The boy band play a delightful cast characters in the geekiest K-pop video of the year
After snagging their first Top 10 hit with melancholic ballad "Lonely," K-pop boy band B1A4 return to a fun, pop-leaning style for their latest single "Solo Day." The guys' palpable energy is felt throughout the song and its video game-themed music video.
B1A4's latest has a carefree-pop sound to make it a spot-on summer single a la Girl's Day's "Darling." The quintet's spring 2013 release "What's Happening" riffed on One Direction's shout-along pop style and "Solo Day" is another feel-good track one can blast from the car speakers. There's lively guitars, bumping 808 and a folky whistle section – pervasive in pop and K-pop music alike nowadays – making the song all the more addictive after multiple spins.
The accompanying music video keeps the tracks' exuberant spirit alive. The members play different characters (e.g. leader Jin Young is the "Couch Potato," main rapper Baro is the "Space Geek) in a video game that comes to life. Each member has their own storyline (as the "Obsession Man," CNU can't focus on his date due to his obsessive compulsiveness), but come together to ride in a convertible, stuff themselves at a diner and eventually discover an alien spaceship eager to destroy anything in its path.
While it's not the first time we've seen sci-fi CGI in K-pop this year (see 2NE1's "Come Back Home"), it wasn't done in a playful, over-the-top way like "Solo Day." Along with its comic-book styling and video-game theme, "Solo Day" very well may be the nerdiest K-pop video of the year – a title to be proud of in the K-pop scene's overly glossy and polished visuals.
B1A4 is one of the many acts coming to America for KCON 2014 next month. See the full lineup and when you can see the boy band perform right here.