WayV Enter A Dystopian Land in ‘Turn Back Time’
The Kpop world’s been overflowing with new releases and we’re loving every single minute of it. Just last week, we witnessed a new music video from the rookie band, TXT, followed by a brand new song by their label mates, BTS, titled ‘Still With You’. And now, we have yet another music video landing in our laps, but this time it’s from the band WayV.
Now, just for some context WayV is actually a Chinese boy group which serves as the fourth sub-unit of the South Korean boy group NCT. The band’s got a good seven members and after their formation in 2018, they put out their debut EP titled, ‘The Vision’ in 2019. It was received with a lot of enthusiasm, following the sci-fi, visual treat that was their music video. And of course, the fact that the boys were simply dripping with charisma.
Now, interestingly enough, WayV was going to return to the music scene with their debut album titled, ‘Awaken The World’. However, their label recently put out an odd statement relying that the album release would be pushed, “All of the tracks from WayV’s 1st full album ‘Awaken The World’ and the MV for the group’s title track ‘Turn Back Time‘ will be released online on June 9. However, we have discovered errors in some of the costume props included in the physical albums, and so have delayed the release date for the physical albums as we need time to make adjustment to the jacket photos.”
It’s vague, we know. But some eagle-eyed fans did pick up on issues from their comeback photoshoot. This included derogatory and controversial worlds splayed across some of their outfits and accessories. And lord knows how powerful a single fandom can be when they zero in on problems and mistakes. So, this is possibly why their stylists have decided to change their outfits, and this means there will possibly also be some reshooting in order.
WayV Sets the Stage with ‘Turn Back Time’
Now, coming back to the music video, it starts off with a cliched surreal-dystopian frame: an interrogation room filled up with buzzing televisions. Then we see the boys execute some stellar choreography within dingy corridors, basements that look like the Bat Cave, murky ponds – all in all, the sets are beyond magnificent.
But the song on the other hand is not nearly as exciting as the music video. While all the verses display some of their impressive rap skills, somehow it falls a little flat. But then, the chorus arrives, with colour, energy and some stand-out melodies. Perhaps we can even go as far as saying that the chorus redeems the rest of the song. Then again, it’s also the visuals that distract one from paying attention to each verse. So, we would encourage you to give just the audio track a listen.
On that note, while WayV has never failed to deliver when it comes to their music videos. We’re curious to see how their upcoming album unfolds and if it does in fact, bring something new to the table.
By: Nina Karun
