LOL (GFriend album)

LOL is the debut studio album by South Korean girl group GFriend. It was released by Source Music on July 11, 2016, distributed by LOEN Entertainment. The album contains ten songs, including the single "Navillera", and two instrumental tracks. It has a retro musical style with a diverse range of genres, including pop, rock, reggae, R&B, and house.

LOL
Digital cover ("Laughing Out Loud" artwork)
Studio album by
GFriend
ReleasedJuly 11, 2016 (2016-07-11)
StudioVibe Studio
Genre
Length39:16
Label
GFriend chronology
Snowflake
(2016)		 LOL
(2016)		 The Awakening
(2017)
Singles from LOL
  1. "Navillera"
    Released: July 11, 2016

Release and promotion

LOL is GFriend's first studio album, released eighteen months after their debut. It follows their three successful extended plays that comprise their "school series" trilogy.[1] It was released at midnight on July 11, 2016, in two versions: "Laughing Out Loud" and "Lots of Love".[2][3] That same day, GFriend held two showcases in Seoul, where they performed songs from the album.[4] The media showcase was held at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, and the showcase for fans was broadcast live via Naver's V app.[5][6] The group then promoted the album on music shows, starting with SBS MTV's The Show on July 12, where they performed "Navillera" and "Gone with the Wind".[7] In the second week of promotion, GFriend won all five music show awards, on The Show, Show Champion, M! Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo.[8][9] They won a total of 14 music show awards, including triple crowns (three consecutive wins) on The Show, M! Countdown, and Inkigayo.[10]

They promoted the album with the showcase tour The L.O.L Asia showcase, started on July 10, 2016 in Yes24 Live Hall, Seoul, South Korea, ended in Taipei International Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan on October 1, 2016.

Composition

The album has a retro musical style, with a more diverse range of genres compared to GFriend's past releases, in order to appeal to a wider audience.[5][11][12] The title is an acronym for both "Laughing Out Loud" and "Lots of Love", which represents the dual concept of "playful and bubbly" and "feminine and graceful" songs.[13][14] "Navillera" is a pop-rock song with a guitar solo, written by Iggy and Seo Yong-bae, who wrote the group's previous three singles.[15][16] "Navillera" (나빌레라) is a reference to Cho Chi-hun's poem "The Nun's Dance" (승무), and is a phrase used to describe a fluttering action similar to the movement of a butterfly.[17][11] The song's lyrics describe a girl's feeling of wanting to fly like a butterfly to be with the person she loves.[16][18]

"Distance" is the group's first attempt at reggae, and features piano, guitar, and harmonica. "Water Flower" is a rock song with drum sounds and guitar distortion effects, and "Mermaid" is a pop ballad written by Source Music's group Mio, inspired by the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid". "Sunshine" is an R&B song with electronic rhythm and acoustic piano harmony, while "Compas" is in the house music genre. "Click" is a medium-tempo pop song produced by Hyuk Shin, and is in the style of 1990s American pop music.[19] "Gone with the Wind" is the group's first dubstep song.[5]

Reception

Miriam Steglich of the Korea JoongAng Daily described the album as "express[ing] the heart and feeling of a young girl", with songs ranging from "bright and energetic" to "soothing and relaxing". She said the diversity of genre and unique instrumentation was impressive, and identified "Navillera" as the album's standout track. However, she regretted that it was not "much of a departure from their last, leaving room for improvement and expectations for their next effort."[20]

The album was a commercial success in South Korea. It was the fourth best-selling physical release during the month of July 2016, selling 40,680 units.[21] It entered the Gaon Album Chart at number three, while "Navillera" topped the Gaon Digital Chart.[22] "LOL", "Mermaid", and "Gone with the Wind" also charted in the top 100, at numbers 80, 83, and 87, respectively.[23] In the United States, LOL charted at number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart, while "Navillera" was number 12 on the World Digital Songs chart.[24][25]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro" 
  • Jo
  • Kim Woong
1:06
2."Fall in Love" (물들어요; Muldeureoyo)
  • Hong
  • Jo
  • Kim Woong
  • Hong
  • Kim Woong
3:18
3."Navillera" (너 그리고 나; Neo Geurigo Na, lit. "You and I")
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:14
4."LOL"Kim Eana
  • Master Key
  • Phat Music
  • Score
  • Master Key
  • Phat Music
  • Score
3:30
5."Distance" (한 뼘; Han Ppyeom)
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:37
6."Water Flower" (물꽃놀이; Mulkkonnori)
  • Hong
  • Kim Woong
  • Iggy
  • Hong
  • Kim Woong
3:41
7."Mermaid"Mio[lower-alpha 4]MioMio3:27
8."Sunshine" (나의 일기장; Naui Ilgijang, lit. "My Diary")E.ONE[lower-alpha 5]E.ONEE.ONE3:31
9."Compass" (나침반; Nachimban)
  • Kim Jung-yoon
  • Oh
  • Choi
  • Kim Jung-yoon
  • Oh
  • Choi
3:30
10."Click" (찰칵; Chalkak)
  • MRey
  • DK
  • Shin
  • MRey
3:18
11."Gone with the Wind" (바람에 날려; Barame Nallyeo)E.ONEE.ONEE.ONE3:50
12."Navillera" (Instrumental) 
  • Iggy
  • Seo
  • Iggy
  • Seo
3:14
Total length:39:16

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes.[19]

Locations

  • Recorded at Vibe Studio (tracks 2–11)
  • Mixed at Cube Studio (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 8, 11–12)
  • Mixed at MasterPiece SoundLab (track 4)
  • Mixed at Vibe Studio (track 7)
  • Mixed at W Studio (track 9)
  • Mixed at Joombas Factory USA (track 10)

Personnel

  • GFriend – vocals
  • Kwak Jung-shin – recording engineer (tracks 2–11), mixing engineer (track 7)
  • Jung Mo-yeon – recording engineer (tracks 2–11)
  • Oreo – all instruments (track 1)
  • Young – guitar (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 12)
  • Jo-ssi Ajeossi – mixing engineer (tracks 1–3, 6, 8, 11–12)
  • Hong Beom-gyu – drum programming (tracks 2, 6), guitar (track 6)
  • Kim Woong – piano, synthesizer (tracks 2, 6)
  • Kim So-ri – background vocals (tracks 2–7, 9–10)
  • Kwon Seok-hong – string arrangement (tracks 2–3, 7, 11–12)
  • Yoong String – strings (tracks 2–3, 7, 11–12)
  • Seo Yong-bae – drum programming (tracks 3, 5, 12)
  • Iggy – keyboard, synthesizer (tracks 3, 5, 12)
  • Master Key – mixing engineer, drum programming, keyboard, synthesizer (track 4)
  • Score – drum programming, piano (track 4)
  • Lee Tae-wook – guitar (track 4)
  • Im Jin-cheol – harmonica (track 5)
  • Shin Jae-bin – mixing engineer (track 5)
  • Kim Ye-il – bass guitar (track 6)
  • Mio – all instruments (track 7)
  • Choi Hoon – bass guitar (track 7)
  • Jung Ho-hyun – all instruments (tracks 8, 11)
  • EJ Show – keyboard (track 8)
  • Geum Jo – background vocals (tracks 8, 11)
  • Oh Ji-hoon – drum programming (track 9)
  • No Eun-jong – guitar (track 9)
  • Kim Jung-yoon – synthesizer (track 9)
  • Jo Joon-sung – mixing engineer (track 9)
  • Maxx Song – recording director (track 10)
  • MRey – mixing engineer (track 10)
  • Jung Soo-wan – guitar (track 11)
  • Ho Hyun – keyboard (track 11)

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[22] 3
US World Albums (Billboard)[24] 7

Year-end charts
Chart Peak
position
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[29] 45

Awards and nominations

Music program awards
Song Program Date
"Navillera" The Show (SBS MTV) July 19, 2016
August 2, 2016
August 9, 2016
Show Champion (MBC Music) July 20, 2016
August 10, 2016
M Countdown (Mnet) July 21, 2016
July 28, 2016
August 4, 2016
Music Bank (KBS) July 22, 2016
July 29, 2016
August 12, 2016
Inkigayo (SBS) July 24, 2016
July 31, 2016
August 7, 2016

Notes
  1. Oreo is a production team composed of Iggy (Lim Soo-ho), C-no and Kim Woong. "Intro", "Fall in Love", and "Water Flower" are credited under Oreo.[19][26]
  2. Iggy (birth name Lim Soo-ho) is a member of production teams Oreo and Iggy & Yongbae.
  3. Seo Yong-bae is a member of production teams Kamen Rider and Iggy & Yongbae.
  4. Mio is a vocal group signed with Source Music, composed of Lee Jung-wook, Yoo Saeng-hwan, and Jang Jung-woo.[27]
  5. E.ONE (also written as e.one) is a music production team composed of Choi Hyun-joon (V.O.S) and Jung Ho-hyun.[28]
  6. Credited under the group name Retro Funkee[19]
gollark: I mean, I "have access to all the info" if I do `cat /dev/urandom`.
gollark: Idea: make a language called "Full Stack" to stop "full stack developers".
gollark: no!
gollark: F# allows whitespaced names, but it's not good as you have to do \`\` around them.
gollark: Macron, as it does not exist, is not good.

References
  1. Jung Ji-won (July 7, 2016). "여자친구, 정규앨범 선주문 6만장 돌파…역시 '갓자친구'" [GFriend, full album pre-orders exceeds 60,000 copies..As expected of 'GodFriend']. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  2. Son Ji-hyoung (June 29, 2016). "GFriend to return with full-length 'L.O.L' in July". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  3. Choi Joon-yong (July 14, 2016). "여자친구, 트랙리스트+2가지 버전 팩샷 이미지 공개 '상큼vs러블리'" [GFriend track list and pack shot of 2 versions revealed – "refreshing vs. lovely"] (in Korean). Maeil Broadcasting Network. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  4. Choi Hyung-won (July 11, 2016). "GFriend's 'Navillera' sweeps local charts". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  5. Chung Joo-won (July 11, 2016). "GFriend shoots for the stars with first full-length album". Yonhap. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  6. Choi Hyung-won (July 12, 2016). "[V Report] Solar of Mamamoo talks about her new track". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  7. Jeon Su Mi (July 12, 2016). "GFriend to Unveil Childhood Photos for the First Time". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  8. Lee Seung-rok (July 24, 2016). "여자친구, '인기가요'도 1위…5관왕 음방 올킬 해냈다 (종합)" [GFriend wins number one on 'Inkigayo'... completes all five music show all kill]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  9. Son Ji-hyoung (July 25, 2016). "GFriend's 'Navillera' No. 1 on music shows". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  10. Lee Ji-hae (August 5, 2016). "GFriend sweeps 10 awards for 'Navillera'". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. Seon Mi-kyung (July 6, 2016). "'컴백' 여자친구, 이번엔 레트로걸이다..'상큼 아날로그'" ["Comeback" GFriend are retro girls... "refreshing analog"]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  12. Lee Jin-a (July 6, 2016). "K-pop girl band GFriend returns with new album". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  13. Kim Yu-young (June 30, 2016). "GFriend releases teaser photos for new album". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  14. Lee Sang-won (July 4, 2016). "GFriend's second 'LOL' teaser released". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  15. Lee Sang-won (July 10, 2016). "GFriend returns with 'LOL'". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  16. Kim Jae-heun (July 12, 2016). "GFriend ready to sweep charts again with 'LOL'". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  17. Doo, Rumy (July 12, 2016). "GFriend returns sweet and strong". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  18. Kim Ye-na (July 10, 2016). "[핫100신곡] 아날로그 감성 나빌레라…여자친구 '너 그리고 나'" [[Hot 100 New Song] Navillera old-school feels..GFriend 'You & I']. TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  19. "여자친구 The 1st Album 'LOL'" [GFriend The 1st Album 'LOL'] (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  20. Steglich, Miriam (July 20, 2016). "[New Release] GFriend". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  21. "2016년 07월 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  22. "2016년 29주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  23. "2016년 29주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  24. "World Music: Top World Albums Chart (July 30, 2016)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  25. "World Digital Songs: July 30, 2016 – Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  26. "Works Search". Korea Music Copyright Association. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  27. "미오, 세 번째 싱글 '눈물이 차올라' 발표…겨울 감성 발라드 '여심저격'". Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). December 21, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  28. Ahn Sung-mi (May 15, 2015). "KARA to drop new album". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  29. "2016년 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
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