K-pop summer MVs tend to have a lot of the same concepts: pools, beaches, florals, and lots of sunlight. It can get repetitive but adding a unique song or bringing in a different concept can keep it from feeling overused. GFriend star in an oasis-themed MV for their comeback single, “Fever.”
The MV has no plot and is instead full of imageries of tropical and desert images along with your typical summer tropes. An oasis is a source of water in deserted areas. In a sense, they symbolize life and safety during a hopeless time. In this MV, in relation to the song, they represent a source of love. There are several representations of vegetation in the middle of random places like a gas station and classroom. The members are often in the middle of this man-made oasis creating a sense that they are part of that haven.
Not every scene is based on an oasis but still tied into their desert concept. There’s an interesting scene where Umji is holding a clear umbrella in the middle of a desert. Obviously, it is a useless umbrella– there is no rain in the desert and it is not providing shade either. She is joined by three other members in some of their more brighter outfits in the MV which contrasts nicely with the neutral colors of the desert. It creates a disjointed but aesthetically pleasing scene in the MV.
Their clothing choices stand out in this MV from their neutral colored outfits to their subtle use of color. It keeps their rather generic and repetitive dance routine more interesting as well. The first is their most unique which are sexy black outfits, only Eunha is in a tan one, that is not exactly what you think of when you are in a tropical setting. However, it does bring out their more sensual sides which ties into the song. They also wear 90’s hip hop inspired outfits that consist of white, black, and cool blues. The shots tend to switch back and forth from both outfits creating a contrast from dark to light. Their last dancing outfits are solid black and white outfits which also creates contrast against the night sky at the end of their MV.
It is only during the dance scenes that the members look like they are enjoying themselves. For the rest of the MV, they have rather serious expressions that borderline on sensual. The MV switches from the dance routine to stills of the members in different settings where the members just stare into the camera like they are there for a photoshoot for Instagram. The members are sometimes wearing florals with pops of pink, blue, and lime green which against more neutral colored backgrounds. Again, this MV is all about the aesthetics and they definitely nailed that part.
The lyrics of the song play well into the concept for the MV but they could have taken it further. The persona of the song explains that their love is hot like a tropical setting. While the desert and tropics are completely different ecosystems, the oasis brings them together to form an overall concept for the MV. The main thing missing is more of a romantic and sensual aspect of the MV that could have tied back into the song better:
I want to show you this moment without regret
I just want to make your heart beat
I’m in a love that’s like a tropical night under the shining moonlight
You and I
While it is great that GFriend is experimenting with their sound, they chose a rather dated tropical pop song. Regardless, each of the members have beautiful vocals. SinB is one of the highlights of the song with her incredibly short rap verse that almost gives the song a hip-hop moment. However, it is short-lived and not enough to update the song to today’s trends.
The MV for “Fever” is full of several beautiful images of the tropics, deserts, and man-made oasis that ties into the tropical metaphor of the song. The ladies experiment with several different outfits which brings some life into their dance routine. The MV could have taken their oasis concept just a touch further to fully bring out the sensuality of the song more. Regardless, the MV for “Fever” currently stands out from summer MVs with their oasis concept.
