Bite Review: Close Your Eyes Deliver Comedy and Creativity with “Snowy Summer”

Close Your Eyes, a boy group formed by the survival show Project 7, debuted in April with the dreamy and youthful “All My Poetry.” Their debut was, in my opinion, one of the most promising this year with its cohesive 2000s-inspired R&B sound and clear artistic direction. I don’t know what possessed the group to follow up “All My Poetry” with a silly MV that combines summer and Christmas in a Final Destination-esque horror comedy, but it somehow works. “Snowy Summer” is one of the funniest music videos released this year, and a demonstration of Close Your Eyes’ creativity. 

A pitfall of a group’s first comeback is changing up too quickly, abandoning the qualities that distinguished the group. However, “Snowy Summer” demonstrates how a group can change up a concept without deviating too far from their original sound. The song maintains the soft yet breezy midtempo R&B style of “All My Poetry,” along with the group’s layered vocals. “Snowy Summer” evokes nostalgia like other Close Your Eyes songs, but without sounding like a retread of their debut album tracks. This musical consistency balances out the wildly different tone that the MV takes. 

By the title “Snowy Summer,” one might expect a sweet, sincere song about wanting Christmas in July, with some jingling bells in the background. Those elements are there, but the music video takes surprising turns. Seungho, portraying a delivery boy bringing pizza to a Christmas party, trips and triggers a series of unfortunate events leading to the other members of the group dying in cartoonishly absurd manners: accidentally swallowing dice, suffering electrocution via aquarium, or getting smashed by a fallen disco ball. 

Now ghosts, the six members return to haunt Seungho and have him join them in the afterlife. The MV ramps up with Seungho dying in increasingly outlandish ways, only to be resurrected. The editing adds to the wit of the video, with each of Seungho’s death scenes quickly cutting to a reveal a new headstone. The timing of the third death, in which a stage light suddenly strikes Seungho and interrupts Kyoungbae’s adlibs in the bridge, feels hilariously deadpan.

The Close Your Eyes members aren’t exactly gifted actors, but they do commit to this unserious concept, especially when they are wreaking havoc on Seungho in his home or at the pizza parlor where he works. In a playful scene in a drive-in movie theater, Kenshin replaces Seungho’s date and gives a mockingly coquettish smile, while Yeojun appears in the form of an ax-wielding killer from the movie. Seungho gets the most delightfully ridiculous moment, beaming as his illuminated figure descends from the sky.

A K-pop music video is not complete without choreography, but “Snowy Summer” cleverly incorporates it into the storyline. Intercutting group dance sequences with scenes of Seungho flying through the air, the MV uses dance to represent the ghosts taking control of Seungho. Every element of the MV intentionally feeds into the storytelling.

”Snowy Summer” proves that Close Your Eyes have superb A&R and creative direction, managing the tone of this comeback perfectly. The MV highlights a goofy side to the group while maintaining enough sincerity to be consistent with their musical style. The MV also feels refreshing in its storytelling — it lasts over 4 and a half minutes, but its fun, creative choices ensure that it is engaging for the entire time. With this comeback, Close Your Eyes continue to realize their potential to deliver inspired music and concepts.

(YouTube. Images via Uncore).