Beat Win recently had its comeback with the song, “Stalker”. The title should’ve been enough to raise some eyebrows. However, did the final product come out as creepy as it sounds?
The lyrics start off pretty innocent as the members speak tentatively to a crush, wondering if she likes them. However, things go down hill pretty quickly as they declare that they have a villainous character akin to the Joker.
So no one else can come between us
Is this love, what is this?
Are we lovers or not?
I don’t really know
But I’m not a nice guy
I’m the greatest villain, joker
Some people call me STALKER
They go from tentative to obsessive very quickly as they use language to describe the situation as a ‘competition’. For instance, the lyrics allude to there needing to be a winner in romantic actions like hugs and kisses. This just makes the idea of ‘love’ in this song messy, as it romanticizes possessiveness and obsession. So what do you think?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-Hr-kLLew&w=560&h=315]
The song’s opening immediately gets the viewers’ attention; packed with attitude, it really makes a statement. However, it is unfortunate that what follows doesn’t seem to match up to that hype. The vocals and the backings seem to be in contest with each other throughout most of the song. The backings are supposed to sound edgy and tough but they just take over; overshadowing the vocals and making the song sound messy. Despite this, there are some good moments that particularly stand out like when the group collectively sing down the scale or when the backings become simpler, choosing to build to the chorus. The song grew on me the more I listened to it, once I learned to drown out the backings and just focus on the vocals. In this case, simplicity would’ve been the best style choice for this song as it declutters, allowing the listener to focus on things the group does well. Without that direction, the song is as messy as its message.
The MV is dance-focused as the dance makes up about 50% of the video. Beat Win may have tried to make the male version of Girl’s Day‘s “Expectation” with this song as suspenders feature heavily in the dance. The choreography is powerful and packed with attitude, clearly reflecting the attitude of the song. However, the impact of the dance is significantly hindered by the cinematography of the MV. While the camera work does follow the groups movement throughout the MV, it does not enhance the dance or the song at all. By using shots that are unfocused and switch to awkward angles that only show parts of the group, the director has made the dance very hard to follow.
The other 50% of the video was dedicated shots of them in the street, looking out windows, running to or following a woman, proving that they are in fact ‘stalkers’. There has been a deliberate decision made not to show the woman’s face in order to make her seem mysterious. Certain shots stand out for this like the opening shot of her silhouette against the sky at sunset which is both mysterious and beautiful; this encompasses her character in the MV’s narrative completely. However, others fall short due to the fact that the director of this video has decided to continue with his partial shots of her; leaving her half outside the frame at some points. It is a deliberate style choice and unfortunately it only takes away from the impact of the video and makes it messy.
While the MV definitely provides Beat Win with a strong image, this is chipped away by the messiness and the message of the song and MV. Despite this, there are some promising moments throughout the MV that allow this group to hint at the talent that is being hidden by this song. “Stalker” lived up to its name and that can almost never be good. Hopefully, their next release will show the group’s full potential.
Did “Stalker” live up to your expectations?
Song Rating: 1.5/5
MV Rating: 2/5
(YouTube, Images via Heavenly Star Contents)
