Bol4 is short for Bolbbalgan4, which means “blushing youth”, and is considered a classic act that toes the line of k-pop  and indie. They debuted at the beginning of 3rd gen in 2014 with just three members: Ahn Jiyoung (on vocals), Woo Jiyun (on bass), and Kwon Jiwon (on guitar) though the last two left the group in 2020 and 2015 respectively, meaning that Jiyoung now works as a soloist.

Here are my credentials: I’d consider myself something around a casual fan of Bol4. Of course I’ve heard of them, listened to a couple of their titles (one of which is a particular favorite of mine), seen some MVs, but I confess I know next to nothing about them as people and basically no b-sides. So, let’s get started!

EP #1: Red Ickle

Fight Day begins with gentle acoustics that feel both nostalgic and warm, mixing with Jiyoung’s somewhat husky voice and creating a lovely track that follows a relationship between two people who are slowly falling out of love. It reminds me of IU’s less poppy songs, and is surprisingly upbeat for such a sad topic. The “we fight and scream, break up and leave” hook isn’t in-your-face catchy but is still strong, and it’s quite a good introduction to the group.

From the first EP, Red Ickle, I enjoyed the simple but catchy hook and funky undertones of Chocolate, the “later, later, later” line in Ring, and the gentle drum beats in Sometimes.

Album #1: Red Planet

Galaxy begins with a soft piano and leans more into classic k-pop R & B than Fight Day did. While I’m not the biggest fan of the random rap verse (as I almost never am), I enjoyed the song on the whole, especially the uptick in the last chorus. It’s a little too understated to leave as much of an impression on me as Fight Day did, but to its credit, it knows exactly what it is: a sweet love song. It’s not meant to be similar. 

Hard To Love is the second title track from the album, another thing that sets Bol4 apart from mainstream k-pop, and it distinguishes itself from Galaxy by being a true-blue “why did you break my heart?” ballad. While it’s not the sort of thing I would listen to every day, I can’t deny that the piano, light violins, and of course Jiyoung’s great voice make it a strong track. I prefer the moments where it seems to surge forward into a power ballad, of course, but it never quite reaches there.

From the album, Red Planet (a repackage of Red Ickle), I enjoyed the faster paced You (=i), the clippy finger-snapping in X Song, and the slowly building climactic piano of When I Fall In Love, which was definitely my hidden gem. I just love the way the instrumentation pulls back in the bridge and then comes back swinging.

EP #2: Red Diary Page 1

Some is probably one of Bol4’s most famous tracks, and for good reason. It’s acoustic-heavy, but also interpolates a finger-snapping effect and an electronic beat as well. It’s a sweet love song that, like Fight Day, doesn’t seem very catchy at first, but will very much get stuck in your head. The music video for this one is also very cute and has a weird, colorful sense of humor that I can get behind. The dancing in front of the window had me genuinely cracking up.

From the EP, Red Diary Page 1, though I enjoyed the coffeeshop feels of Blue, my hidden gem was, without a doubt, To My Youth. It’s a great ballad with some genuine emotion, powerful vocals, payoff to its build-ups, and a hefty dose of nostalgia. In short, it’s practically perfect.

EP #3: Red Diary Page 1

Travel initially seems not that different from Bol4’s past releases, starting with a twinkling piano and warm guitar, and if the opening was the rest of the track, I’d have no problem with that. But instead, it decides to go full-on road trip anthem, with the instrumentals leaning bright and sunny, the vocals reaching for the sky, and overall giving the exact feelings that travel should inspire. This is a huge favorite of mine, and was one of the reasons I wanted to do this review, just to have an excuse to write about how much I enjoy it. I even blasted it on my own road trip a few years back!

From the EP, Red Diary: Page 2, though I enjoyed the wistful vocalizing and building strings in Starlight and the minimalist piano in Lonely, my hidden gem was definitely Dear Teddy Bear (despite the odd name), with its fast-paced guitar driven beat, background vocals, and interesting percussion. This kind of soft rock really suits Jiyoung’s voice, and I hope she does more of it!

EP #4: Youth Diary 1

Bom has a more minimalistic beat with intermittent percussion, and soon blossoms into a bright, youthful love song between Cupid and…the man she kind of magicked (?) if the music video is any indication. But anyway, I really like the interesting lyrics in this track like “Without knowing my mind, the spring breeze keeps blowing”, which is so evocative and lovely, and it’s a solid song for the feeling of early spring.

From Youth Diary 1, I enjoyed the guitar…scraping? (sorry, I know that’s not the right word) in Picnic and the perfectly captured feeling of a nighttime city walk in Seattle Alone.

EP #5: Two Five

Workaholic, as befits its name, takes a more mature turn than the past releases with its lyrics about chronic overworking and overworking culture and encouragement for the audience to not let themselves become trapped in their work as well. I liked this one! In my opinion, there’s never enough songs about enjoying life and giving yourself a break, and this kind of subject really fits her confessional style. From the EP, Two Five, I enjoyed the wry acknowledgement of growing up in 25.

EP #6: Youth Diary 2

Leo is Bol4’s first release as a soloist, and is actually a collaboration with Baekhyun of Exo. It’s a bit too understated and similar to her other titles to leave that much of an impression on me, but I did appreciate how well their voices harmonized together (his softer and lighter tones with her slightly more scratchy and indie voice), and I liked the ethereal quality that the track possessed.

From the EP, Youth Diary 2, I enjoyed the rush-forward-and-pull-back in Blank (my hidden gem), but also the clicking tape recorder in Countseling, and the light xylophone in Dandelion (which I was always going to love, since they’re my favorite flower).

Next time, we’ll be doing Part Two. Tschüss!