GFriend – ‘The Awakening’ Album Review

GFriend plays with the boundaries of genres yet again with their latest album The Awakening. From their distinctive pop sound to their lesser known nostalgic image, the girls of GFriend never seem to run out of music styles they want to tackle. However, other than the title track and a couple other B-side tracks, most of The Awakening fails to experiment successfully, and ends up as a dull and forgettable album.

Track 1 – 바람의 노래 (Hear The Wind Sing)

The Awakening has just started and it’s already leaving a bad taste. I am confused of the direction Hear The Wind Sing is trying to achieve. It’s a mess of electronic sounds and traditional instruments like the violin. Due to this inconsistency in quality and harmony, this song can sound rather annoying.

Track 2 – Fingertip

Fingertip uses samples from many detective TV show soundtracks to create the atmosphere of an undercover spy mission. This direction makes sense, as the lyrics revolve around the girls’ heroic attempts to capture the heart of the man they love. Fingertip is a great example of GFriend’s signature genre-crossing pop songs — feminine yet strong, innocent yet cosmopolitan.

Track 3 – 비행운 : 飛行雲 (Contrail)

Contrail is also lucid in its purpose, a retro track with the congruity and aural pleasure Hear The Wind Sing lacked. This ditty re-enacts the hoopla of a fun day at a carnival, with catchy piano chords that are reminiscent of such events.

Track 4 – 나의 지구를 지켜줘 (Please Save My Earth)

Please Save My Earth is one of the places where the album wears thin in quality, with a disorderly melody and the lack of a memorable chorus. Besides, the girls use falsettos for practically the entire song, making it sound mundane and bothersome.

Track 5 – 봄비 (Rain In The Spring Time)

Rain In The Spring Time is a lovable and emotionally elevating pop track that allows GFriend’s sweet vocals to take center stage. However, there is a lack of vitality and liveliness to the track, bringing the interest factor down by quite a lot.

Track 6 – 핑 (Crush)

Crush is definitely a throwback to GFriend’s peppy schoolgirl days, being a cute and innocent ditty with GFriend’s signature sound. Despite sticking on the safe road, Crush is enjoyable and indelible.

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