Season of Glass (EP)

Season of Glass
EP by GFriend
Released January 15, 2015 (2015-01-15)
Genre
Length 14:14
Label
GFriend chronology
Season of Glass
(2015)		 Flower Bud
(2015)
Singles from Season of Glass
  1. "Glass Bead"
    Released: January 15, 2015

Season of Glass is the debut extended play (EP) by South Korean girl group GFriend. It was released by Source Music on January 15, 2015 and distributed by KT Music. The album contains three songs, including the single "Glass Bead", and two instrumental tracks. The album peaked at number nine on the Gaon Album Chart and has sold more than 10,000 units. GFriend promoted the album with a series of televised live performances on South Korea's music shows. Their debut was often compared to Girls' Generation's debut, with the music and choreography of "Glass Bead" being reminiscent of "Into the New World".[1][2][3]

Release and promotion

In November 2014, Source Music announced the upcoming debut of their first girl group, named GFriend. On January 5, the whole group was unveiled and their album release date was announced.[4] GFriend's debut EP (also called a mini album) was released as a digital download on January 15, and was released in CD format the next day.[5] The music video for lead single "Glass Bead" was produced by Zanybros and directed by Hong Won-ki.[6] GFriend was designed to target a teenage audience, and the music video is set in various school locations, including a classroom and gym.[7] "Glass Bead" is the first song in the group's "school series" and represents the start of school semester and enjoying time with friends.[8][9]

GFriend promoted the album with performances of "Glass Bead" on various music shows, starting with Music Bank on January 16. They presented an "innocent and youthful" image, wearing cheerleader-inspired outfits with simple hairstyles and minimal makeup.[10] In contrast to their appearance, the group's choreography was described as "powerful" and "energetic".[11][3]

Production and composition

The album's intro track, "Glass Bead", and "White" were written by Iggy and Seo Yong-bae, who had previously written songs such as Ailee's "Heaven" and Orange Caramel's "Catallena".[6] Seo is an in-house producer at Rainbow Bridge World.[12] "Neverland" was composed by Yoon Woo-seok of ZigZag Note and Kang Myeong-shin, with lyrics by Kim Seo-jun and Kim Yong-hwan (Eden Beatz).[13][14]

"Glass Bead" is bubblegum pop dance song, with a "magnificent string sound, powerful beat, and emotional and flowing melody".[15][16] The lyrics are from the perspective of a teenage girl, who says she will not easily break despite seeming fragile like a glass bead, and will shine for the one she loves.[1] Originally, a different, "softer", song was set to be the album's single. When GFriend's manager played "Glass Bead" for the group, they all instantly liked it. Sowon said it "gives the feel of running around at the gym, which I thought matched us better".[1] Although the song was often compared to Girls' Generation's "Into the New World", it reminded the group of Fin.K.L and S.E.S., Korean girl groups from the late 1990s and early 2000s.[1][2] "Neverland" is a dance song with "powerful" synths and guitars, featuring vocal harmony in the chorus, and "White" is a medium-tempo dance song reminiscent of the 1990s.[13]

Reception

The album entered the weekly Gaon Album Chart at number twelve, and peaked at number nine in the second week of February.[17][18] It was the 38th best selling album during the month of January, selling 1,146 physical copies.[19] As of June 2016, it has sold a total of 11,640 units.[20] "Glass Bead" entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number 89 and peaked at number 25 the following week.[21][22] The song's music video was the ninth most viewed K-pop music video globally during the month of January.[16]

At the end of January, GFriend was included in Billboard's list of "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015". Jeff Benjamin said that GFriend, along with fellow rookie girl group Lovelyz, was "leading a new wave of female acts with a classic innocent look", in contrast to the popular "sexy" trend of 2014. He said the "sweet sound" and "non-stop" choreography of "Glass Bead" brought "undeniable nostalgia" for Girl's Generation's debut single, "Into the New World".[2] Writing for Fuse, he said GFriend was "arguably the most successful" innocent girl group and called "Glass Bead" a "nostalgic gem". He concluded that the group needed to create a unique identity for themselves, or "risk being nothing but a [Girl's Generation] tribute act".[3]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro (Season of Glass)"   
  • Iggy
  • Seo Yong-bae
  • Iggy
  • Seo
1:13
2."Glass Bead" (Hangul: 유리구슬; RR: Yuri Guseul)
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:23
3."Neverland"  Eden Beatz
  • ZigZag Note
  • Kang Myeong-shin
  • ZigZag Note
  • Kang
3:11
4."White" (하얀마음; Hayan Maeum)
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:45
5."Glass Bead" (Instrumental) 
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:23
Total length:14:14

Charts

Chart Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[18] 9

Sales and certifications

Provider (2015) Amount
Gaon physical sales 11,640[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jeon Jee-won (January 31, 2015). "[Interview] GFriend Spills on SNSD Comparisons, Role Models and More". Newsen. CJ E&M. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Benjamin, Jeff (January 28, 2015). "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015: iKon, MAMAMOO, G.Soul & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Benjamin, Jeff (December 22, 2015). "K-Pop's 2015 Rookies: Who's Working It, & Who Needs Work". Fuse. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ Lee Ji-hyun (January 5, 2015). "걸그룹 여자친구, 완전체 베일 벗었다..15일 데뷔". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ "여자 친구 – Season Of Glass: 미니앨범 1집" (in Korean). Hanteo. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Lee Jin-ho (January 15, 2015). "New Rookie Group GFriend Makes Debut with ′Glass Bead′ MV". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  7. ↑ Yoon Sarah (January 13, 2015). "New girl group GFRIEND teases with 'Glass Bead'". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kim Byung-kwan (January 25, 2016). "[Photo] GFriend Steals Hearts at Comeback Showcase". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  9. ↑ "GFriend". After School Club. Episode 199. February 16, 2016. Event occurs at 15:58. Arirang. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ Yoon Sarah (January 19, 2015). "G-Friend debuts 'Glass Bead' onstage". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  11. ↑ Son Ji-hyoung (February 4, 2016). "GFriend chalks up wins in music programs". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  12. ↑ "음표를 그리는 사람들⑬ 서용배 작곡가, 아이돌 성공의 철학 (인터뷰)". 10Asia (in Korean). Hankyung. April 1, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  13. 1 2 "여자친구 1st Mini Album `Season Of Glass`" (in Korean). Melon. LOEN Entertainment. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Works Search". Korea Music Copyright Association. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  15. ↑ "GFRIEND,JJCC,2AM,Girls' Generation". Pops in Seoul. Episode 2828. February 2, 2015. Arirang. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Benjamin, Jeff (November 2, 2015). "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America & Around the World: January 2015". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  17. ↑ "2015년 04주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. January 22, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "2015년 08주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. February 19, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  19. ↑ "2015년 01월 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Cumulative sales for Season of Glass:
  21. ↑ "2015년 04주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. January 22, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  22. ↑ "2015년 05주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. January 29, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
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