It's increasingly common for K-Pop groups to craft their own storylines and universes, which we generally see from their various MVs. DREAMCATCHER, PIXY, WJSN and the multiple group-spanning SM Culture Universe are all part of this phenomenon but apart from them, there's another contender for most well-developed K-Pop "storyline" and that is Blockberry Creative's (BBC) resident girl group LOONA. Otherwise known as "Girl of the Month", the 12-member group has been in the works since late 2016, with each member releasing their own solo tracks before their official debut in 2018. Ever since then, Orbits (fandom name) have theorised about the LOONAVERSE, which supposedly ties together many of the group's tracks to form one big storyline and now we're getting a possible continuation of that with their fourth EP "[&]". There's a lot to unpack here so without further ado, let's explore LOONA's latest title track PTT (Paint the Town) (henceforth referred to as PTT).
Meaning: I won't break down the entire LOONAVERSE theory here, that's a whole separate post on its own so here's a brief explanation. The LOONAVERSE is described as a universe existing on a Mobius strip, with the group's 3 sub-units existing in different realms, all of which represent different things. Essentially, this universe exists in a loop and events will keep repeating themselves over and over again. Again, I'm not going to explain the entire story because that would take forever but PTT is the next step in the LOONAVERSE's mythos. Before I start though, I do want to mention that there's been no official confirmation by BBC about the LOONAVERSE's timeline so it's up to Orbits to form a coherent storyline.
As someone who hasn't followed the LOONAVERSE from the start, I have no
idea what it's really about so I'm just going off the official description on their YouTube channel. "[&]" explains why the girls had to break their rules and become one with one another after making "bigger waves of change". While their various B-sides all have their own meaning, we're only taking a look at the title track, which has the girls seeking to redefine themselves without having to worry about taboos or the image that others impose on them. For short, they want to "Paint the Town" in their own unique colour, which is why that phrase is repeated throughout the choruses.
The song itself seeks to portray LOONA as far more ferocious and wilder than they've ever been, which is quite evident in the lyrics as well as the song's overall sound (more on the second bit later). In the pre-choruses, we hear the members sing about breaking taboos and putting on a show, and throughout the song, the girls are very aggressive and are definitely giving off the vibe that they're beyond rules. I also want to point out something that could be referencing the LOONAVERSE's looping nature and that's Kim Lip's bridge lines, where she sings that "[keeping] the 12 different doors open [might cause someone] to face [them] again". These lines could be referring to how the members of LOONA are becoming one and also how no matter what, the Mobius strip that the LOONAVERSE exists on will always bring someone back to the start, where they'll see LOONA once again.
MV: As far as I understand, PTT's MV is meant to expand the LOONAVERSE and should contain storyline shots. Of course, being the LOONA heathen I am, I'm totally clueless about the group's lore so I won't be able to give a proper explanation of such shots. Anyway, just like with most K-Pop MVs, we get the usual group and individual dance shots as well as visual shots, all of which take place in only two set pieces. The one we see most often is a giant circular stone room with sand on the floor and it's primarily used for their group dance shots. Depending on the outfits worn by the girls, the set alternates between dark and bright tones, and these changes are shown to happen because of alterations in the "sky", where we see different planets shifting around, a clear reference to the LOONAVERSE idea.
This particular set also brings us into another dimension of sorts, where the room itself disappears and all we see is an eerie red sky with lightning flashing in the background. In general though, this stone room set is actually quite minimalist, there isn't too much going on when it's time for the group dance shots but occasionally, some members do get individual screen time here. The one we see the most is Olivia Hye, who bangs a huge taiko drum while elevated on a white concrete block, as well as Kim Lip, who simply stands on that same block. Kim Lip's solo shot is probably a storyline shot since that is the MV's opening scene and does kind of round it out as well, although instead of Kim Lip at the end it's JinSoul. There's probably some LOONAVERSE significance here but I wouldn''t know.
The only other set in the MV is basically a narrow corridor filled with all sorts of bits and baubles everywhere. It's quite visually confusing because there're mannequins in the background, we see chairs and even doors propped up on the wall, it's a whole mess. This set doesn't appear all that often and only features a few of the members. While we do see some of them dancing here, it's mostly used for visual shots, such as with Heejin lounging on an armchair while planets float around her or Yves being the visual goddess she is. This corridor set also goes through colour changes depending on which member is there, sometimes taking on blue tones when JinSoul is there, other times maintaining a more natural sunlit appearance.
This comeback also marks the long-awaited return of leader Haseul, who has been on a mental health hiatus for a little over a year now, and the MV references that by giving us a couple of individual shots which liken Haseul to a phoenix, a mythical bird that burns itself up and rises from the ashes, born anew. All these shots have our leader either on fire or with fire in the background (such as having a pair of burning wings behind her) so I think this imagery is definitely quite accurate. PTT is a huge change for LOONA and this MV encapsulates that perfectly, from the darker vibe to the more powerful sound (see Song). There're a good number of fairly unnerving solo shots of the girls as well, especially the close-ups of their glowing eyes and the MV's overall feel is very reminiscent of PIXY's Wings, another very dark girl group song.
One gripe I do have with this MV which is shared by many Orbits is the lack of screen time for members Vivi and Go Won. It's bad enough that these two have peanuts for lines (see Line Distribution) but we barely even see them in the MV. It also doesn't help that our best look at the girls was in one of the most dynamic parts of the choreography and the MV was oscillating between shadows and brightness, creating a disorienting effect that didn't do any favours for them. This creative choice has bamboozled Orbits, who demand justice for Vivi and Go Won, both for their lack of screen time and lines.
Styling: There are two primary outfits used in this MV, one white and one black, both of which are featured in dance sequences. The white outfits are generally the same for all the girls, with some slight differences here and there. Most of them are dressed in relatively short dresses with long pieces of fabric tied around their waist, making them seem very ethereal and otherworldly. Some of the members also have grey accents on their clothing and red thread holding everything together. The black outfits are completely different. While their brighter counterparts give off a fairly innocent vibe, the darker clothing is full-on badass, decking the girls out in fierce warrior-like leather that matches the red lightning-filled sky background. Perfect for PTT's stronger sound.
Other than these two dance outfits, the individual members do get their own outfits with their own styles and colours. Some of these are actually quite reminiscent of previous comebacks, such as last October's Why Not? but the most important ones are Kim Lip and (presumably) JinSoul's individual shots at the start and end of the MV. Like I mentioned before those scenes are probably quite important to the LOONAVERSE's development and interestingly enough, the two girls are dressed in outfits very similar to what the group wore with their debut title Hi High, namely a white blouse and either a red or blue skirt.
Something I do want to mention is that PTT's MV has been embroiled in some controversy because of certain styling choices for the girls. In some of Hyunjin and Vivi's individual shots, you'll see them wearing jewelry headpieces and some of LOONA's Indian fans are taking umbrage at the use of these headpieces. Considering how similar the jewelry is to actual adornments worn by Indian women for different purposes, there were understandably calls of cultural appropriation, something that's increasingly common in K-Pop MVs. I'm not Indian myself so I can't say whether this is appropriation or appreciation but if you look at the fact that PTT itself adopts a very Bollywood sound (something the producers and BBC hasn't shied away from explaining), it could be very well be that the headpieces are meant to be an homage to the traditions rather than just being used for the sake of it.
Song: Right off the bat, PTT is very different from LOONA's previous titles and the producers have wholeheartedly acknowledged that fact. We know that the song takes a lot of inspiration from Bollywood songs so there's definitely what I'll refer to as an "Indian" influence to the sound of PTT. This is most apparent in the song's opening, verses and post-chorus while becoming far less prominent in the pre-choruses, chorus and bridge. The instrumental heavily relies on a very loud percussion as well as utilising either the Bansuri or Venu (both of which are Indian flutes) for the melody, which adds a very hypnotic snake-charmer-like aspect to the song. Like I just mentioned, this Bollywood sound isn't permeated through the entire song because once you hit the pre-chorus, the beat becomes a bit more conventional. I don't really know how to explain it but essentially it felt like a Rihanna song, specifically Disturbia or S&M, especially considering the powerful nature of both songs.
Something else that I thought was pretty interesting is how similar PTT was to many older K-Pop songs. For example, the first verse with Heejin and Choerry sounded a lot like Red Velvet's Zimzalabim but that could've been a coincidence considering the brighter nature of those first few lines. However, something that's a lot more noticeable is how PTT sounds like BLACKPINK's How You Like That, and I'm not the only one who thinks this because someone has made a mashup of both songs where the lyrics to PTT are played over How You Like That's instrumental and it fits really well. This is most likely because both songs make use of very loud and brash chorus with not much actual lyrics, and it definitely helped that PTT's sound is also really dark. Another similarity I found was between PTT's final chorus and EVERGLOW's Adios, both of which had heavy Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. Go on, give it a listen and you'll know what I mean.
I do like PTT, I think it's a breath of fresh air from LOONA and also a better song than Why Not?. The entire song is generally quite nice to listen to but I definitely think that the pre-chorus and choruses are the best parts of the song. Heavy girl crush music is commonplace in K-Pop nowadays and although PTT is not the first to attempt this, I think the song is unique enough to still be fire and even if you aren't the biggest fan of the Bollywood influences, they're not so heavy that you can't enjoy the rest of the song.
Line distribution: No fixed positions, trash distribution
As a 12-member group, it can be very hard to expect a fair line distribution for LOONA's songs. Heck, even groups with 7 members can have terrible distributions so I didn't have high hopes for PTT's, especially because LOONA isn't known for having fair distributions. Of course, I was absolutely right. Unlike many groups, LOONA's members don't have fixed positions, in fact it's the group's concept to have alternating positions every comeback. For example, one comeback could have Haseul and Chuu as main vocals while the next time we see them, that position could go to Kim Lip or JinSoul. The same goes for the group's dance and rap lines, which makes it very difficult to break down whether a certain member deserves more or fewer lines because I can't say for certain whether the amount of lines they got corresponds to their position in the group.
Heejin leads PTT's line distribution with a little over 15.2% and just by ear, you can really tell she dominates this song. Apart from opening the song, she also gets pre-chorus and chorus lines, and those are substantial lines too. Heejin has always been one of the most "pushed" members, being LOONA's center and one of their visuals as well as having been the first member to be revealed. She also has the distinction of having one of the lowest voices as far as female idols go and that really translates well to PTT, with her lower vocals melding with the stronger sound so it makes sense for her to get as many lines as she did. Coming in as runners-up is Chuu at slightly over 13.5% and if you know anything about K-Pop, you'll know that Chuu is literally everywhere. She even has her own reality show and is undoubtedly the face of the group. If you ask someone about LOONA, the first member they'll probably mention is Chuu and combining her popularity with her unofficial main vocal status, you're going to hear a lot of her.
Close behind is Kim Lip at a little under 13.4%, again makes a ton of sense because she's often thrust into the main vocal position, with PTT being no different. In 4th place we have JinSoul at slightly under 12.6%, a member who's generally considered to be part of the vocal and rap lines, something she once again showcases this comeback. These 4 dominate the line distribution and for good reason too. As someone whose LOONA bias is either one of these 4 (or Yves), it makes me happy to see them get as many lines as they did. Things aren't all peaches and cream though because there's a massive drop for the next member in Choerry, who comes in at almost 7.5%. Choerry is typically considered part of the rap line but doesn't participate in the rap here, instead sharing the first verse with Heejin as well as starting the first chorus. Despite not having that many lines this time, she really delivers the first chorus with so much power, leaving a strong impression on listeners.
In 6th place we have Yves at around 7.2%, again not that much but she does start the second chorus and has rap lines, among other things. She could also be considered main dancer and her sick dance moves definitely more than make up for her lack of lines. We now get into the bottom half of the line distribution, starting with Olivia Hye at 6.9%, which seems quite pathetic but let's not forget, she gets a lot of MV screen time as well as a ton of time as center during dance breaks. Close behind is Hyunjin at just over 6.7%, with most of her lines coming in both pre-choruses. I don't believe that she's generally considered part of the vocal line so I think the lines she got befits her. Next up we have maknae Yeojin at a little under 5.7% and just by listening you could tell she didn't get all that many lines. Her standout part in the song is her rap, which caught many fans by surprise so I think fans weren't too disappointed with what she got.
Now we're getting into far more depressing story. Let's talk about Haseul who clocks in at slightly under 4.2%. As someone who could be considered main vocal, it's almost blasphemous for her to get as few lines as she did with PTT. However, it's important to remember that she's just returned from a long hiatus so it would be in her best interests to give her fewer lines first so that she can get back to her 100% as quickly as possible. Once she's back to full health, then she should get more lines. If anything, Orbits are just glad that their leader is back after so long. Remember how I mentioned that Vivi and Go Won got peanuts for lines? Well the proof is in the pudding because they got a little over 3.6% and a little under 3.5% respectively. That's not entirely the worst part because their lines are barely even lyrics, with the pair sharing most of the song's refrain, which was basically just talking over the instrumental. Go Won's only other lines are basically just vocalisations in the second verse, which is absolutely ridiculous. I know Vivi is the only foreign member in the group (being Chinese) but still she deserves so much more and the same goes for Go Won, who's had strong rap lines in the past.
BBC has shown that they can give good line distributions to LOONA, we've seen that with Butterfly in the past but something definitely went wrong down the line with the lousy distribution that is PTT.
Final thoughts: This is a big step for LOONA because of how different their concept is and also because of the meaning behind said song. In interviews, the members have mentioned how PTT allows them to showcase a wide variety of colours, with each girl's own style infused into the song. They've even gone so far as to say that this song best describes them as a group. Publicity for their new title? Sure but I think more importantly it shows how far the girls have developed as a group and they can only get bigger from here. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what LOONA has in store for us and I hope you'll enjoy this song as much as I did, as we see them Paint the Town. Thanks for reading.
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