Picture This…
You stare out of a window in your home, and you gaze upon raindrops falling from a gray sky. Relaxed, you listen as the rain falls onto the hard concrete in front of your house. A quiet rumble sounds off in the distance, but you are calm and at peace. Maybe you are playing a board game, or doing some work on your laptop just when you hear a mellow beat coming from behind you. A peculiar sound it is. There’s a looping drum beat that sounds like it’s being trapped inside of a box. You hear unorthodox instruments played with the beat that shouldn’t work; but they do. You are listening to a genre of music known as Lo-Fi—the unofficial genre of music for those who need comfort while doing homework.
The first thing that came to my mind when I first heard ‘Maybe It’s Not Our Fault’ by Yerin Baek was “This song is Lo-Fi gold.” I thought this because the instrumental of the song resembles one of a Lo-Fi song. I’m no music expert, but when I hear those mellow beats and calm instruments, I hear Lo-Fi. One might say it is an R&B song, or say that it belongs to the Soft Rock genre. I would probably agree with you, however, the thing that follows the song from beginning to end is the aesthetic that it created in my brain.
When I first heard this song, I wasn’t just listening to the title song of Yerin Baek’s new album, I was seeing things happening in my head. As a person who does not speak Korean, I was not able to pick up the actual meaning of the song until I read the lyrics. However, the production of the song was done so well that I was able to feel it’s intentions without knowing the lyrics.
The most outstanding feature to the track is undoubtedly Yerin Beak’s vocals. Just as the instruments it surrounds, Baek’s voice is mellow and calming. After reading the lyrics, her voice became more like the bearer of a message, rather than just an aesthetic. The song is about the insecurities in a relationship, and how these insecurities help people become better partners.
My personal favorite part of the song is after the instrumental break when the vocals kick back in with
Iksukhaejin apeun maeumdeul
Jakku neowa nal nohajuji anha
Urin haengbokhal su isseulkka
Translated
“The pains that I’m used to won’t let me and you go, will we be able to be happy?”
The way I feel about this line in the song goes beyond its actual meaning. I could go on and on about the music style, and way that the song was recorded, but none of this satisfies my belief in this song being a complete experience.
I say this because upon first listen, I wasn’t hearing a song in another language. I understood those lines because I could hear the longing in her voice, wondering if the strain on the relationship was going to have a lasting effect.
This goes to prove that music can’t be defined by the language that it is sung in. There are many beautiful songs and tunes in many of the world’s languages; but it’s sad to know that many will never know the true meaning of a song because of a language barrier.
In my case, I feel the exact opposite with “Maybe It’s Not Our Fault.” I understand this song not because of the lyrics, but because of the way that it made me feel.
Those feelings became a reflection of the lyrics. Not only do I think this is genius on the part of Yerin Baek and all the people who helped produce this song, but I feel as if more songs need that same genuineness in the Korean music industry.
There are many trendsetters in the world of K-Pop, and with that there are many companies who decide to follow certain stylistic cues, whether it be visually or musically. This in return causes a blending of sounds. Now I’m NOT saying that every song mustn’t have any original inspiration, but what I am saying is companies who are struggling to find a place for a group to exist should stop being concerned with others’ who are setting the trends.
Successful K-Pop groups/solo artists are successful because they have music that many people can identify with.
Maybe It’s Not Our Fault is one of the many K-Pop songs that I have been able to identify with. More importantly, MINOF is proof that K-Pop does not have one singular sound, nor does Yerin Baek. There is versatility in this particular song, and in her entire album as a whole (Our Love Is Great). In my opinion, it is already one of the best Korean albums of 2019 because of its unique attributes. It is only my wish that up and coming groups can give listeners a different perspective on K-Pop. If they can’t, well then hey—maybe it’s not their fault
