BGYO Is The New Definition Of Boyish Charm In OST, "Best Time"

Love is in the air again as the boys of P-Pop group BGYO reprise their role as the artists behind the OSTs for digital Philippine romantic comedy, He’s Into Her. With the second season now airing on ABS-CBN, the five-member boy group created and performed a new song for this new season. It’s a smart move considering the first one, “He’s Into Her,” is one of their biggest hits at this point. It debuted at #1 on iTunes Philippines and is their second most viewed video on YouTube with 2.1 million views to date. The new track, “Best Time,” follows in the footsteps of the original while forging a legacy of its own.

The School Boys are Back

From the costumes to the cinematography and lighting, it’s a nicely cohesive link from the original OST to the sequel.

The music video for “Best Time” opens with a familiar scene: BGYO is back in high school. “He’s Into Her” followed the story of the five boys (the bookworm, the artist, the athlete, the Prom King, and the musician) as they found a journal about young love. It’s only fitting that the 2nd season OST becomes a sequel to that storyline. It opens in front of the school where the five boys (now graduates in mature versions of their high school trope outfits) are meeting under cover of darkness. It follows them as they break into the school before shifting to a nostalgic sequence where they remember their best times as high school friends. From the costumes to the cinematography and lighting, it’s a nicely cohesive link from the original OST to the sequel.

It’s in the music that “Best Time” begins distinguishing itself. The OST for the first season was seriously upbeat. It started with an almost choir-like harmony before moving into an electronic beat with retro vibes, making it a perfect dance track. “Best Time” opens in a gentler, more understated style, which fits with the scene of them sneaking into the school. Even when the beat picks up, the pop ballad maintains what we can best call a bittersweet melody with a retro, nostalgic feel.

Looking Back at their Best Days

[Mikki’s] character serves as a reminder that we can look back but never go back to the best time of our lives.

When all of this is combined, there is a lovely duality to BGYO’s newest single and OST. The melancholy quality of the melody and the quality of the opening vocals drive home the nostalgia. The imagery has the same effect, with throwbacks to the feel of the original music video and even the occasional reference to the passage of time with the clock aesthetic repeating several times. The members themselves sell the nostalgic quality of the performance. The standout for us was Mikki, who led out the song by entering the school and pausing in the hallway to reminisce. His acting goes a long way to reinforce the bittersweetness of the music, and he never breaks that mood throughout the four-minute video. His character serves as a reminder that we can look back but never go back to the best time of our lives.

The duality comes in when we compare the overall feel of the video and music with the lyrics themselves. With an almost memory-like feeling, the all-English lyrics seem to be sung in retrospect as the boys remember the years of growing up and trying to find themselves. With every repeat of the chorus, they remind us, “Don’t you know that you are special?” It’s a positive message for all of us, fans or not.

Ready for the Real Comeback

With each new production, the boys are growing stronger and more charismatic.

The boys of BGYO move seamlessly between somber and hopeful within a single song, and it’s a real testament to their abilities and skills. What a good sign for the group who, despite so many successes in their first year, is really still relatively young. We’d hesitate to call “Best Time” a proper comeback since it’s an OST, but, needless to say, we are looking forward to their next comeback. With each new production, the boys are growing stronger and more charismatic. We’ll be waiting to see what they have to offer next.

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