Ever since their debut nearly a year ago, rookie girl group Weeekly have been on the rise. Between having nabbed multiple new artist awards last year and the success of their latest comeback “After School,” the group is an obvious choice when it comes to brand marketing. Davich Eye Wear saw the endorsement potential in the group, choosing them to represent the company’s new Tension 7-Day Lens with the new song “7 Days Tension” and a corresponding MV. While the MV’s plot suffers from a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, “7 Days Tension” ultimately shows off both the contact lenses and Weeekly’s summer charm.
As any fan knows, K-pop summer starts long before the beginning of the season, with late spring ushering in vibrant colors, loud choruses, and upbeat melodies. Davich has capitalized on this, pushing their Tension 7-Day Lens collection as the next must-have accessory for a new summer romance. With a catchy chorus that’s borderline vapid in its repetitiveness and starry-eyed lyrics of love, “7 Days Tension” promises just that:
The world looks different (Looks different)
It’s so beautiful (Oh beautiful)
Everything’s changed since I met you
Musically, the track — composed in part by Astro’s Rocky — is your typical bubbly summer song. The melody stays in the upper register, relying on its cheerful and airy quality to keep the song moving. It’s nothing complex in terms of composition, though the subtle acoustic rhythm guitar that underlies much of the song is a pleasant surprise when set against the predominantly EDM track. While “7 Days Tension” has little build, the break in the bridge when the EDM effects are stripped away and the song is allowed to dip a little lower in tone offers a much needed change in pace. It would’ve been nice if this led to the final chorus having more impact, but the song is enjoyable without it all the same, and likely to be added to many summer playlists regardless.
The video, meanwhile, starts with the girls planning for a day out, taking particular care in helping a downtrodden Zoa to gussy up and look her best. The finishing touch, of course, is a colorful pair of Tension 7-Day contact lenses. Once she puts these in, her whole demeanor shifts from apprehensive to positively joyous. The same happens when a bogged-down-by-work Soeun is presented with lenses. Only then, are the girls able to go out and enjoy the summer weather, clad in vibrant clothing and pool inflatables. And this is where the video shines. The goal from Davich is simple: wear our lenses and you’ll have just as much fun as Weeekly.
The MV would be perfect if such a simple summer plot was the only focus; however, things start to fall apart when the video consistently cuts to the choreography. Whereas the shots of the girls getting ready and going about their days are fun and full of bright oranges, yellows, reds, and more, the performance shots shift to a pastel color scheme. And while the girls themselves are no less exuberant, the soft blues and purples feel at odds with the summer vibe of the song and the rest of the video.
On top of this, the luminescent set is reminiscent of a disco ball, which plays up the slight touch of 80’s synths in the chorus to remind you that the retro trend still has the K-pop industry in a chokehold. This isn’t a bad thing by itself, as the simple set highlights Weeekly’s playful choreography in a way that’s infectious enough to sell any product they might be endorsing, but when the product is contact lenses, the video is better left to close-ups of the members.
At the end of the day, the MV for “7 Days Tension” was made to sell contact lenses and though it’s a fun watch overall that’s sure to liven up any fan’s summer, the video does best when it lets the girls market the intended product. Unfortunately, the lenses tend to get lost as the video shifts back and forth between shots of choreography and of the girls at various summer activities so abruptly that it never really feels cohesive. The song is meant to be an ad for eye lenses, but with so much color and a concept that somehow straddles summer and retro without fully committing to either, “7 Days Tension” could use a little focus.
(YouTube. Lyrics and images via Play M Entertainment.)
