Song Review:: POW: Boyfriend- Boyfriend

- October 22, 2024

Release date: 2024 October 21
Album tracklist: Boyfriend, I, Bae, Sunset
Album runtime: 12 minutes

I've been gloriously excited for this release. I legitimately have no idea where or when I added this group to my list that I pay attention to, and I'm very relieved that they were all adults at debut. Also, they just had their one-year anniversary about a week ago, so congrats to them!

...Are you seriously telling me that POW did a remake of freaking Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend? This is the reality that I am living in? Be still, my soul. The punk rock lover in me just started headbanging.

The punk rock lover in me just stopped headbanging in absolute deep confusion because these instrumentals are so much softer. Even the chorus is a more muted version of the original. I was hoping that the introduction featured here would build in energy, but it did the opposite. The tone of the song shifts dramatically for the verses, softening with the feeling of pleading puppy dog eyes. Essentially, the song goes from rock to EDM. I'm curious to see what their choreography is going to look like during those transition points. I do like the amount of variation happening, though, as the switch up creates different energy levels to prevent complete complacency.

I took a quick look at the lyrics so I could see if the attitude matched the original. I think the composers and producers may have made a mistake in understanding the angry swagger of the original, because while I can see a comparable level with regards to the actual lyrics, the vibe turns it from power to something more akin to sulking. I'm trying to decide how I would feel if I didn't already have the original memorized, because if I try to divorce the two songs, I think I'm left with something that I would independently love, if I could have gone into this without loving Girlfriend as much as I do. Which does then make me ask the question: how popular is Avril Lavigne in South Korea? Inquiring minds want to know.

The choreography is exactly what I'd have expected during the chorus. I wouldn't necessarily call the genre of music video for the song slice of life, because there does seem to be a storyline, however brief, but it's not particularly strong. They seem to be spending a lot of time laying on things, especially cars. But it's always fun to see people playing with soap bubbles. The music video is actually quite charming and makes up for my current uncertainty about how much I like the song in general. Not that it's a bad song. But the members look like they had a lot of fun, which is really all we can ask for.