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.

(This is a re-do of one of my first ever deep dives, from September of 2023. Part One will cover their Powerful Innocent concept, Part Two their Celestial era, and Part Three the Modern Witch Trilogy).

(Read Part One here)

Album #2: Rainbow

Next up is a return to form in Love Whisper, which feels very much like spring. It’s also a lot like Me Gustas Tu, which doesn’t mean that it’s a bad song (far from it), but it does mean that I can’t help but compare them, and few tracks come out favorably in comparison to Me Gustas Tu. It’s peppy, yet has a gentle, calming energy, but the song itself isn’t anything trailblazing; in fact it’s a bit meandering and the orchestra isn’t used enough for me. The girls sell it as well as they sell everything, but overall, it doesn’t really pull me in. I feel like we’ve been here before, and they’ve done it better. I do really love that guitar riff though.

Summer Rain at first seems like it’ll fall in the same category as Love Whisper, but something’s changed. It feels more dramatic and symphonic, and even a bit bittersweet, which sets it apart from the rest of Gfriend’s songs so far. As spring turns into summer, Gfriend’s grown up, pairing their pop sound with a gentler orchestra and tempering the bubbliness with a more mature sense of nostalgia. Its instrumental hook is lovely, reminding me of a character signature in a movie. It doesn’t go quite far enough in either direction for me, clearly being a transitional song, but I do still quite like it. In fact, before this deep dive, I’d forgotten about it, so I’m glad I got to appreciate it again.

Rainbow is also a full album—God, remember when the 2nd & 3rd gen had those in spades?—and while I loved LOL, I might love this one more. I enjoyed the swirling strings of Ave Maria and the touches of funk in One Half, and I had two hidden gems: the rock-infused, stubbornly hopeful Rainbow with its orchestral flourishes and power notes is the definite winner, with the choppy, bubbly Red Umbrella close behind.

EP #5: Time For The Moon Night

With Time For The Moon Night comes the second big shift in Gfriend’s sound and the start of a new era. It begins peacefully, and eventually gently glides into an introspective sort-of ballad that toes the line between sad and hopeful. It feels like the beginning of Act 2 of a movie, a “welcome back” after time away, here to catch you when you fall. It’s the kind of track that won’t connect right away, but instead has to grow on you. The chorus is sprawling and wonderfully nostalgic, and that’s not even taking into account the frankly stunning strings combining with the electropop base. I don’t know what it is, but the music video always makes me emotional. Beyond the in-depth storylines they’re telling, it just seems like a song about grief, whether that’s the loss of a friendship or of a person. It’s also just such a fantastic song, and if I didn’t know where we were headed, I’d be wondering how someone could ever top it.

From the EP, I enjoyed the intro, Daytime, which is right out of a Disney movie, the switch-up and racing piano of the peppy Love Bug, and the absolutely soaring vocals of Flower Garden. This is such a strong EP, and we haven’t even discussed my hidden gem yet. 

So, 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. (A bold claim, indeed!) It’s a ballad, yes, but it’s 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.

EP #6: Sunny Summer

Sunny Summer offers a different view of the same season as Summer Rain; 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. Also, I adored all of the little shoutouts to their stage names (Yerin is lonely, Yuju be mine) in the lyrics. It’s a k-pop summer bop, through and through, from its funny music video to its funky, poppy chorus, but with a distinctly Gfriend twist. Also, after the bittersweet Time For The Moon Night, it was a nice change.

From the EP, I enjoyed the go-for-broke energy of the strings in Windy Windy, but my hidden gem was Vacation, with its boundless energy and delightful pops of brass.

Album #3: Time For Us

Sunrise, perhaps appropriately, feels like Time For The Moon Night’s opposite twin, with lyrics that are just as melancholy 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 it’s incredible. The strings take a backseat here, instead serving as a sort of safety net, and the song is instead led by warmhearted piano and of course the girls’ fantastic voices. While the verses are light and sun-drenched, the choruses, especially the final one, are a hell of a knock-out, each one elevating what came before. And when we finally reach the climax of the bridge? It may just be the pinnacle of Gfriend; it feels grand, momentous, just like the dawning of a new day.

I was excited at the prospect of another full album, and I’m happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the fritzy rock-pop of Glow, the rushing beat of Show Up, and the gentle sounds of A Starry Sky. My hidden gem has to be You Are Not Alone, both for how sweet the title is, and for the wonderfully earnest and surprisingly poignant follow-through. Also, shout out to the lovely Memoria (which was technically a Japanese single, not a b-side), with its twinkling piano beat, orchestral flourishes, and elegant choreography. I actually think it’s one of their most beautiful music videos, with its use of fallen angel imagery.

EP #7: Fever Season

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 up to their standards either; it’s good, taking 2019’s tropical trend and running with it, but it slips in and out of the ears, without any staying power. It’s got a good build up, but it makes the bewildering choice to have an anti-drop rather than a power note, and feels like it doesn’t make use of the girls’ voices. It would be a highlight in a less universally strong discography, but here it’s just odd. I feel like anyone could have done it, while not everyone could do Sunrise or Fingertip.

From the EP, while I enjoyed the layered vocals of Mr. Blue and the laid-back synthesizers of Hope, my hidden gem was Flower, 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, of all things) but the gamble pays off, with a tense yet still orchestral sound that’s a perfect example of expanding your repertoire while still sticking to your roots. And besides that, it’s got such detailed and elegant choreography, harkening back to Gfriend’s earlier years of “knife-like” dance moves. It should have been their Korean comeback, but I’m not bitter! I promise—

Well, with that, I’ll see you next time, for part three. Tschüss!

(Part One)