N.Flying nabbed their first music show win with “Rooftop” earlier this year, and since then the band has been actively preparing for their comeback. Their newest release, “Spring Memories,” deviates from their previous upbeat and rocking hit. Even in the MV teasers, the pastel palette and flourishing of blossoms set the tone for the song. As spring wafts towards its final weeks, N.Flying offers listeners a tune to enjoy the falling petals and reminisce fonder memories.
Spring, as described by the group, is a period of transition between the cold winter and vibrant summer. The song seeks to paint a picture of the various changes in temperature, mapping this onto the various degrees of warmth in a relationship. The band has chosen not to fixate on new and passionate love but focused the song’s narrative thread on the rediscovery of memories. Spring opens a new chapter and a new year, and the band has played out this notion in the slow melting of what seems to be a stagnated relationship and love gone cold.
This particular storyline plays out in the MV as an interesting picture trail treasure hunt. The female protagonist receives a photo from her ex-lover who tells her the weather is one he thinks suits her. She expresses reluctance at responding, but as the day goes by, she receives more photos that prod her to think about the good times spent at these locations.
As the female protagonist looks out at the beautiful weather from her dimly lit office, she resolves to head out and follow the path mapped out by these photos. She slowly retraces these steps back into the past, and even as she does so, she moves closer towards her other half. The lyrics describes this gradual movement beautifully:
Like autumn leaves drifting into the water in a dream
Like a white windmill spinning
The MV carefully deals with the notion of reconnecting with a past love, with a gentleness that flows from the gorgeous landscapes and overwhelming flower blossoms. For a love that has gone cold, “Spring Memories” seems to be suggesting that it is not a sudden lighting of a flame that is most effective. The slowly tingling of past memories is sufficient to slowly melt away a hardened heart.
The MV is not one that seeks to conclude with a happily ever after. It is a song that describes the opening up of a door, the beginning of an opportunity to rediscover love. After all, the male protagonist in the MV is not depicted as one desperate to recapture his other half. He, just like the female protagonist, is also retracing his memories. One particular scene in the MV even shows them brushing shoulders and they miss each other despite being a breath apart from each other.
The song might not be the most revolutionary, but it builds an interesting metaphor using spring and the gradual process of recovering from the freezing cold. The music itself mixes a more melodic instrumental composition with moments of more rhythmic lyrical delivery, matching the very notion of transition between seasons, even between states of love. Such a musical choice then best suits the two vocalists to the band, with Seung-hyub being more suited to the upbeat lines while Hwe-seung’s more melancholic voice delivering the chorus.
“Spring Memories” is not exactly the song to play at a party, but as the weather takes a turn for the better, it is certainly a tune that is worthwhile to play as one soaks in thoughts about the past. Autumn is usually the season to delve into pensive thoughts, but N.Flying has painted an equally serene picture of spring. The instrumental line is not overwhelming, gently playing in the background and serving as a complement to the melodious vocal delivery of the tune.
At the end of the MV, the male protagonist is in fact surprised to see the female protagonist appear at the doorstep to his café. Just as spring signals the end of a long and depressing cold season, “Spring Memories” describes the process of watching the ice melt away to make way for the breath-taking blossoming flowers and possibly even love.
N.Flying is a group that has witnessed a fair share of ups and downs in the short time since their debut. From recruiting main vocal Hweseung to the loss of bassist Kwang-jin, the idol band is trying their best to build a name for themselves. Their efforts have clearly turned out to be successful, with their versatility in music shining through. They can rock hits onstage with their seniors, F.T Island, have expanded to the Japanese market, yet manage to tug at heartstrings with more whimsical tunes like “Spring Memories.” It is no wonder that F.T Island’s Hongki adores them so much as his juniors, and perhaps K-pop fans will also grow to love this band in time.
