OH MY GIRL - 'CLOSER'
Track List:
1. Closer
2. Say No More
3. Playground
4. Sugar Baby
5. Round About
Five months ago, they wowed you with their debut song "Cupid"; now, B1A4's "little sister" group Oh My Girl is back with a new mini-album, 'Closer.' We've got some talent here, including Swedish guitarist/songwriter Andres Oberg, as well as Alexander and Darren Smith, composers of Girls' Generation's "Lion Heart."
The album starts out with "Closer," an ethereal dance track akin to BoA's "Shattered." It's a slower, more languorous track, with lush effects, synth washes, and layered vocals. Towards the end is really when it reaches its nadir, with raps combining with the beautifully-sung chorus. It's an epic tune, and the girls handle it well. The lyrics are about getting closer to a guy, but there's an interesting line here:
"Out of all the constellations I take the one that you look like
And gently place it in the sky. I hope you see it."
"Say No More" has a snappy R&B groove to it, but the chorus doesn't really match the smooth buildup in the verses. It feels a bit disjointed, like two different songs fused together. The verses contain their sweet voices, and they carry the song nicely until they hit the chorus, where the vocals don't really match the tempo. It's a bit naughty, asking the guy "sweet or exciting which feeling is it?"
Light, fun, and poppy, the tune "Playground" has more to recommend it than you might think. There's some understated sassy horns, and the girls get a bit more adamant as the song progresses, almost like they're giving the guy a piece of their mind. The song itself is about a breakup, making that brattiness a particularly appropriate.
"Sugar Baby" has that doo-wop '60s girl group vibe to it, from the piano to the honking synths. It's very sweetly sung, with a main singer and backing singers as well. As saccharine as its name, the song is more far innocent than the title might suggest. It's really just about a guy with references to teddy bears. :)
"Round About" is high-tempo and playful with lots of repetitions and callouts as hooks. Body-moving and definitely light on content, it moves at a breakneck pace and never lets up. It screams fun and it's insanely catchy: "Come on out out girls girls. Nobody can change me so play it loud loud girls girls." It's all about believing in yourself and being confident enough to have fun. 
Other than "Say No More," which fell flat, the other tracks on this album are actually pretty good. "Closer" almost feels like a cheat because its dreamy tone doesn't really match up with any of the other songs. I feel that the title track should have been placed in the middle, maybe with a transitional tune introducing it. It's not a bad album, just a bit uneven.
MV REVIEW
See the girls wander through a fairytale world in their MV for "Closer."
This video is rife with enticing imagery and symbolism. There's a car in an atrium, both overgrown with vegetation as if they haven't seen use in quite a while. The girls have various fairy tale/mythical adventures, from a boat trip to following Little Red Riding Hood. There's even one of the members lying prone after taking a bite of a golden apple.
The dancing was done in skirts while for the fairytale sequences they were garbed in diaphanous, lacy gowns. The apparel is universally white, and the girls look adorable in it.
The dancing itself is a little different. Because the tempo is slower, we have more delicate, slower movements, and it works quite well to set the scene, the girls evoking images of fairies.
The visuals are simply stunning. What I've described above barely scratches the surface, and there's even more to see. This is pure artistry and a wonder to behold. You owe it to yourself to check it out. The music adds to the immersion and really draws you in. Can you tell what's going on? Not so much. But it's still a lot of fun, exotic imagery presented with grace and style.
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