker of what’s to come. Hidden gems from this album are definitely Say My Name and Someday, the second of which uses the classical touches quite well.

Their first few titles are a bit formulaic, but Navillera, despite at first fitting it, has much more drive and heft, and by the time we reach the guitar solo and the accompanying power note, it feels earned. It takes the best parts of the previous songs and melds them together into something great. I confess that I know this song by heart, and all in all, it’s an early highlight that I find myself liking more each time. Hidden gems from this album include Mermaid and Compass (with a special shout out to the harmonica in Distance).

Fingertip picks up where Navillera left off, with a good sense of humor in its 80’s action movie spoofing. It has one of the few dance breaks I adore, and I found myself bopping my head. And the catharsis! One of the things I love most about k-pop is when songs build to a point where everything just lights up, and Fingertip has this in spades. My hidden gem for this EP is definitely Crush.

Next up is a return to form in Love Whisper, which feels very much like Spring, and has a calming energy, but the song itself isn’t anything trailblazing. It’s a bit meandering and the orchestra isn’t used enough for me. It’s also a lot like Me Gustas Tu, which again, doesn’t mean that either is a bad song, but it does mean that both stick out less.

Summer Rain also has a nice opening, but it feels more dramatic and symphonic, which sets it apart from the rest of Gfriend’s songs at this point. It isn’t my favorite either, but I like it more than Love Whisper, Glass Bead, Me Gustas Tu, and Rough, which I classify in the same category. From the album, Rainbow is the definite winner, with Red Umbrella close behind.

Sunny Summer offers a different view of the same season; it’s upbeat and while carrying through the youthful energy of their earlier work, something about it also feels more grown up, as though a goodbye to their younger selves.

I’m probably reading way too much into what should be a fun song, but it reminds me of the feeling of a last summer vacation after high school and before adulthood. Either way, I’d say that my hidden gem from this album is Vacation (for its boundless energy)

With Time For The Moon Night comes the second big shift in Gfriend’s sound and the start of a new era. The intro, Daytime, sounds right out of a Disney movie, and the song delivers. It begins peacefully, and eventually gently glides into an introspective sort-of ballad that toes the line between sad and hopeful. The whole album is honestly great, and my favorite of the EPs so far.

That being said, I’d like to take a moment of your time to discuss Bye, which may be my favorite of Gfriend’s b-sides. It’s a ballad, yes, but so much more. It blends a full orchestra, an electric guitar, and some of Gfriend’s most affecting vocal work to date. All in all, it’s one of those album tracks that could’ve made an excellent single, and I’m so glad I rediscovered it in my deep dive, because I may or may not have replayed it three times.

Sunrise, perhaps appropriately, feels like Time For The Moon Night’s opposite twin, with lyrics that are just as sad combined with a far more hopeful and well…sunny spin on it. It’s many people’s favorite Gfriend song, and while it isn’t mine, I can’t deny that those choruses, especially the final one, is a hell of a knock-out.

Memoria, while technically a b-side, is also a Japanese single, but it’s so ethereal and lovely that it deserves a shout out. Hidden gems from this album include Only 1, and A Starry Night, but the stand-out has to be You Are Not Alone, both for the adorableness that is the title and for the surprisingly poignant follow-through.

Fever is a departure from the sound Gfriend’s been cultivating and seems like a bit of an odd choice. It’s not a bad song but it’s not great either; it’s pleasant, but it slips in and out of the ears, without any staying power. The girls’ voices feel underutilized, which is unusual for them, and I’ll never understand the impulse to have an anti-drop rather than a power note. I don’t have a hidden gem for this album, but I did like the whistling in Smile.

This album also highlighted something I’ve noticed: a lot of Gfriend’s b-sides start out with a really unique or interesting instrumental (like Smile) but don’t carry it through to the rest of the song, and thus leave it sounding like a lot of other songs.

Flower is the one song I really did like from the album, although it’s a Japanese single and so not technically a b-side. It also takes Gfriend’s music in a different direction (in this case, tango) but the gamble pays off! It’s a pretty good song; not their best, but a nice break.

After this, we finally reach the Modern Witch Trilogy, what I would consider their Magnum Opus, and unfortunately, the end of their time as a six-person group. Each part of the trilogy is magical in its own way: Crossroads is classical and grounded in emotion, Apple is ethereal and delightfully entrancing, and MAGO is empowering and warm at the same time.

The first song of the trilogy is Crossroads, which is definitely the most melancholy of their titles, finally giving the orchestra time to shine. The song’s best moment is undoubtedly the short section of a-capella before the last chorus’ soaring take-off, with the girls’ voices absolutely feeling like some sort of desperate plea to the stars.

My hidden gem for this album is definitely Labyrinth, which, in a 2023 world, I could totally see being a pre-release with a music video; not a title track instead of Crossroads, but with it. Here We Are is great too, and the other b-sides hold their own.

Next in the trilogy is Apple, which simply oozes magic and power. At first, I worried that it would be another Fever with a nothing chorus, but it proved me wrong! It doesn’t quite have a climax but it’s still absolutely engaging and unique.

This is another great album, and it was so hard to pick a hidden gem. The trio of the electro Eye of The Storm, the ballroom waltz of Room of Mirrors, and the dance floor of Tarot Cards are pretty neck-and-neck. But if I had to choose, Room of Mirrors is my favorite.

And at last, we reach MAGO! MAGO is, I’ll be honest, one of my all-time favorite k-pop songs (we’re talking Top 10), and I’ve loved it since I first heard it. To say everything I want to say would take forever, but if I had to name a few, here we go. The song has such great drive and heft and never stops moving, even when it slows down a little. It explodes with confidence and self-expression, and it’s a song that stands out because that empowerment doesn’t fall flat.

There are so many good songs from this album too: the rock in Love Spell, the brightness in Three Of Cups, and the R&B in Secret Diary, but my favorite without a doubt is Wheel Of The Year. Look, I’m a total sap, and it’s the exact kind of song that I adore: sad and happy, hopeful, emotional, inspiring, and all about the power of friendship. In the wake of their disbandment, it’s hard not to see this as a lovely farewell, to both the fans and each other.

It’s hard to overstate how much I adore the Modern Witch Trilogy. All three of these titles also feel so…queer to me? Obviously, as a queer woman, everything I view is through a queer lens, but between the found family separated in Crossroads, the forbidden temptation of witches in Apple, and the all-female be-yourself disco club in MAGO, I don’t think I’m reading too much into this. But I’d love to hear other opinions on this.

My top 5 songs are MAGO, Wheel Of The Year, Fingertip, Crossroads, and Bye. But I loved their whole discography, and as much as I ragged on Fever, there weren’t any songs I actually disliked, and it would be a highlight in a less incredible body of work. I’m also Wiccan, and the Wheel Of The Year is such an important thing for us that it felt like it was made just for me. I admit, when I started writing about their later songs, I even got a bit emotional and even more when I found out that the members themselves helped write some of them.

Gfriend, to the surprise of no one, gets a 9.5/10 from me. I can’t really imagine a discography more suited to me personally, although I think that anyone who appreciates great voices, disco, orchestral spins, or witches would find something to love here too. The only reason the score isn’t higher is because I haven’t done that many deep dives yet and I want to leave some room, lol.

So, I’ll see you next time, for a boy group!

#Gfriend #K-pop #K-pop girl groups #eunha #sinb #yerin #umji #yuju #sowon #viviz #disco #vintage #classical #review #k pop deep dive #Spotify

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zylokv · 21 days ago

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FLEETING GLANCES. — minatozaki sana

❝ it’s hard not to feel jealous when you’re out there looking like that… and with someone else that close. ❞

synopsis — a solo artist’s rising fame comes with secrets—most notably their hidden relationship with sana from twice. a sensual performance stirs up jealousy and unspoken tension.

word count ! — 1.9k

— minatozaki sana x reader !

genre — oneshot.

music bank was alive with energy, a sea of fans cheering outside and idols gathered in their assigned spots under the venue lights. the rows of chairs were set up perfectly, giving just enough space for the camera to capture every group in attendance. you, a rising solo artist who had been making waves in the industry, sat near the front. the cameras loved you, and even the smallest shift in your seat had fans online buzzing.

behind you, twice was seated together, their dynamic as lively as ever. sana’s attention, however, was only half on her members. her gaze flickered to you more often than she’d like to admit, lingering on the way your outfit was tailored just right. her lips twitched as she fought the urge to smile.

"yah," momo whispered, leaning in close, "you’re staring so hard it’s a miracle their head hasn’t caught on fire yet."

sana shot her a look, one that said, not now. momo just laughed quietly, nudging nayeon, who was already grinning like she knew too much. nayeon leaned forward, whispering across the group.

“sana, you’re so obvious. even the fans are gonna catch on at this rate.”

“stop it,” sana muttered, her cheeks flushing pink. she glanced at the camera positioned nearby, suddenly hyper-aware of its lens. “i’m just watching the performances like everyone else.”

jeongyeon raised an eyebrow, sipping her water. “sure. except you’re watching one specific person, and they’re not even on stage yet.”

jihyo tried to intervene, her leader instincts kicking in. “alright, leave her alone. it’s not like she can help it.”

meanwhile, you were completely unaware of the chaos brewing behind you. well, mostly unaware. you could feel their eyes on you, could sense sana’s gaze lingering longer than the others’. a small smile tugged at your lips, but you kept your focus on the stage, where bts was performing with their usual explosive energy. the cheers from the crowd were deafening, the fans’ lightsticks waving in unison.

beside you, irene from red velvet gave you a polite nod, which you returned casually. the two of you had worked together before, so the greeting was natural, but even something as small as that didn’t go unnoticed by twice. nayeon elbowed sana, motioning subtly toward you and irene.

“look at that. they’re already stealing other idols’ attention. should we be worried for you?”

sana didn’t dignify that with a response, though her jaw clenched just slightly. her fingers toyed with the hem of her dress as her mind raced. she trusted you—of course she did—but the tiny flicker of possessiveness inside her was impossible to ignore.

“are you jealous already?” nayeon whispered into sana’s ear, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “they only said hi to irene.”

“i’m not jealous,” sana shot back, though her tone lacked conviction. her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress as she glanced at you again, only to see you focused on the performance.

jihyo chuckled quietly, leaning closer to sana. “you’re so obvious. relax, unnie—they’re being polite.”

sana pouted, her brows furrowing slightly. “i know, but... ugh, look at how casual they’re being, like they didn’t just text me good luck before walking in here. they’re too good at this secret thing.”

the members around her snickered, enjoying the rare sight of sana struggling to keep her cool. but as playful as their teasing was, they all knew how deeply she cared for you.

when bts finished their performance and the applause died down, the event took a brief break, with hosts taking over to engage the audience. staff members weaved through the rows, preparing for the next set of performers. it was during this lull that sana finally mustered the courage to lean forward, calling your name softly.

you turned at the sound, meeting her eyes with that infuriatingly charming smirk of yours. “minatozaki,” you greeted, your tone warm but teasing.

“you’re up next, right?” she asked, keeping her voice casual even as her heart raced.

“yeah,” you replied, leaning slightly closer. “you’ll be watching, i hope.”

her lips parted to respond, but nayeon cut in before she could, leaning over dramatically. “oh, don’t worry. she’ll be watching so hard it’ll look like she’s your personal camerawoman.”

sana shoved nayeon back into her seat, her face burning. “ignore her,” she muttered, earning a soft laugh from you.

before the exchange could go any further, a staff member approached, signaling for you to head backstage. your performance was coming up, and it was time to prepare. you stood, giving sana one last glance, your gaze lingering just enough to make her heart skip a beat.

as you walked away, momo leaned toward sana, her grin as wide as ever. “so, how does it feel knowing you’re dating someone who can make half the venue swoon just by existing?”

“quiet,” sana hissed, though she couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her lips. she shifted in her seat, trying to calm the fluttering in her chest.

backstage, you were all business. the stylists adjusted the fit of your outfit, ensuring everything was perfect for the cameras. your backup dancer, a strikingly beautiful woman who matched your energy perfectly, gave you an encouraging nod as you ran through the final details of the choreography.

when it was time, you stepped onto the stage, your confidence radiating with every step. the music started, low and sultry, building slowly as the lights dimmed to focus solely on you. the choreography was precise, every movement deliberate. your backup dancer mirrored you effortlessly, the two of you creating a magnetic pull that had the audience holding their breath.

in the crowd, the reaction was immediate. fans screamed, their lightsticks flashing wildly as they watched you command the stage. twice, however, had a very different reaction—particularly sana. her eyes widened as the choreography grew more sensual, her jaw tightening when your dancer’s hand slid across your shoulder, lingering just a moment too long.

“unnie,” tzuyu whispered, clearly amused, “you’re crushing your water bottle.”

sana looked down, realizing tzuyu was right. she quickly set the bottle aside, her focus snapping back to you. no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

“it’s just a performance,” jihyo reminded her, though even she looked a little impressed. “they’re a professional.”

“i know,” sana muttered, though her tone was unconvincing. her fingers gripped the edge of her seat as she watched you tilt your head back, your voice hitting a powerful note that sent chills through the crowd. you were magnetic, and she hated that everyone else could see it too.

“unnie, calm down,” tzuyu teased sana, who was biting her lip in a poor attempt to suppress a deep frown. “it's their job.”

"yeah," dahyun chimed in, "but have you seen their performances? they killed it—and by 'it,' I mean sana’s patience."

when the performance ended, the applause was deafening. you took a bow, your breathing steady despite the demanding choreography. as you left the stage, you couldn’t resist glancing toward twice’s section, catching sana’s eyes for a brief moment. her expression was unreadable, but you could sense the tension.

backstage, your phone buzzed with a text. it was from sana: we need to talk later.

you smirked, typing back quickly: jealous?

her reply came almost instantly: yes. and you’re lucky you look good doing it.

you chuckled, pocketing your phone as you headed to your dressing room. you could already imagine the conversation waiting for you later, and the thought sent a thrill down your spine.

-----

as the car hummed softly beneath you, sana’s gaze stayed locked on yours, her eyes flickering with unspoken emotions. the teasing tension from earlier had melted into something heavier, something that made the air feel electric. your hand, still holding hers, gave a reassuring squeeze, but the way your thumb brushed along her knuckles was deliberate, almost testing the waters.

“you’re quiet,” you murmured, your voice dipping lower, coaxing her to respond.

she exhaled, her lips pressing into a pout before she finally spoke. “it’s hard not to feel jealous when you’re out there looking like that… and with someone else that close.”

your fingers shifted, interlacing with hers. “you know it’s all for show,” you said softly. “it’s just the job. none of it means anything.”

her eyes searched yours, and the way her walls crumbled just slightly made your heart clench. “i know,” she whispered, though her voice faltered. “but it’s not easy.”

you leaned closer, your free hand reaching up to cup her cheek. your thumb brushed across her skin, warm and smooth, and she instinctively leaned into your touch. “you’re the only one who matters to me, sana,” you said, your tone firm, as though willing her to believe it. “no one else comes close.”

her breath hitched, and before she could reply, you tilted your head, closing the small gap between you. the kiss was soft at first, tentative, as though testing her mood. but when her hands reached up to grip your shirt, pulling you closer, the hesitation dissolved.

she kissed you back with a fervor that made your pulse quicken, her fingers curling into the fabric as if she couldn’t bear to let go. the soft press of her lips against yours deepened, growing more insistent, more desperate. the confined space of the car seemed to shrink around you, the world outside fading into irrelevance.

you pulled back slightly, just enough to catch your breath, your forehead resting against hers. “you sure you want this?” you murmured, your voice husky.

her answer came without hesitation. “always.”

the way she looked at you—eyes dark and filled with something you couldn’t quite put into words—made your resolve snap. your lips found hers again, more demanding this time, and she met you with equal intensity. her hands roamed up your chest, and you couldn’t help but let out a low groan as she tugged you impossibly closer.

your hand slid down to her waist, pulling her into your lap. the new position made her gasp softly against your mouth, her fingers clutching at your shoulders for balance. your lips trailed down to her jaw, then to the delicate curve of her neck, where you pressed open-mouthed kisses that left her trembling.

her breath came in short, uneven bursts, her fingers threading through your hair as you nipped lightly at her collarbone. “we shouldn’t…” she started, though her voice lacked conviction.

“we’re alone,” you murmured against her skin, your voice rough. “no one’s going to know.”

her laughter was soft, breathy, as though she couldn’t quite believe how reckless you were. but instead of pulling away, she tilted her head, giving you more access. her body pressed flush against yours, and the heat between you was almost overwhelming.

you didn’t push further, knowing the setting wasn’t ideal, but the way your hands roamed her back, and the way her lips found yours again, made it clear that neither of you wanted this moment to end.

when you finally broke apart, both of you were breathing heavily, your faces flushed and your eyes locked in a shared understanding. sana’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile, her jealousy from earlier entirely forgotten.

“you’re lucky i love you,” she teased, her voice light but filled with meaning.

you grinned, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “i’m the lucky one,” you said softly, leaning in to press a final kiss to her forehead.

the ride back was quieter, but the tension between you was undeniable. you knew this wouldn’t be the end of the conversation—or the night.

-----

a/n — my girl.