If “Time of Our Life” was a summer bop for us to freely dance around in our room, “Sweet Chaos” is a head-banger that stops the cold winds of fall from sweeping us away. Coming back with the second instalment to The Book of Us series, Day6 released The Book of Us: Entropy, accompanied with a music video for the title track, “Sweet Chaos.”
According to Young K, Entropy features the process of changes in a relationship between two people, where the first six tracks are positive and the latter six are more negative and icy. “Sweet Chaos” falls under the first six tracks, where the song explores how one’s life has changed drastically having met someone, and the music video adds to the chaotic and wild nature of the song.
With “Sweet Chaos” having the fastest BPM out of all their songs thus far, it was surprising to see that the music video started off considerably slowly. The music video begins in a black and white shot, where the members slowly walk up the stage. For the first verse and chorus, the music video is in monochrome, providing viewers with stagnant shots of the members with the occasional panning to left and right. These static shots suggest that before meeting the person who “reversed and overturned” their life, they were living in a motionless space where everything was boring and slow-moving.
The world that I’ve been living in,
Because of you, it’s been
Reversed and overturned–
Right is left, left is right
It is only after the first chorus when colour starts to bleed into the music video, reminiscent of the movie Pleasantville, where the characters become “coloured” after experiencing something out of their comfort zone. The walls of the stage break away, allowing the claustrophobic and stagnant atmosphere to dissolve. The idea of walls breaking down can be a reference to one putting their guard down to explore something new. Although turbulent and chaotic, one is still able to enjoy themselves and the new sensations that they are experiencing.
The music video also incorporates special effects such as shards breaking away from its structure, distortion effects used on the members at times, as well as part of the members fading away during the bridge (Day6, I don’t feel so good…). The use of such special effects, paired with the melody of the song, creates a volatile atmosphere, but also expresses the passion one feels towards this new encounter.
Furthermore, in the last chorus, there are more cuts to the different members as compared to the beginning of the song. The MV also switches from a bright white light to a warm yellow light in each cut. The use of sudden and drastic changes at a higher speed increases the turbulence the viewer is already experiencing, and the changes in the colour of light creates a jarring effect, thus adding to the chaotic nature of the song.
Interestingly, such effects do not push the viewer away from the music video, but rather pulls them in even further. Although chaotic, it is considerably balanced as it never feels as if there is too much happening onscreen. Each shot has its own focal point to direct the viewer’s attention. This balance is essential in proving that despite the overwhelming feeling one experiences when their lives have begun interweaving with someone else’s, it is never too overwhelming to the point where there is a need to pull away from the relationship.
The music video ends slowly, coming down from a high that is the last chorus. By slowing down the ending of the song and the MV, the viewer is able to relish in the excitement from the previous shots and leaves them wanting for more. The song ends with Sungjin singing, “But I like,” and it accurately represents the feelings viewers have after watching the music video. Despite the craziness that comes with having another person enter your life, it continues to be such a thrill and pleasant feeling that leaves you craving for more.
Day6 has once again exceeded my expectations — I had refrained from listening to teasers of the song and the album samplers before its release, but expected something along the lines of “I Wait” from the promotional pictures and interviews. With banger after banger being released, it does not seem like Day6 will be ending their no-bad-songd streak anytime soon. Truly, in Day6 we trust.
(Naver, YouTube, YonHap News, Images via JYP Entertainment)
