Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
CHUU set the bar high all those years ago when she introduced herself with “Heart Attack“, perhaps a bit unfairly so, but she’s managed to put together a solid discography so far after she’s set out on her own, and her latest comeback is perhaps her best. The title of “Only Cry In The Rain” had me fearing the sleepy ballad, but instead CHUU delivered an emotional and nuanced effort that was deceptively peppy.
Much like the music video depicts happy moments on the surface between three friends, the song itself is surprisingly breezy and ethereal-sounding synthpop that generates a surprising amount of forward momentum. But also much like the music video that depicts a separation of the friends — not through melodrama but rather simply growing apart as specifically CHUU moves forward in life — so is the song imbued with a sense of haziness and melancholy that dims its brightness, layering the soundscape with conflicting feelings. CHUU’s airy and warm vocals convey a sense of nostalgia to the listener as well, all of which help to elevate it above other vibey type of tracks.
Most importantly, the melodies utilized here are subtly addicting and especially effective on repeats, with a chorus that has a refrain delivered with ascending vocals as if running up a hill. That’s accented by an “cuckoo” ad-lib that stood out in itself, and it all really comes together when the declarative “cause I only cry in the rain” line comes. Very high replay value and something that’s easy to imagine listening to on a cool night walking under the lights.
Back to the music video for a bit, I get why people turned this plot into some kind of love triangle thing where CHUU is in love with the other girl, as the lyrics are definitely about love. I’m not invalidating that interpretation, but I saw the story presented as more about a trio who are about to be separated by their futures (university, but could be a job or whatever), and them dealing with the unspoken tragedy that while you’ll tell each other that things won’t change and that everything will be fine, you know things will never quite be the same again, specifically as CHUU carves out her own path different from the other two. It uses that as a backdrop to express the type of feeling that comes along with love found and lost. Or if you want to reach a bit deeper, perhaps even about embarking on her own path separate from LOONA and her members.
“Only Cry In The Rain” manages to convey that emotional depth through song, and that makes it a cut above most efforts in this vein, but it’s especially effective when paired with the music video. That the whimsy has a calm-before-the-storm undercurrent makes it all the more intriguing to me, and while this isn’t the usually type of pop track I prefer, CHUU has really tapped into something here.
