LABOUM Wishes for Love in “Between Us”
LABOUM opened a new chapter in their musical journey with the mature and sensual "Between Us."
Early in their career, LABOUM indulged in playful and bubbly concepts, expressing even heartbreak through cute choreography. But four years after debut, they introduced a more mature and emotional side of themselves. On July 27, 2018, the five member girl group came back with their fifth single “Between Us,” produced and written by their main vocalist Soyeon. The girls reunited for the first time in a year since their previous summer single “Only U.”
LABOUM spent the time between singles building a name for themselves—members Jinyea, Yujeong, and Haein competed on the survival show Idol Rebooting Project: The Unit while Solbin was an announcer with Music Bank. The members used each opportunity to let their individuality shine and in doing so, brought more attention to themselves as a group.
Soyeon got to work on “Between Us,” with the thought of feeling lonely and wishing for a romantic partner. In her lyrics, she opens up about longing for someone’s touch and feeling nervous when separated from her love. The other members of LABOUM also had a hand in planning their new album and met weekly with their staff to discuss their musical direction, music video, and album concept. At the time, Haein said the members wanted to show a new side of themselves that suited their age.
In the music video for “Between Us,” LABOUM expresses their pain through lonely scenes. Yujeong sits among theater seats by herself, Soyeon drives solo through the rain, and Jinyea, Haein, and Solbin lounge alone in beds and baths. Although the sets are simple and the video mainly uses soft spotlights, the members embody the feeling of women tormented by love through their solemn expressions and dance cuts.
The group made their music show comeback on M!COUNTDOWN the day before the single’s release. Matching the theme of love and heartbreak, the stage was lit in deep red with life-sized flower cutouts and confetti that resembled rose petals. The warm-colored backdrop allowed LABOUM to stand out in their all-white outfits and keep the eyes on their handsy choreography.
Despite not making it on the Gaon Charts, “Between Us” garnered more than seven million streams on MelOn and became LABOUM’s second most streamed song on Spotify after “Journey to Atlantis.” During promotions, LABOUM also treated their fandom Latte to mini-fanmeets before their music show appearances and a dance practice video of their powerful B-side track “Love Game.” After wrapping up promotions for “Between Us,” LABOUM made their second comeback of the year with the winter single “Turn It On.”
The group released a handful more singles before they finally saw some success with the resurgence of their 2016 release “Journey to Atlantis.” It was featured in an episode of the show Hangout With Yoo in 2021 and shortly after skyrocketed to No. 10 on the Gaon Digital Song Chart. LABOUM released their latest single “Kiss Kiss” in late 2021, promoting as four members after Yujeong left the group. The members have continued working hard on new songs, and fans are looking forward to seeing Soyeon in the upcoming project group WSG Wannabe.
Edited by Erin Rupprecht