Reimagining the “Boy Next Door”

How the group BOYNEXTDOOR continues to subvert expectations

With a band name like “BOYNEXTDOOR,” an image automatically comes to mind, and while the K-pop boy group named BOYNEXTDOOR does take advantage of that baked-in branding, they also constantly go beyond it. Rather than completely shunning the stereotypical concept of a humble, shy, wholesome “boy next door,” they just alter and expand that preconceived image; they opt to redefine the concept instead of throwing it away. With their latest project, 19.99, they turn the cliche into the creative in more apparent ways than ever, while holding onto crucial nuances when it comes to self-expression. 

A Track-by-Track Look at 19.99

“Dangerous” starts 19.99 with a PSA: “Everybody be quiet / Mom and dad should not hear this song / You need to put on earphones”! Right away, this sets the tone for the album’s “acting their age” theme. The BOYNEXTDOOR members admit to pushing their parents’ boundaries but act like they can’t help it: “... granny told me all about it. She said / ‘Your dad was just like you when he was little’... Can’t fake it, it’s in my parents’ blood / Go big or go home”! They also excuse their behavior with an “I could be worse” insistence: “I’ve never touched my dad’s wallet / But I’ve worn his designer clothes;” “I never cross the line, trust me”! In a typical teenage way, they show self-awareness of their rule-breaking without showing interest in stopping it. They admit “youth is [their] shield” from the most severe punishments, so they lack the motivation to clean up their acts. They are still immature enough to prefer asking for forgiveness over permission!

Immaturity remains the defining trait of the second song, “Gonna Be A Rock.” They respond to a breakup with pettiness, wishing they could disrupt an ex’s life like a rock smashing through a window and wanting to go back in time to be the dumpers before they can become the dumpees! Their wounded pride lingers, and they admit to reacting childishly: “They say I was doomed from the start / Like a seven-year-old who lost [his] toy.”

“SKIT” reiterates the youthful mindset of BOYNEXTDOOR while breaking the fourth wall. The members brainstorm things to do in celebration of becoming twenty-somethings, and their list of ideas includes riding bumper cars and go-karts! Their conversation ends with a reminder to get ready to sing the next song, “Nice Guy,” which brings to mind their realization in a previous era’s song called “So let’s go see the stars”: “Huh? What’s this? I left the mic on?” In the context of a movie analogy, adults tend to show the public only the “final edits” of their reactions, while BOYNEXTDOOR and others their age are more likely to, intentionally or not, show the public the unfiltered “rough cuts”! Older adults tend to more consciously try to keep up appearances, while younger adults speak before thinking more often. BOYNEXTDOOR’s inner monologues play out like actors reading their stage directions along with their official lines!

In “Dangerous,” BOYNEXTDOOR admit that “Being alone is scary.” This bluntness is also an integral trait in past eras’ songs. They directly spill their feelings, like when they say “I’m bored” in “l i f e i s c o o l,” and when they say “I feel so mad” in “Earth, Wind & Fire.” With that “cut to the chase” style, they imply that there is not a second to waste. When they need to spill their guts, they have to do it succinctly, before they lose their cool. This explains both the rapid rate at which they express themselves in “Earth, Wind & Fire,” as if singing at 10X speed! It also explains why they sound so impatient, urgently seeking clarity with the same fixation as little kids responding to every answer a parent gives them with another “Why?” “You’re my darling, right?” and “Are you teasing me?,” they ask in “Earth, Wind & Fire.” Now, in “Nice Guy,” they insist, “Don’t leave me hanging” and “Stop stalling and say it already.” They also repeat again and again, “You like me, right?”

“20” displays more childish traits. They lament turning “20” and say they still have so much growing up to do: “Ready to be 20? I don’t think so;” “I was just as small as a grain of rice / Now I’ve barely grown to the size of an egg.” They feel sorry for themselves, saying, “My youth is free, so what?,” and “Why does everyone say this is the best time?” Their typical adolescent self-pity is part of the last song, “Call Me,” too: “I guess the world is not on my side again today.” 

“Call Me” goes on to show some signs of maturity, with empathetic lyrics like “You don’t have to cry silently… Because I’m here, my friend.” But at the same time, lyrics like “No one gets it right from the start / Don’t be so discouraged” imply they are still learning and doing things for the first time, and the overall theme of the song is feeling ill-equipped to navigate adulthood alone. Of course, being daunted by adulthood without companions is not inherently negative! But it does speak to the youthful desire to still be cared for and looked after, which is one of the reasons why the members tend to move as a collective in their music videos. For example, in the “Nice Guy” music video, they wear matching uniforms and deliver a flower-shaped pizza together; it is easier to make grand gestures with moral support! A group mentality is another classic adolescent trait that BOYNEXTDOOR exhibit; they prefer getting to rely on more judgment calls than just their own.

The 19.99 era reflects an authentic mindset of young adults. The songs show maturity in terms of self-awareness but immaturity in terms of how BOYNEXTDOOR deal with their emotions. Therein lies the smart way the group tears apart and reassembles the “boys next door” premise: by making music rooted in a transition process, rather than one firmly at one end of the “growing up” spectrum. Their music exudes neither cookie-cutter, one-dimensional “boy next door” qualities nor the opposite. This means that BOYNEXTDOOR might come across as less instantly likable than they would be if they were to pick one end of the spectrum, but there is a stronger argument that the group’s candid confessions that paint them as neither angels nor devils make them more likable. They prove that subverting the “boy next door” theme and holding onto elements of it are not mutually exclusive, and that in-betweenness is an asset.

BOYNEXTDOOR’s songs do not always portray them in an admirable light. They handle many situations like stubborn kids, deem bad days as unfixable when the going gets tough, resist their parents’ advice, and feel sorry for themselves. They are certainly not the face of optimism (“I was the fool / Everything sucks,” they say in “But Sometimes”), persistence (“I’ll never love you again / I won’t try anymore,” they say with exasperation in “Dear. My Darling”), or responsibility (in “Dangerous,” they say, “I forgot my wallet” and “I’ve ignored my mom’s nagging”). But it is the lack of trying to be the face of anything that makes them more real; they do not try to be role models, which makes their storytelling much more interesting and emotionally believable.

The Visual Aspect of BOYNEXTDOOR’s Storytelling

While BOYNEXTDOOR’s lyrics express their feelings plainly, the visual components of their musical storytelling favor the inexplicable and incomplete!

BOYNEXTDOOR’s WHO! era is their most down-to-earth, but only relatively speaking! Conventional premises - pining over a crush, hanging out with friends - come with surprising twists. For example, the “One and Only” video ends with the members stepping out of a container-like doorway, as if they are the toys inside of a shaken box! This debut era establishes right away their story’s place at the intersection of basic narratives and open questions. Right away, they present a willingness to play along with the image inherent to a group called “BOYNEXTDOOR,” but they put the emphasis on the word “play”! They leave the audience wondering, “Where did these boys come from?!” and seem to revel in popping up in surprising places and moments!

The WHY.. era’s “But Sometimes” video alludes to a smaller world within a larger one, with the smaller one being carried around by the members in a suitcase. Versions of themselves appear within that smaller world, while the “life-size” versions of themselves carry on in the “real world.”

The HOW? era asks again, “Where in the world are the real BOYNEXTDOOR members?!” The “Earth, Wind & Fire” video keeps that hard to answer; the boys’ house crash-lands in one new and equally surreal location after another!

The 19.99 era also involves each BOYNEXTDOOR member appearing to have doubles who exist in different dimensions. In one realm, as seen in an album preview video, they play the owner and customers of a pawn shop. Another teaser video bears resemblance to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with a magical laptop being sought after by all the youths in town instead of a “Golden Ticket.” This era’s “Nice Guy” video adds to the randomness and makes viewers’ sense of space and time unreliable; there are head-spinning numbers of spins, jumps, and drops down into different settings!

The main through-lines among the videos of BOYNEXTDOOR’s past eras and the 19.99 era are hallmarks of young adulthood: impatience, immediacy, impulsivity, and imagination. Entering one’s twenties comes with nerves and fears that create the emotional turbulence (and subsequent sense of instability in their surroundings) their work visually represents. Growing up tends to come with these beliefs: life is moving at an overwhelming speed (hence the rapid pacing and scene switches in their music videos), the self-discovery process is taking too long (hence the members’ constant character switches, as if there is a timer on how long their process of fully coming into their own is allowed to take), and that youth is worth making the most of while it lasts (hence their lack of rule-following, both in terms of their parents’ rules and in terms of the logic-based constraints of the “real world”). BOYNEXTDOOR’s visual aids add imaginative layers to their songs’ stories that maintain the songs’ roots in self-discovery and open-ended exploration.

Conclusion

BOYNEXTDOOR’s appeal is not just from singing about relatable growing pains, but by showing a mix of humility and audacity in the process. They handle many situations clumsily and admit to not having the most sound judgment, but they also show no interest in becoming totally polished and clean-cut. 

BOYNEXTDOOR could have easily coasted to success on just the “boy next door” tried-and-true formula. They could have also taken the opposite route, relying on shock value and playing up an ironic “bad boys” image. Instead of either extreme, they have chosen a more clever and entertaining route, exposing untapped potential for what else “BOYNEXTDOOR” can entail. By daring to mold ideas into new shapes and by not limiting themselves sonically, aesthetically, or narratively, the group continues to impressively invert a contrived formula. 

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