Hello everyone and welcome back to The Hallyu Refraction, the first review up this week is GFRIEND's Crossroads from their new EP Labyrinth. Crossroads marks GFRIEND's return to the scene since their last comeback in July of 2019. This particular comeback has also been of particular importance for the group since it's the first new material that we have heard from GFRIEND since Source Music, the company behind GFRIEND, was acquired by the growing juggernaut that is Big Hit Entertainment. Many were curious to see the direction the group would take after entering such a large company but it seems that, at least on the surface, the transition was smooth and GFRIEND's new material has not suffered in regards to production quality. Now, let's check out the music video shall we.
For this review I will follow the current template that I have been using for my reviews where I first look at the visual aspects of the comeback before I delve into the song itself. The criteria for this review will be the same as previous ones on my blog where I will rate the song out of 10 in 5 categories (Music video, Song, Concept, Style, and Dance). So without further delay let's draw our attention to GFRIEND's music video for Crossroads.
Typically GFRIEND have been quite consistent in the production quality of their music videos and I am glad to report it's much the same with their new material. In fact, I would like to go as far to say that Crossroads is my favourite music video from GFRIEND in regards to quality and production value. With this particular comeback GFRIEND opted for a more cinematic music video with an overarching story rather than your typical song and dance affair. I think the choice to produce a more film-like video was a smart one as the song itself is quite cinematic and visual in nature. Right from the beginning we are treated with a close up shot of member Eunha staring at a butterfly, not only is this shot beautifully done but also significant to GFRIEND's lore. Interestingly though as the butterfly flies away Eunha's character, (or herself), looks as if she's seen something sinister and begins to back away only to fall into the inky depths where we see that the concept of time is introduced. It was this introduction of the concept of time that really intrigued me about where this music video would take us and I'm happy to say that the rest of the video did not disappoint. While some of the scenes in the music video are shot in sets designed to fit the concept of the video most of the video concentrates on filming on location with images of the real world thrown in for symbolic and dynamic effect. Overall the cinematography of this music video is superb. The director for this music video has really gone to lengths to ensure that each scene reflects the vibe and theme of the song itself. They have also managed to capture the emotions of the members well leading me to believe the members were very eager to both practice their acting skills and excited that their new music video was taking on a slightly different format to their usual style. The cinematic nature of the video also servers to support the ongoing narrative behind GFRIEND's releases. While I am not an expert on GFRIEND lore I believe that Crossroads takes place sometime before GFRIEND's song Fingertip as we see that the concept of time was introduced early on in the video and the overarching narrative in the video itself is of the members not trusting one another after the events within GFRIEND's previous music videos, in particular Love Whisper and Navillera. While I wholeheartedly praise the overall cinematography in music video for Crossroads credit also needs to be given to the members acting. Each member did well to capture the emotions and concepts explored in the video's narrative. While acting and storytelling have been a part of GFRIEND's music videos for a long time I think it is here where we begin to see just what they're capable of when it comes to portraying characters and acting professionally. The members that stood out to me in regards to their acting ability were members Eunha and Umji, but I did not find any member to be lacking in skill which is wonderful to see. Overall I would like to congratulate GFRIEND on bringing us a wonderfully produced music video that aims to push their storytelling ability to the next level while also serving as their first comeback of the new decade. I'd also like to report that any apprehension that the acquisition of Source Music would negatively impact the quality of GFRIEND's video production has been eliminated which is fantastic news given the uncertainty that began to brew late last year. I would normally talk about style in this section but I feel like due to the nature of the video it would be unfair to judge their style in the video so instead I will be addressing my critique using the live performances of Crossroads later in the review. Moving forward I would very much like to see GFRIEND continue to experiment with their storytelling and produce more videos like this attached to equally engaging songs. Speaking of songs, let's now take a look at aural aspect of Crossroads.
I found Crossroads to be an interesting choice for a title track give than GFRIEND have experimented with a variety of genres and music styles in the past. This song feels like a combination of their older material, and thus their older style many fans are used to, and a more mature sound. I enjoy the combination of old and new as the song is instantly recognisable as a GFRIEND song. The violins and piano arrangement are in hallmarks of GFRIEND's typical sound and while employed once again here it remains fresh if somewhat nostalgic. I do however question whose decision was it to continue on with GFRIEND's signature sound for this new release and if Big Hit had a say in what sound was needed moving forward. It is my opinion that I think that Crossroads was chosen as their title track because of safety and familiarity. After the acquisition of Source Music I do believe that Big Hit did not want to negatively impact GFRIEND's popularity and thus chose a release that while still modern it wouldn't break any rules or alienate any fans of GFRIEND. This was a smart choice at the end of the day for GFRIEND, to continue using their signature sound and style, but I do have a small criticism in regards to this choice as well. I believe that while Big Hit wasn't trying to stir the pot when it comes to Crossroads, it also felt like perhaps they left a few ingredients out as a result. While Crossroads is a well produced song with particular focus given to the beautiful orchestral sequences and the members sweet yet powerful vocals I felt as if the song lacked somewhat in its ability to feel dynamic and maintain interest. Not everyone will agree with me here and that's perfectly fine, but I feel as if the song is slightly monotone as a result of the decision to stick with GFRIEND's tried and true ballad formula. Vocally however I am pleased to say that each member has gone from strength to strength with each comeback. During their initial debut only member Yuju was truly praised for her vocal ability but I am glad to report that over the years each member has become more confident in their singing ability which is wonderful to see. Line distribution in Crossroads is also praise worthy with each member getting adequate time to display their ability in both the studio and live versions of the song. I will however come back to my earlier criticism that the song lacks that certain dynamic quality evident in previous hit releases from GFRIEND such as Rough and Love Whisper. It would seem that to suit the overall melancholic concept the lead and main vocalists have also paired back their powerful vocals never really truly reaching the previous heights we've heard from members Eunha and Yuju. While not every release from a GG needs to have an incredible ad lib in the bridge I felt like that's exactly what this song was lacking after multiple listens. Overall though, I do think that Crossroads is a beautiful ballad which just happens to focus more so on storytelling rather than outright vocal intensity which is a stylistic choice and one I think is most effective when paired with the music video. Listening to the song alone for me felt slightly lacking but I do however think the song shines more brightly when paired with the wonderfully cinematic music video so if you just happen to feel the same way as I do, please give it a try next time you listen.
I'd like to now bring our attention the live performances of Crossroads because this is where we finally begin the see the concept take shape outside the film-like music video. The live performances of GFRIEND's Crossroads have so far been pretty effective in giving off the overall aura and concept seen in the music video. The style chosen for this concept seems to be a combination of suit-like outfits in combination with a few elements of texture with leather pieces mixed in. While the outfits chosen for live performances are not overly extravagant they do suit the concept GFRIEND are going for during this comeback. Overall it feels like their style is getting more mature as their material takes on a more serious approach. This maturity is also seen in the dance for Crossroads. Dancing and interesting choreographies have always been a core strength of GFRIEND's repertoire and it's great to see them able to evolve their dances to suit a more subdued concept. It's also very interesting to see that even the dance has been used as a method of storytelling this comeback; and very effectively might I add. As the story of Crossroads explores the ongoing, and quite troubled, relationship between the members (which is also explored in their previously released material) the dance also reflects this by incorporating elements of the groups previous routines. This does wonders for the continuity of the story GFRIEND are trying to tell us with each new release and I appreciate the attention to detail given to the dance for their live performances. The dance also follows the lyrics of the song quite literally in sequences such as when Sowon sing's the line "Even fluttering the starlight lingering on" while gesturing as if to imitate the fluttering light of a star. I enjoy when groups manage to continue the imagery of the song within their choreography and GFRIEND have done a superb job of keeping the overall message, concept, and tone bound between the dance and the song. Sometimes live performances can have an almost duality about them with dances being either not reflective of the dynamic nature of the song in negative way or purely feeling like they don't belong together, I'm happy to report this is far from the case with Crossroads.
In conclusion I think that Crossroads is an effective and wonderfully produced title track from GFRIEND that no doubt will hold its own in the saturated month of February. With an incredibly well directed music video and a solid, if slightly lacking, song I think GFRIEND have definitely cemented they mean business this year with the release of Crossroads and the EP Labyrinth. Moving forward however, I would like them to be less concerned with maintaining their signature sound while under Big Hit and continue to evolve and impress us in the months and years to come. Having listened to the entire EP I already know that GFRIEND and Big Hit are capable of producing fantastically interesting and dynamic songs, such as the song Labyrinth, and I'm left to wonder how this comeback would have been shaped if GFRIEND employed a dual title track comeback, or even swapped up Crossroads for Labyrinth as their title song. Nevertheless GFRIEND has shown us once more with Crossroads that these talented individuals deserve their success and our attention and I can't wait to see what GFRIEND comes up with for their next release.
My rating
Music Video: 9
Song: 7.5
Concept: 9
Style: 7.5
Dance: 8.5
Overall rating: 41.5/50
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope that you enjoyed it and if you did please don't forget to share it with your friends. If you want to see more and keep updated on my review please follow @TheHallyu on Twitter. See you tomorrow! - THR
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