Bolbbalgan4 Dominates Korean Music Charts After Releasing a New Album and Three Music Videos

Korean indie-pop duo Bolbbalgan4 doesn’t have any trouble charming Korean music fans, as they’ve consistently charted near the top with every release since their debut last year. Bolbbalgan4, composed of Ahn Ji-young and Woo Ji-yoon, gained surprise success with the breakout hit “Galaxy,” which snagged them song of the year at the 14th Korean Music Awards earlier this year.

This time, the former high school classmates have outdone both themselves and Korean industry standards for success. Three tracks from their new mini album, Red Diary Page.1, swept the top three spots on six realtime charts today, according to Soompi. Lead single “Some” comes in at No. 1 while “To My Youth” and “Blue” follow immediately behind.

“Some” taps into the gentle touch that has worked well for their music so far, building into a breezy jam. The title takes from the Korean neologism “some,” which describes complicated relationships caught between romance and friendship. That term comes to life in the back and forth of lyrics like “Go away, no don’t go away.” Woo said that the members wrote the song because they both want to be in a “some” relationship, according to Yonhap News.

The music video is full of the bright block colors popular among K-pop artists right now. The story splits into different chapters, depicting the stages of “some” with the help of Barbie and Ken dolls. The first chapter shows Ahn frantically trying on clothes -- in an adorably absurd twist, she ends up going on a date with an inflatable dinosaur.

The rest of the five-track mini album is full of gems. “Blue” is a jazzy number that would feel at home the adult contemporary category. “Fix Me” is a bright song featuring vocal runs reminiscent of Jason Mraz. “Imagine” is a mellow acoustic tune adorned with quirky percussion built around the snapping of fingers. The duo plays up its strengths with the ballad “To My Youth,” which highlights vocalist Ahn’s penchant for bending her notes.