Learn to Love With ONF
Returning to the scene after eight long months, WM Entertainment’s boy group ONF released their third mini-album We Must Love.
“사랑하게 될 거야 (We Must Love)”
A continuation in theme from their previous titles, ONF’s newest track “사랑하게 될 거야 (We Must Love)” builds up a storyline that appropriately expresses the overarching concept of love. While the boys exhibited the idea of innocent love in “ON/OFF” and how they believe they are meant to be with their significant others in “Complete,” “We Must Love” gives off a more complicated composition in terms of the concept. The lyrics “Have we lost our memories / in the past or the future or maybe in a different world / I don’t know if something happened / But I know one thing / You’re going to love me” demonstrate the certainty of emotion ONF gets; exhibiting confidence, the group members directly show their lovers what passionate love is. Time seems to be a big part in this theme, with conceptual hints that ONF is sending signals from past to future or vice versa; the group illustrates their strong belief in destiny and the fact that the two lovers are interconnected even at unassociated dimensions like from a different world.
The music video attempts to explain the whole theme in a simpler and easier manner (but does it really?). Consistently adding visual effects into the film, the use of computer graphics increase the viewer’s understanding that this song correlates to time. The video portrays Laun as a character who has a major connection to time, and after seeing the scene where he disappears into thin air as the group approaches him, I thought that Laun may be separated from the other members for a reason. Sending signals from another time period or even from an unknown world, he proves the existence of destiny as he continues to discover the interconnectedness with his members that emerged out of himself.
The choreography shown in the video is nevertheless impressive. Synchronization of fluid yet powerful movements, charismatic facial expressions, stylized outfits (I personally loved all of the styling on each individual member!), and collaborative dances between two, three, or all seven members truly enhance the mysterious yet distinct beats of the track, emphasizing the chorus fragment which undeniably captivates the viewers with the powerful atmosphere.
As much as I enjoyed the choreography scenes in the music video, I was thrilled to find that WM Entertainment released the performance version of the “We Must Love” music video. Check it out with the link below to see the overall dance from diverse angles (it gave me the chills!).
ONF Says that We Must Love
Made up of assorted genres, the tracklist is truly a gem. Reserve a spot in your playlist and take a few minutes to see what new tracks await you in We Must Love.
A groovy track with elements of funk, “Ice & Fire” talks about how one, as cold as ice, finds a melting point and breaks through their shell after meeting the “fire,” which is represented by their lover. This B-side depicts a unique style of music ONF has not yet attempted, but the group’s great performance stressed the diversity of ONF, allowing for the rappers’ and vocalists’ skills to be made known once again.
Mixing elements of Latin music and electronic music, “별일아냐 (Yayaya)” incorporates a series of violin string sounds and other musical effects to give a dramatizing effect. Of all, the interaction between MK and Wyatt with their rapping is definitely a memorable moment in the song; the conversation-like rap strengthens the unique sound presented throughout the track.
“첫 사랑의 법칙 (Happily Never After),” a rhythmical R&B track, gives off sentimental vibes with the lyrics that are highlighted with the beautiful harmonization of Hyojin, E-Tion, J-US, U, and Laun. Just like the literal translation of the Korean title, ONF sings about the law of first love, which usually ends up with unrequited love. This specific song subtly expresses the jealousy one feels, wishing that his crush and his crush’s significant other would drift apart to break the so-called law of first love.
“I Do” takes its place as the last song of the album. The inclusion of synthesizer sounds and special effects applied to members’ voices play a significant role in enhancing the ethereal and dreamy atmosphere. Once again mentioning how they will meet each other despite the vast difference in time, ONF reinforces the idea of how time is not an obstacle to destiny.
Although ONF’s comeback did not happen in an ideal manner, the title song and tracks definitely reassure that the return of the team was undeniably worth anticipating. Through this comeback, I personally hope that ONF would be more recognized by a broader public audience base as the group’s third mini-album We Must Love seems to have the potential to unveil the team from the “underrated” status. Taking this into mind, try out ONF if you haven’t already—I can guarantee you will find yourself falling for them. Hard.