(NOTE: This reaction post is a little shorter than normal due to lack of time and personal circumstances.) VERIVERY is one of those K-pop groups that I always end up forgetting about when I REALLY shouldn’t. I genuinely like their stuff, and I think it’s great they’ve really been stepping up their game lately – but they just get lost in the chaos when I’m indulging in peak multifan behavior. Their previous comeback “Get Away” is a great example of this. I really enjoyed it at the beginning, but I didn’t spend much time on it because of Super Junior all the March releases. And then I just recently listened to it again while prepping for this post, and I was like, “Why did I completely forget this awesome song existed?” I’m still kicking myself for being so absent-minded, but the incident did make me more interested in VERIVERY’s latest single.
“Trigger” doesn’t match my personal musical tastes as much as “Get Away,” but I think it’s a great follow-up that accurately reflects VERIVERY’s ambition and drive. It’s just as dark and intense as several of their other singles, and the glitching sounds give it a delightfully unsettling undertone that fits with their horror vibe. But something about its speed and energy makes me feel like everything has just been ramped up to a whole other level. It’s like going on a thrill ride – there’s so much adrenaline that you might not even realize the song as ended. The choreography is very similar; it’s so fast-paced and precise that I’m genuinely amazed VERIVERY doesn’t collapse from exhaustion once they’re done. It truly shows how they’re continually pushing themselves and moving forward.
I wasn’t 100% clear on the music video plot for “Get Away,” but I remember thinking it had something to with evil doppelgangers. I guess I was right, because “Trigger” features two versions of VERIVERY fighting against each other: the “good” versions are trying to escape the “bad” pursuing and torturing them. They’re helpfully dressed in white and black so you can tell the difference. (It *could* also be a metaphor for struggling with one’s internal darkness, though there might be some overlap between those two ideas.) Much like “Get Away,” I think the music video is really interesting and has many great little details. However, I’m not a huge fan of the rapid editing. I get it’s supposed to match the pace of the song, but the images flash by too quickly for me to make sense of the story. If the cuts were just a tiny bit slower, they’d be perfect.
MY OVERALL INTEREST LEVEL
(NOTE: My options for each category are “Love,” “Like,” “Neutral,” “Not My Style,” or “Dislike.” But I rarely dislike anything, so I’ll mostly be using the other four.)
| Category | My Opinion |
|---|---|
| Song | Like |
| Dance | Like |
| Music Video | Like |
“Trigger” definitely shows that VERIVERY is a group who’s constantly working on their creativity, and I love to see it. Like I said, I think a couple of the visual elements could have been fine-tuned to better show the full extent of what they and their team came up with – especially in terms of the music video and that overarching narrative. However, I still find it all very impressive. VERIVERY clearly has so much talent and potential, and I think they’re going to keep doing great things in the future. After this comeback, I’ve become newly determined to keep them on my radar.
(“Knee Jerk Reaction” is a column I created to talk about comebacks or debuts when I don’t have a lot of time to write in-depth reviews. A knee jerk reaction is like an automatic response, so it’s a post about my initial thoughts on the song, the music video, and the performance if it’s available. Compared to my reviews, everything is more stream of consciousness and less analytical. And everything is 100% my own opinion!)
SOURCES: Music video belongs to Jellyfish Entertainment. Featured image is taken from VERIVERY’s official Twitter account – you can see the original tweet here.
Katherine Does K-POP 