[Review] GFriend - Crossroads

It's been a while since the last GFriend review (a little over two years to be more precise). They have been steadily churning out the hits in that time, in addition to joining the BigHit family. No doubt that both of these moves have been positive for them. "Fever" was released the same month Source Music was acquired by BigHit, but given that comebacks are planned in advance, I will consider "Crossroads" to be their first true song since the merger.

We've reached the point where GFriend have their signature sound, and "Crossroads" is no different from many of their previous hits. The influence from recent songs like "Sunrise" and "Fallin' Light" can be heard in the background, and the heavy usage of strings via instrumental is something GFriend have relied on time and time again. That combo of opening line followed by a brief instrumental interlude is classic GFriend. So too are the melancholic almost sorrowful main verses with an uplifting chorus. What I love about the chorus is how Yuju is maintaining her powerful voice without sounding like she's shouting. Even in the final chorus, Yuju sounds fantastic and comfortable simultaneously, which isn't something I could say about some of her previous performances.

"Crossroads" is pretty simple outside of the usual GFriend setup. There isn't much else to talk about besides the music video. Some Youtube comment (or was it reddit) mentioned how this was a GFriend song encased in a BTS music video and I kinda agree. Why exactly are the girls fighting each other? And how does that relate to anything else going on in the MV? I thought perhaps the lyrics would shed some light on the subject but even after looking at a few different translations...I'm still lost. Perhaps my peanut brain is unable to grasp the beauty of this art form. It's certainly something new because I'm 90% sure GFriend have never been pissed at each other in any of their past videos, so props?

Sowon and her gang have more or less solidified themselves in the middle of the upper echelon of girl groups (ranked #5 on my Group Power Rankings from September) and "Crossroads" delivers on those expectations. They play it safe but show growth in vocals from the weakest members (Umji and Sowon) to the strongest (Yuju). Throw in a MV with BigHit and BTS' influence and you have a final product that is worthwhile.