Girls' Generation's Forever 1: Enduring Connectivity

I don't believe it is hyperbolic or a hasty generalization to say that one of the biggest problems facing humanity today is our connection to each other. Modern technological advances have made it so that we are more immediately accessible to each other like never before in our history, but with that accessibility has brought with it problems that more often override the positive qualities. It has given us more methods and reasons to isolate away from each other's physical spaces, to spew hostilities at strangers behind the anonymity that the internet provides us, harder to stay loyal to the ones we love when we have access to put so much of ourselves or our words into the public forum. The ability to gain knowledge one might consider more intimate is easier now than it ever has been. 

Korean pop has long had a history of siphoning through groups that have reached their decline, not just as the members get older, but as contracts begin to expire, relevancy starts to slip away, the natural order of the industry starts to take shape with younger groups taking their places in each record company's respective lineup. And in knowing this makes Girls' Generation's comeback feel not only as impactful as any come before it, but also justifying the word knowing what hurdles have had to be overcome in order to get to this point.

The word “comeback” is used in a universally liberal way in Korean pop. Everything from male rap groups releasing an EP five months after releasing a full album to a female soloist releasing a couple of singles a few months apart are considered “comebacks,” and everything in between. In that relatively small amount of time did they really have a chance to even leave? We are so accustomed to the regularity by which new works are created so many truly have no perception of what actually facilitates using such a descriptor.

With all that is stacked against them: A group in their 30s, celebrating their 15th anniversary, with 3 members (Sooyoung, Tiffany, and Seohyun) under contract with different agencies outside of SM Entertainment, an ongoing global pandemic, it's a borderline miracle that this comeback even happened at all, let alone included a dedicated variety show and a host of appearances on other music shows. 

So here we are: Forever 1. While it may not be their measure for measure "best" album on an objective scale, for me it is undoubtedly their most important. In fact it's handled with such confidence and assuredness that none of the tracks on it feel like they even draw attention to their 5 year absence of uncertainty and assumed ending. Almost as if the statement they're making is "what are you talking about? We never went anywhere."

The album's title track "Forever 1" is an absolute banger of an EDM festivity that is completely unsubtle  for the most obvious reasons. Furthermore, it being the first song you hear upon pressing play feels extremely deliberate beyond it being the title track. A reassurance, a reminder in the most energetic of ways and in no uncertain terms, your patience is, has, been, and will be rewarded for as long as possible. "Lucky Like That" falls under the same category in terms of transparency a percussively focused popper that is an expression of gratitude for those of us who have stayed for the longest of hauls. "Seventeen" and "Villain" are the most personal of the works, penned by Sooyoung and Tiffany, the former of which has a knack for contextualizing and punctuating the collective hearts and minds of the group during certain points in their history. "Villain" in particular feeling like a companion piece to "You Think" from their 2015 album Lion Heart.

"You Better Run" being the "sequel" track if you will to Girls' Generation's, image-shifting aggressor "Run Devil Run" and while the callback to previous eras is absolutely appreciated, it is proof that sometimes it's best to keep a work standalone. At times it's sharp electropop vengefulness feels like it's dangerous close to being off-rhythm particularly in it's opening measures. Since I look upon Girls' Generation music like a parent unconditionally proud of their children I will confess that I love this song and will never be taking off the "mom-goggles."

The sixth track "Closer" is a comfortable, if not particularly distinct disco-esque romp with a soft piano riff that feels more like a space-filler than anything else. "Mood Lamp" is a gentle and sensual and lyrically inclusive R&B song that I would unfortunately describe similarly to the former in that it feels tacked on for the sake of filling out the album. Though I'm not disappointed either of these are here, mind you. "Summer Night" is a seasonally festive bouncy synth pop song that creates the illusion of being invited to a peek into the mood around the creation of this album. Friends reuniting in the studio, just like they used to know, for the first time in a long time.

"Freedom" is a dream-pop song with synth fluctuation that to me reads as a self-actualization piece. Realizing that all the pressure they put on themselves to be as perfect as possible, just isn't. To embrace what this comeback means to THEM as much as what it means to their fans across the globe. And to round it out is the impactful "Paper Plane" the far less heavy album closer than in their last effort. An ode to those who desire a path to their dreams to not feel as burdened as Girls' Generation has in discovering what their own comes with.

When discovering what I believe the meaning of this album to be across multiple listening sessions, I came to the conclusion that is about the strength and endurance of true, unconditional loyalty to one another. Staying steadfast in our relationships with those in our lives that truly matter is paramount in keeping the desire for living and all of the hardship and personal success that entails. We cannot expect constant perfection from those we love. No matter the physical distance and emotional space we have and may even need from our loved ones, the ones that matter will always find the time, energy, and reason, to come back to us. 

15 years is a long time in general. In Korean pop music terms that might as well be a century. For most of us that are fortunate enough to see it through to the end, that will be about 1/5 of our lives. And in that stretch of time, how many people do you still communicate with regularly, maybe even see consistently, in those 15 years time? I'd be surprised if you answered 8.

People have a tendency treat each other as so easily disposable in our modern era of humanity. The value of interpersonal relationships has decreased exponentially in recent times. To see a group of ultra-popular performance artists, in one of the most cutthroat times in recent memory, being so steadfastly unapologetically loyal to one another in a space that is constantly trying to tear them apart, where the only constant is a refreshing of talents, is beyond beautiful. Instilling me with hope that if I am able to emulate that trust in love in my life, my future will continue to contain many of the people I hold dear to this day.

For, The Indestructible Natalya