Falling out of love is a hard thing to do. It usually makes one a little bitter, if not remorseful or even angry. When all is said and done, romance seems to be a thing of the past, and it doesn’t seem like we could ever be capable of love or loving again. Like Min says in this song, “…hardened hearts cannot be thrilled again.”
But sometimes, a flicker of something new comes along, and sparks what we thought couldn’t be sparked. An unexpected, unchartered flame impassions the depths of desire, the very desires we never thought could be impassioned again. Perhaps by just a fleeting glance, a dirty smirk, or in this case, a soft touch.
Such are the emotions painted in the gothic romance that is miss A‘s “Touch” MV. JYP‘s female quartet is about to make their comeback to the pop scene and — without having stepped back on stage just yet — are already topping the charts with the title song from their newest mini-album, “Touch.” This dark yet beautifully crafted music video showcases the girls’ expert choreography and bleeds heavy emotion, the song itself hauntingly catchy in rhythm and beat. In short, it is just dying to picked apart. Shall we start?
Gorgeous. That was all I had to say after the first screening of this MV. I was really quite taken aback at how intricate some of the scenes were, as I can’t recall anything quite like this ever coming from JYP before, at least for his girl groups. For instance, there seems to be a lot more meaning in the aesthetics of the set and wardrobe. The use of distinct outfits, for example, segment the lyrics emotionally.
The black lace dresses seem to symbolize the beginning of new temptation — a shred of disbelief tainted with a piqued interest for a new discovery. While in black, the girls can be seen experiencing that ‘touch’ they so readily crave, relishing in the newfound desire but at times also wearing faces of hesitancy (primarily in the beginning). The choreography and the chorus are performed in white, as the girls fall victim to the ‘touch’ and allow themselves to be consumed by the emotion. Following color connotation, perhaps this new muse has turned an empty, dark soul bright, and made it pure again, by allowing love back into the heart.
As far as the sets go, I loved the use of the house interior, draped in reds and full of dead flowers, and the cave-looking set, whose backdrop looked like the middle of a rose. The gothic house interior functions to amplify the emotion of the song — mingling desperation, darkness, and romance with the furniture, the lighting, even the flowers, as the emotions mingle throughout song. The dance set was just cool to look at, and the colors complimented the girls ribbed outfits well. I didn’t care much for the fancy wall effects or the projected images seen here and there in the MV — it gave off a kind of cheap club feel at times, and I didn’t really see a point to them other than extra, unnecessary jazz. Overall though, I was impressed with the cinematography, and sans the lame video effects, everything visual came together flawlessly.
Execution: 4 out 5
Of all the choreography that I’ve ever seen miss A do, I think the “Touch” choreo is hands down my favorite. It’s delicate where it needs to be delicate, and sharp where is needs to be sharp. I also appreciate how the choreography plays with the beats of the song rather than coming off as robotic and overly planned. I give the girls mad props for their execution of this on-point choreography, and for paying attention to the emotion as it was necessary.
Fei and Jia’s emotions are nearly tangible, and Suzy, well even Suzy’s expressions don’t look half-assed for once. However Min, oh Min — I really wish I could have had at least one other face from Min than the blank stare. Yeah, she can dance her heart out and until the cows come home, but if there’s nothing going on upstairs, what am I supposed to feel? Blankness? Not having it. Anyways, apart from Min failing to use the rest of her facial muscles, the girls really brought the precision for the choreo and the emotion for their line delivery, making for excellent execution.
X-Factor: 4 out of 5
This MV does a fairly good job of making you think and making you feel, or in other words, brings to the table significant intellectual and emotional value: a dark, melancholy soul washed anew by the touch of something rich and refreshing, something that awakens passion where it was once thought passion was dead. I’m very much liking what I see — the aesthetic and the story line, as well as the choreography (I cannot get over how much I love this choreo, sorry…) Also, this is a gentler, more feminine side of miss A we haven’t got to see very much from their past works, and I think going for that different image is what adds to the appeal of the MV. The MV does, however, lack some extra oomph — like a dramatic storyline or even more complex choreography. It’s definitely not your run of the mill MV for a girl group, that’s for sure. But still, I feel like JYP could have slapped me with a little more story or something to really give it all the X-factor it had the potential to have.
I’m going to be honest — I was never a big fan of miss A. Personally, their songs were never that extraordinary to me, and their past concepts, in my opinion, have looked rather gimmicky. But “Touch” has turned me into a fan, practically overnight. I like this edge of miss A, and in perspective, it speaks well to the versatility of their group. I’m excited for them to make their comeback to the music stage with “Touch,” as well as what else they have in store for us as they return to the scene.
(missA)
