Admittedly during lockdown, only one K-Pop girl group has been really been able lift my spirits, (G)I-DLE. While I was aware of the group since their 2018 debut, it wasn’t until MNET’s idol competition show last year, ‘Queendom’ did I really fall in love with them and their music. I loved their cover performances, their original song ‘LION’, and to this day, even though I know they didn’t win (they came third), they still won me over.
I was really excited for them to tour Australia in June this year, however, as we all know, COVID-19 has ruined many things this year including international touring live music. Last month, (G)I-DLE held an online concert (sadly their only concert thus far) for their fans, ‘Neverland’. Their summer song ‘DUMDi DUMDi’ is their latest comeback since then and its happy-go-lucky summery vibe is a much-needed release for both ‘Neverlands’ and fans of K-Pop everywhere.
Quite possibly their most bubbly, colourful and upbeat single yet, ‘DUMDi DUMDi’ is energetic, fresh, catchy, and is written by (G)I-DLE leader, SoYeon. The song was inspired by the freedom and vibrancy of her current youth, and I suppose that’s the kind of feeling you want to have when carelessly enjoying the summer.
The music video is also quite colourful, random and fun too; set in the western desert, SoYeon emerges from a broken down car and walks to a tiny retro motel in the middle of no-where, Soojin is chilling in her hotel room looking at vinyl records, Miyeon has barely any luggage (literally only a handbag) and checks into the motel, Yuqi is on a horse, Minnie has her own caravan and is a hippie queen, and last but not least, Shuhua is a lonely soul slaving away and working (with no customers) at the diner.
Unsure how these narratives entwined but I guess it worked, as in the end the members of (G)I-DLE are all united, dancing and having fun; whether it be at the diner, in the pool, or surrounding a bonfire while dancing under the stars. It’s not even summer in Australia (our seasons in comparison to South Korea are the complete opposite), but I am really loving this track, and I can’t wait to listen to it in a car with the volume turned up when summer finally is here. Rest assured, the song will not be dated by then.
While the digital copy of the song has ‘DUMDi DUMDi’ on its own, the physical copy also has ‘i’M THE TREND’ (yes, stylised this way specifically), which is a funkly little ‘fan song’ with references to (G)I-DLE’s previous singles. The song is not meant to be taken seriously and was written by members SoYeon, Minnie and Yuqi, especially created as a gift to Neverlands because their world tour had been cancelled due to the global pandemic.
Already at their 3rd win on the K-Pop promotional circuit for ‘DUMDi DUMDi’, (G)I-DLE just keep getting better and better, and I will happily linger and thrive on this fun infectiously uplifting song until their next comeback.
Images by Cube Entertainment.
