Oh My Girl Dominates the Music Scene With Newest Title “Nonstop”
With member Jiho’s recovery, Oh My Girl made a comeback with their seventh mini-album NONSTOP, greeting fans as a complete seven-member unit. Despite strong competition emerging with multiple artists’ comebacks in the music scene, the girl group’s newest release has swept the tops of domestic music charts, unarguably marking the start of their most successful era.
“살짝 설렜어 (Nonstop)”
Encompassing a summery and energetic atmosphere, “Nonstop” generates a wave of heart-fluttering emotions. The bright, dance title song adopts a tinge of hip-hop while also emitting tropical house vibes with its rhythmic elements and synthesizer sounds. Through the lyrics, Oh My Girl expresses the confusing emotion of their heart suddenly skipping a beat around someone that they considered simply as a “friend.” “Nonstop” stands as a perfect embodiment of the veteran girl group’s transformation as they break away from their unique, mystical, fairy-like concept. Bold to admit, yet shy to directly confess the development of romantic feelings, the song represents the contrasting emotions of love and denial of the fluttering feelings of romance with the dynamic arrangements of sharp, charismatic rapping and sweet vocals throughout the track.
The music video is a brilliant accompaniment to the lively track. Employing isometric visualizations as backgrounds, the film implements an interesting combination of digital graphics and real-life figures while highlighting Oh My Girl’s dumbfoundedness at their true emotions. As if the members are in a virtual world, the vivid color schemes of the scenes depict a dreamlike journey of love as the girl group expresses this surreal emotion as if they’re in a board game. The addition of digital content such as the holographic appearance of the members or the graphic teddy bear that acts as the figure that caused the heart-fluttering confusion further enhance the unrealistic scenario of falling for a “friend” that has come to life in the video. The choreography is showcased in a simpler, white setting, which provides a nice balance between the eye-popping color scenes that communicate the story while giving the viewers an introduction to the group’s ability to pull off both powerful and delicate movements.
Seventh Mini-Album: NONSTOP
Along with their title track “Nonstop,” Oh My Girl’s mini-album includes four other track songs that contribute to the girl group’s new transformation.
“Dolphin” brings a touch of groove and chill as the vocals fully weave into the minimal beats of the song. This trendy track is most definitely laid-back and mellow in comparison to the girl group’s lively title song, but the lyrics illustrate the flustered emotions one can feel as they fall more and more for their crush. Personally, I find this track super unique in its own style, which was the main essence that captured my attention within the first few listens.
If you’re looking for a song that touches your heart, then “Flower Tea” should be your pick from this tracklist. When listening to this jazz-based ballad, I visualize a scene at a warm, cozy cafe with a special someone. The lyrics portray the sincere and subtle expression of true love as they softly say, “Even if everything changes / I want to tell you that I love you for a long time / My truth put into a white mug / Take my flower, take my flower.”
“NE♡N” depicts one taking a bolder stance in their love interest in comparison to “Nonstop.” The lyrics convey the message of telling their crush to follow a series of neon signs: purple initials to clearly indicate that the sign is for the crush, a pink heart to represent the romantic feelings, and the green arrow to lay out a path to them. Just how the image of neon signs are emphasized throughout the song, the upbeat track song emits summer festival vibes; the steady drum beats set against the vocals enhance the members’ amazing voices even further, allowing the listeners to fully engage in the track.
Finally, the last song in the tracklist of NONSTOP is “Krystal.” This medium-tempo pop ballad includes prevalent drum sounds that create the steady backbone of the track as a soft instrumental tune starts the song off, only to gradually get louder with the members’ voices.. The lyrics reminisce on the past with one’s ex-lover, reflecting on the old days painted with pure and innocent love. With this, Oh My Girl conveys the difficulty of letting go of the crystal clear happiness left behind by a significant other. The smooth build-up of tension in the track allows for the group to carefully take the listener to the emotional peaks of nostalgic sentiment and experience the bittersweet reality of a lover’s absence in the present. In the end, they make a promise to keep each other in their hearts forever through their crystal-like love and memories.
Returning with their latest title “Nonstop” after eight months, Oh My Girl has reached the epitome of success in their career. Diligently working to venture into a wide music spectrum, the veteran girl group has continuously presented their musical potential with catchy songs and B-sides. Reaching a step further in popularity with their renowned stages through Mnet’s Queendom, the group finally broke through with their latest release, leaving an impactful impression of the group Oh My Girl on the public audience. Now, with their numerous accomplishments of music show wins and chart sweeps, a number of new Miracles are ready to stan and explore the girls’ unlimited charms. NONSTOP is a brilliant release that perfectly manifests the versatility of the group and marks the start of Oh My Girl’s era in the 2020 K-Pop music scene.