Pink Ocean

Background and release

Promotion for Oh My Girl's second EP, Closer, ended in November 2015, and the group began preparing for their next album soon afterwards. On December 9, they flew to Los Angeles for the album cover photoshoot and a promotional event. However, they were denied entry by customs officials because they did not disclose the true purpose of their trip and tried to enter the US as tourists under the visa waiver program, rather than obtaining the required performance visas.

On March 17, 2016, WM Entertainment announced that Oh My Girl would be releasing their third EP (also called a mini album). "Step by Step" was pre-released on March 21, and the album's title, Pink Ocean, and track list were revealed the next day. The album was released the following week on March 28, in both CD and digital format. A music video for lead single "Liar Liar" was released that same day.

On May 18, WM Entertainment announced that the album would be re-released on May 26 with three new tracks: "Windy Day", "Stupid in Love", and a Chinese version of "Liar Liar".

Production and composition

The music for "B612" was co-written by North American songwriters Sean Alexander and Darren Smith, who co-wrote Girls' Generation's "Lion Heart", as well as many of Oh My Girl's previous songs. Swedish songwriter and guitarist Andreas Öberg co-wrote "B612" and "Knock Knock" and English songwriter David Anthony co-wrote "Liar Liar" and "I Found Love". Seo Ji-eum of Jam Factory wrote the Korean lyrics for the first three songs on the album, and Oh My Girl member Mimi wrote the rap lyrics, with the rap in "Liar Liar" being inspired by Pinocchio. "Step by Step" was written by Jung Jin-young, a member of WM Entertainment's boy band B1A4.

"Liar Liar" is a dance-pop song with a hip hop drum beat. In the lyrics, the narrator is a girl who has a secret crush on a guy, but feels like she is "somewhere in between a dream and reality" because she is uncertain that her affection is returned. "B612" is a mid-tempo acoustic ballad inspired by The Little Prince—the prince's home planet is Asteroid B-612, and the song's lyrics compare the narrator and her crush to the rose and the prince. "I Found Love" is an R&B song with a strong drum rhythm, and is about a girl attending school and falling in love. "Knock Knock" is a retro-pop song about friendship. "Step by Step" was described as having a "dreamy" atmosphere and has rock-style rhythm with string instrumentation.

The vividly-colored music video for "Liar Liar" was produced by Digipedi and highlights the contrast between dreams and reality. In the story line, the girls are all in love with the same guy, but are hiding it from each other. It includes scenes shot underwater, a first for the group. In the dance version music video, they wear shoes that resemble roller skates.

The lead single of the album reissue, "Windy Day", is a folk-pop song composed by Öberg and Swedish producer Maria Marcus. It features vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, and Middle Eastern-inspired horns. The lyrics, written by Seo and Mimi, express the complicated emotions of a girl's heart. The accompanying music video was filmed in Jeju Island in various outdoor settings, including a hedge maze and a forest. Like the music video for "Closer", it has a fairy tale and fantasy-inspired theme.

Promotion

On March 28, Oh My Girl held a comeback showcase at the Lotte Card Center in the Mecenatpolis Mall, Hapjeong-dong, Seoul. They performed songs from the album for the first time at the showcase. The group then promoted the album with performances of "Liar Liar" on various music shows, starting with M! Countdown on March 31. After the pre-recording for Show! Music Core on April 16, member Seunghee fainted and was hospitalized. Doctors determined she had hyperventilated due to stress, and she took a few days off to rest, before resuming activities with the group on April 21. On May 5, they began performing "Step by Step" on music shows. They concluded promotions for the album on May 8 with a final performance on Inkigayo. On May 26, promotion for the album reissue began with a performance of "Windy Day" on M! Countdown.

Reception

Pink Ocean entered the weekly Gaon Album Chart at number 5, selling 6,482 physical copies in three days. "Liar Liar" was number 58 on the Gaon Digital Chart for the week of March 27, and "Step by Step" was number 79 the previous week. "Liar Liar" also charted at number 9 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. Windy Day entered the Gaon Album Chart at number 4, selling 10,574 units in six days, while the song of the same name charted at number 62 on the digital chart.

Jeff Benjamin of Fuse, who previously identified Oh My Girl as one of the best rookie acts of 2015, said "Liar Liar" was a unique blend of an "adorable aesthetic" and a "sassy attitude". He noted the song's "punchy" pop production and "addictive" hook, and identified "Knock Knock" and "Step by Step" as the album's standouts. He also praised Oh My Girl's stage performance and intricate choreography. In June, Benjamin included "Windy Day" in Fuse's list of "The 13 Best Girl Group Songs of 2016 (So Far)", calling it one of most unexpected girl group releases in 2016. Billboard magazine's Tamar Herman called "Windy Day" experimental and quirky, and said it showcased the members youthful vocals. Dazed magazine's Taylor Glasby ranked "Liar Liar" number 7 in Dazed's "The 20 best K-Pop tracks of the year", describing "Liar Liar" as an upbeat falsetto powerhouse that was skillfully connected with the music video.

Personnel

Credits adapted from EP liner notes.

Pink Ocean

Locations

Personnel

Windy Day

Locations

Personnel