u/yunseul_lover

Starting from the title track for Imperfect-I’mperfect era, I will do a deep dive song analysis for some FIFTY FIFTY songs (not sure if I’ll do all of them or will just stick to my favorites). I feel like this is the perfect time to talk about what I appreciate about these songs, since I’ve sat with them for some time now. And I just love talking about music and production choices in general.

Out of all of FIFTY FIFTY title tracks, I can confidently say that after sitting with ‘Like a Bubble’ for a month, it’s my favorite. I listen to it all the time (even have a dedicated playlist for it when I’m commuting), and it always puts me in a good mood. And similar to a lot of music that I tend to gravitate to in kpop spaces, it’s easy listening on the ears but has a lot of layers to it when you truly peel it back. To be honest, I fell in love with a style of kpop that’s not as prominent now in the kpop world where strong and polarizing sounds gets the most talked about. Songs that make you feel like you’re floating on air or on the happiest place on earth or that everyone can be described as singing with a smile. Some other older songs in this style that I love are Honey by KARA, Kiss Kiss by LABOUM, White Day by Cotton Candy, and Day 1 by Red Velvet. Everyone sings so brightly and softly and the instrumental is so smooth so much so that it feels like you’re being wrapped in a soft blanket.

It’s not to say I don’t like songs on the more chaotic and energetic side (because I have playlists dedicated to those type of sounds too), but it’s just that you can only listen to that kind of sound so many times before you need to take a break because you can get overwhelmed by how busy it gets. And to be honest, I think a large part in why I don’t like that type of sound as much as I did 2-3 years ago when it was all the rage in 4th gen is because I feel like topliners across the board have gotten lazy. I used to live for multiple earworm hooks in a row that you could find in between these noisy chaotic sounds that really grounded the melody in the fast paced instrumental, but now it feels like it’s so much harder to find songs where the instrumental matches the melody. I feel the exact opposite way with ‘Like a Bubble’.

Not only is the song in a genre that I truly love, but the topline and harmonic choices are truly amazing. The topline is so fun and jazzy (I never studied jazz so I can’t say if it ever fully follows the conventions of jazz) and it remains bouncy and bubbly (pun intended) throughout the entire piece. The triplets used in the “rise on the breeze 흘러가 in the sky” part is so cool and you barely hear that used in kpop. And it doesn’t sound out of place or unnatural to the song but it sits rights in and rides on the beat. The swing rhythm throughout the song really comes out in the live version they performed (I really want that version released on streaming 😭) and it overall makes you really want to get and groove and the song progresses.

And as someone who LIVES for slightly dissonant harmonies it’s so cool to see them included in the chorus of this track. I feel like the slight dissonance creates this sense of eeriness that’s only intensified by the whisper-like enchanting stretched out on the word bubble. And this totally contrasts the tighter more traditional harmonies that are used in the second verse and chorus of the song. One of my favorite uses of harmony in the song is near the end where they are in the final chorus and Chanelle does the highest harmony on the “floating so high high” and then brings that highest harmony into the final “like a bubble” to make you truly feel like you’re floating on air. There’s so much intentional restraint during the “high high” part that it’s almost as if the bubble is about to pop like they say in the song.

The lyrics of the song are just as meaningful. And I think my favorite lyrics are in the pre-choruses that Keena and Chanelle melodically rap where they explain their feelings or thoughts by comparing it to a bubble floating around in the air w no direction just doing whatever it likes. It is soooo good. That part is so ear catchy (again a really good topline) but at the same time express so much about the essence of the song in so little words through what basically sound-wise feels like onomatopoeia to my ears.

I know a lot of people here care about what’s the next song that’s gonna give them their big break, but for me, this title track is the most satisfying. I can easily hear it playing on the radio and me turning it up because it’s such a little tune. I feel like as a piece of music itself it has a ton to offer into their musical landscape. And I’m truly delighted so much work and effort went into making this track a delight to listen to. Anyways, I’ll be back here again to talk obsessively about my next favorite tune. If you have any thoughts to share about what you liked about Like a Bubble, I hope you’ll leave your them in the replies and add on to the conversation.

I usually don’t post in here, but I think I will just start posting more of my thoughts here that I don’t really get to share. To be honest, I kinda don’t like that most of the focus each era is about how well the comeback is performing compared to others or past releases or shop talk about what they could’ve done better without appreciating what did happen, so I’ll start posting about more things I care about and hopefully more people will join in.

I recently watched a livestream with Athena and Yewon where they sung a bunch of songs near the end of the livestream, and I just really want to shoutout how much both of them have grown since debut. Looking back at older videos, I feel like they were the most in their shells when it came to singing. Not saying that they weren’t good because I’ve been impressed with everyone’s skills since the start, but they both struggled for different reasons. Athena had the least amount of training than all the members, and I feel like that weighs on her mind in terms of wanting to meet a high standard that she’s set for herself but is still working towards. Also, she mentioned in a behind before about being scared about losing her vocal color due to a change in her technique. And Yewon talked more recently about struggling due to her vocal cords not being in good shape during debut and having to work through it via vocal exercises.

But you can really feel that they’ve grown past a lot of what they’ve been struggling with this comeback. When I listened to those songs in that live, Athena’s singing voice sounded so much more grounded and resonant . And Yewon went for notes, even some higher ones, with more power than I’ve seen her execute before. Of course, all the FIFTY FIFTY members work hard on their craft. That’s why you see them always at the company and hear other members working on things in the background. Truly, out of the majority of active groups, I see them as the most hardworking and it’s well reflected in each subsequent release they come out with.

I also hope they’re able to share more of how hard they work in the future in some form of video format (I loved those diary sessions they did during Day & Night era) so more fans can be appreciative of all the effort they put on behind the scenes when they’re not doing a live or spending time on Bubble talking to fans. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work and I hope they’re all able to succeed and continue growing in the future. I’m curious if anyone else noticed any other small changes in the members this comeback and era? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!