Wei is a group composed of participants from different reality shows like Produce 101, YG Treasure Box, and Under Nineteen. Although their shows may have not worked out, they were able to come from different backgrounds together to form Wei. Looking at their first and second singles, you would think they are two completely different groups. It looks like they were testing the waters with different concepts to see which one fit with them best.
Now with “Too Bad” it seems they may have settled on the cuter side of K-pop. Although the bubbly sound suits them and helps them stand out, Wei is lacking creativity when it comes to “Too Bad.” Their MV incorporates different styles with no cohesion which, unfortunately, resulted in one of their less unique MVs.
It can be hard to break into the K-pop scene when it seems like every kind of concept has already been done. Although there is no need to completely stay away from tropes, you do want to make sure that your MV has the chance to catch everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, for Wei, their MV sticks to too many tropes and does not allow their initial concept to fully develop.
With “Too Bad” the members are flustered by the appearance of a lady dressed in cowgirl apparel, who shoots them with cupid’s arrows. It is a good start to an MV, but it fails to take the concept to its full potential. The second part of the MV also presents a clever scene with the members passing a heart in a suitcase like its a stolen diamond. Eventually, they do come back around to the cupid’s arrow in the last scene, but the MV still feels lacking. If they would have started in the beginning, and stuck with the action movie-based concept, maybe the MV would have felt more cohesive.
The use of symbols like hearts and cupid’s arrows to represent a crush is sweet, but the MV is full of too many filler scenes. The scenes switch back and forth from a bright and sunny scene to a dark gas station with flickering lights. It is a bit of a disconnect and does not add too much to the MV’s central concept regarding their girl crush. Daehyeon, himself, has a sudden rap break with lightning and cars, creating even more of a distance from the central concept. Overall, it was a mix of tropes with nothing to really pull the MV together and to tie the song into the story.
The phrase “too bad” can have a negative connotation meaning something is “just okay” or that something is not as bad as they thought it would be. However, the song interprets it more positively by referring to a day that is going perfectly. While the MV points to a girl crush, the lyrics are surprisingly generic with not much reference to love until we get to the rap breaks. During the rap portions, we understand that the voice of the song is just in awe and in love with someone. While in the chorus, the voice is just feeling cheerful about their day. Ultimately, it is basically a feel-good song about feeling the high of having a crush on someone:
Too bad (Na-na-na-na-na)
Because the sky is prettier for no particular reason
Not too bad (Na-na-na-na-na)
Of all days, today the temperature, this feeling, everything (Perfect)
The group decided to keep the dance simplistic with easy hand motions and footwork. With a pop song like “Too Bad,” the basic routine fits nicely. There is never anything wrong with going with an easier choreography since it means fans can easily copy it themselves to join along with the song. Especially with a feel-good song, it is appropriate to see lots of hopping, hand gestures, and smiling faces to just keep the cheerful tone going on.
Wei’s “Too Bad” is a cute pop melody but the MV fails to create enough memorable scenes. There was a lack of cohesion between the scenes, and the central concept was not fully strung through the MV. As Wei are still starting out, they may still try to venture into other genres with their sound. However, it is great to see more playful and feel-good music in K-pop since there are so many dark and moody songs. Hopefully, as Wei continues to explore their sound they will also incorporate braver concepts in their MVs.
