Analysis of QtoresQ and how it ties into the larger narrative OnlyOneOf have been building
QtoresQ feels like a direct continuation of seOul cOllectiOn in a way Things I Can't Say LOve didn't, but maybe wasn't intended to. Everything surrounding the creation of TICSL seems to have been a mess (financial problems, Nine sending a different song than he intended, at least one song included on the album having originally been meant to come out way earlier). In that way, it represents a bump in OnlyOneOf's road as artists, and thematically, it also represented a bump in the road for the narrator - a repetition of old, harmful patterns that led to him feeling stuck despite trying to move forward.
QtoresQ moves forward.
I tried to write this post in a clear and comprehensive way in case it reaches lyOns who aren't familiar with my previous theories, but if you find yourself feeling confused, these set a foundation for what understanding of their lore I'm working with: instinct albums analysis (+the queerness of their earlier releases), circular storytelling (seOul cOllectiOn and broader lore analysis), concert post (in the second half I wrote about how the audience's perspective plays a role in their story, which heavily ties into what I talk about in the next paragraph.)
I've been trying to explore in depth how OnlyOneOf engage with existentialism in their art, and I'm really happy to report that all this research can be applied to analyzing this album. As opposed to a belief system where every choice we make is pre-determined by an outside force like gods or destiny, in existentialism, every person is free. You may have heard the Sartre quote Man is condemned to be free. It means that even though we are free by nature, this freedom is infringed upon by societal norms of the times and places we live in, so achieving complete freedom in the outer world is basically impossible. There are also certain limitations within us, things that are true about us and can't be changed (an example used by Sartre is homosexuality - it can be ignored and repressed, but that doesn't make it go away; rather, it seeps into the subconscious mind and begins to poison other areas, lowering a person's quality of life.)
But reality is chaos with very little rhyme and reason except for what we make of it, so despite the limits that lay outside our power, we're encouraged to exercise the freedom we do have, determine our individual identities, reject what makes us feel trapped, and create a life without repressing who we experience ourselves to be. As for artists, they're encouraged to create art that sparks change and reveals their inner world to other people, and through that, reveals something about their audience to themselves, changing society bit by bit and broadening the scope of our individual freedom (reference).
That's what OnlyOneOf have been doing since the very start, and this mission is very clearly outlined in this album.
The album description says: In a world without right answers, choosing a path that's different from others can suddenly make you feel alone. That's why we sent out a rainbow sign. We wanted you to know someone's here, and that you're not alone. The emotions contained in this album are a record of moments of progressing toward freedom. A desire to break free from the mold, a small step taken despite anger, wandering and fear. This isn't the answer. It's just a sign to recognize each other. Someday, you will surely see it too.
According to the MV description, UNCOOL is about the courage to find our individuality in a world that demands conformity, even if it means becoming ugly in the eyes of society. True beauty is found in authentic self-expression, and the idea of becoming uncool is meant to provide liberation from the discomfort that comes with suppressing inner truths. If skinz put down the foundation to help us look inward to embrace chaos and uncertainty, UNCOOL encourages us to embrace bolder ways of self-expression, strip off the ways we posture to appear normal, challenge societal norms and not suppress those parts of ourselves that cry out to be set free, to celebrate life, love and music.
As is often the case with OnlyOneOf, there is space for multiple viewpoints within one project, different angles of narration. The members didn't work on the lyrics this time, but this is the first project over which they've had full creative control, so their artistic identity feels more intentionally crafted than ever. The boundary between artist voice and the voice of a fictional narrator of a song is blurrier than ever on this album, and I believe that to be intentional.
The UNCOOL MV shows QQQ as artists embodying the song's message, but also as three distinct characters, each with their own unique connection to the album's storyline. As artists, they are leaders of change and rebellion, pushing people to express themselves. They're free designers whose voice is amplified by a microphone, and they lead by example to help others achieve the same level of freedom they've reached.
As characters, KB is the closest to embodying this ideal, boldly entering a space where everyone sits around with the same stoic expression and showing his unrestrained self without fear of looking strange. Nine is the first to respond, beginning his verse with Okay okay, I'm starting new, strip it off one by one. This idea of stripping off is akin to the Take off what's false messaging of skinz, but it's also shown literally in the MV on two instances. The first is instigated by KB in a quick flash of him pulling off someone's pants right before the chorus (the white sleeves match what he's wearing as they're running up the stairs, though I can't figure out who the other person is - regardless, it's relevant that they both seem to be men). The second time is instigated by Nine when he pulls a bandana off a man's head and stomps on it - more on that later.
In the first verse, Nine is shown as the only figure facing the camera in a room filled with hooded people and pushing through them to walk in his own direction, symbolizing the struggle of nonconformity. A bit later in the MV he's filmed from behind metal bars, suggesting that the degree of freedom he experiences is different from KB's.
Then, there's Jisung. He expresses a more free self than the extras sitting around him, but he's also seen alone the most out of the trio - first, he's shown to be all alone on the roof, and while everyone is running to the roof, the camera lingers on him as he watches from the side. I have two conflicting interpretations of this, the first being that he's ahead of everyone else in terms of personal progress and is waiting for the others to reach that same place, overseeing it as it happens. My second interpretation is that he wishes to be part of the change happening around him, but finds it difficult to join in. The red light that shines on him can symbolize inner blockages (especially since it seems to come from the door leading into the building, making it look like a forbidden zone), and the arrangement of the shot where he's watching people run by draws attention to his reflection in the glass door, implying he's in two minds about something. Because it's OnlyOneOf, both of these interpretations can coexist, though I lean more toward the latter.
The unapologetic sound and self-expression of QQQ make UNCOOL seem like a song fully steeped in the mindset of bold rebellion against norms, but there is a more conflicted dimension to the lyrics that seems to come at it from a different angle - the viewpoint of someone who wishes to be more like this shameless, courageous, empathetic version of QQQ. This viewpoint takes over the second verse.
It starts by referencing a raw stab wound, tying UNCOOL to Rainbow shade with the line Every day, in a hundred different ways, I get stabbed with a dagger - this dagger being the hardships one is faced with when they choose to live out loud against societal expectations. The narrator of UNCOOL says that the things he used to love are now fading and forgotten, likely because trying to live a normal life required him to push away what brought him genuine excitement. In the pre-chorus, he says I'm waiting for something different, and here, that wish is specified: I'm waiting for a rainbow sign. A rainbow sign can mean a lot of things - a song, an encounter, a kind gesture, a sense of community with fellow queer people, anything that allows previously ignored feelings to be brought out into the light, acknowledged and accepted. QQQ stated in the album description that they're the ones who sent out a rainbow sign, but they also sing from the perspective of those waiting for it - their audience, their MV characters, their past selves, the voice of the overarching narrative they're building.
The scenes that play over this verse are as follows: KB sitting and idly sweeping his gaze past the camera which moves to focus on the two girls next to him as they look into each other's eyes and hold hands - the spotlight isn't given to the artist, but to their moment of connection. Then we see Nine hugging someone who is (or poses as) a hater. Before he rips the bandana off his head, he smirks a little as if he's thinking "Your hoodie says you're a hater, but you're not acting like a hater now, so let's push things a bit further and force you to reveal more of your true self." He then looks the "hater" in the eyes, cornering him, and there's an intimacy to that moment which may or may not have been intentional - everyone I've talked to about it seems to agree it doesn't look very platonic. If the bandana was a way to obscure that person's gender and play with people's expectations, then it certainly makes the intimacy seem more intentional.
Both of these scenes are about QQQ giving other people the space and permission to be their true selves, and when Jisung stares straight into the lense of the camera in his scene, he creates a connection with the viewer, reaching out directly to us and giving us that same acceptance.
In contrast to the other two, he's sitting alone, looking meditative as he sings that crucial line. Those around him are receiving their rainbow signs, but he's still waiting. A far-off, echoing voice asks him What are you chasing? which is a question QQQ pose to us in the MV description, and Jisung answers: I'm trying to find myself. He's the voice of the song's fictional narrator, but he's also the artist answering his own question, reaching out to himself from beyond the song. The chorus shows uncertainty about who the intended recipient of this song is - Talking to who? With the lines thoroughly blurred, the song's narrator contrasts himself against the fearless, defiant QQQ and lets us know he isn't quite there yet. He's breaking out of the rigid expectations and trying to find himself, but still tries to ignore something and push it away. Tryna ignore what I know is immediately followed by Dance, guitar, almost like a distraction from those complicated thoughts.
The bridge continues to blur these different perspectives into one. QQQ express their mission to wake people up from a fake world, even if it's just one person, but there is a darker, tired undertone to the lyrics: I wish for every moment to be free/The more my heart gets filled, the emptier I feel. This effort to bring about more freedom fills their hearts and gives them a sense of purpose, but it's also exhausting to care so much, especially when they're confronted with the reality that there are limits to how much they can change. Still, they go on to sing Wake me up if you're so lonely/Wake your love, we'll never be ugly, because they're not just the ones sharing this message - they're also the ones who need to hear it, be the change they want to see. It's an expression of unity in this struggle, an admission of personal responsibility over their influence, and an invitation to rely on them and their art.
The MV description says that the conclusion of the song is a paradox, because once we awaken from a conformist way of thinking about what's cool and good and pretty, our values shift; nonconformity and diversity become cool and beautiful. We're left to ask ourselves What are you chasing now? - unleashing our innate freedom isn't the end of the road, but a new beginning.
QtoresQ jumps straight into a driving metaphor, a long-running theme in their discography and videography alike. Driving implies forward momentum, but as seOul drift and countless references to circles suggest, the road of life can feel like a circle. This was heavily hinted at in songs like sage (Even though I run away, I end up standing here) and mirage (This pattern repeats even if I throw it away and flip it over) and was later made explicit in O where they sang about being stuck in a time loop. Songs like time leap and time machine talk about a wish to turn back time and undo the mistakes they've made, but that wish is ultimately impossible. Time keeps moving forward without mercy, but they feel stuck in one place, endlessly repeating the same mistakes, breaking and fixing themselves, struggling to find a way out of the mess they keep creating. The narrator of O was completely alone with no one to trust, and after many instances of wanting to be led and saved by a higher power or a lover (sage, desert, tear of gOd, gaslighting), he finally arrived at the conclusion - I'm the only one who can save myself.
In QtoresQ, the narrator is driving down the road alone, and he decides to twist the wheel and turn back, implying that this road isn't circular anymore. Someone who clears his mind and helps him breathe has been left behind, and they might not bump into each other along this road again like they would've in seOul drift (Take the steering wheel that will lead you rOund/Like we just passed by each other, circle). By saying I just want to test my destiny, he picks the freedom of choice over believing destiny will lead him where he needs to be. If they are truly destined, they will meet again and things will work out better, but he won't leave it up to chance. This time, he'll try harder.
But this autonomous choice is ultimately still dictated by the desire to be led, the Tell me where to go mindset from desert. The song makes many references to the cosmic imagery of OnlyOneOf yOu, even sharing a very similar line: Ocean of starlight is now Ocean of stars. This person is the only one who can make his universe shine, someone he trusts blindly, his navigator in the darkness, his guiding light. I'm the answer from seOul drift turns into Now I know you're the answer.
I want to be careful with my wording here, because although the song continues this previously established pattern as well as another common pattern in their art - putting a lover on a pedestal by calling them so many larger-than-life things that it seems like they're being denied their humanity (most clearly shown in angel) - it doesn't have to be a sign of an inherently unhealthy dynamic in this song. Taking a detour to reconnect with someone who seems to have it all figured out and can make life more bearable isn't harmful in and of itself. OnlyOneOf never critique strong emotional ties; they critique depersonalization and relationships based on a god/follower dynamic.
With all that said, this album doesn't concern itself with unhealthy patterns in romantic relationships as much as their previous albums, and it's by far their least romance-focused album thus far. The usage of "us" rather than "me" in the line You'll be right here next to us invites an interpretation that all three members of QQQ are the narrators, and we, their audience, are the guiding light they need. We give their journey meaning because we are people who need the message they're sharing, and by singing Star to a galaxy, they paint a picture of a singular speck of light joining a whole ocean, a beautiful community gathered in the same sky.
But the inverse is also true. Whether you view it as a love song about lyOns or a special person, the title QtoresQ implies that QQQ are the ones acting on this cue to come to someone's rescue. The narrator is their audience, tired and beaten by life, reaching out to be comforted by their music and everything they stand for. It may be wishful thinking on my part to hope that the fan project we made back in June had any major bearing on the direction this project took, but since we know Kyubin watched the video, I think it's fair to view it as another one in a long line of fan interactions and things they saw on their tours that ultimately shaped this album. This whole project feels like a response to everyone who shared their honest, vulnerable self with them, their way of telling us "We know we're important to you." No matter where life takes us, we are connected to OnlyOneOf and other lyOns because we allow ourselves to be changed by them. Whenever we feel lost, we can twist the steering wheel and come back, reconnect, and reevaluate the direction we're heading in.
After a song filled with light comes Rainbow shade. Before hearing the full song, I'd assumed this "shade" would mean something like shade under a tree, a calm place where one can hide from the glaring light. That interpretation makes sense for the song's outro, but not the loud, bold, energetic verses and chorus. The word "shade" doesn't appear in the lyrics, only the title, and it's situated in between two songs that focus heavily on light, which is why I think this shade is meant to directly contrast the light and the symbolism that comes with it. Although filled with pride and color, there are darker emotions running through the foundation of the song: anger, frustration, resentment.
Once again, this song seamlessly weaves together multiple viewpoints that all unite into a cohesive idea. The narrator begins by telling us he's getting drunk and is ready to head out to have a good night, but day and night seem to blur for him as the sun is already high up on the sky, so he decides to chill out since tomorrow he can give and borrow again. It implies some kind of exchange is taking place in his daily life, and I interpret it as an exchange of positive emotions and experiences. For QQQ the artists, this exchange can mean giving and borrowing love and acceptance discussed in the previous two songs. For the fictional narrator, it makes sense to view him as one of the people influenced by QQQ in UNCOOL - those who got their rainbow sign, but also the one who's still waiting.
We find our narrator reeling from this newfound sense of freedom, partying every day and developing a sense of community. The excess of it makes it seem like a distraction from more complicated thoughts and feelings, and those begin to emerge in the pre-chorus. He vents about the things "they say", the lessons he's being force-fed, stating that they shouldn't bother trying to teach him that life is difficult because he'll never believe it. He says, What you see is not all there is, I know that too, and he seems to direct the line You blind guys are just hypocrites at those who are trying to teach him that lesson, because in his experience, these people refuse to see him as someone with hidden depth; when it comes to those they're prejudiced against, they think they know everything. The two lines bracketing the ones just discussed are: Chew the gum and swallow it again and If you need to, buy everything and sell it - my interpretation is heavily influenced by the double meaning of some of these words in English, but I believe I'm on the right track in seeing it as a flippant comment about the mindless repetition of prejudiced beliefs, kind of like saying: "Go ahead, keep chewing on these ideas that lost all flavor. Buy what they're selling, swallow it, and keep selling it to others."
The chorus contrasts the conformist lessons spouted by everyone by listing off a variety of colors, almost as if to say, "Our existence defies your teachings. Whether you like it or not, the rainbow's up on the sky, because a rainbow's nature isn't to hide, but to boldly stand out." QQQ turn the tables and become the stern teachers in a hostile world, channeling all their anger at injustice to yell No more excuses, no discrimination, get it through your head.
In the second verse, we hear We're spinning round and round, a wandering rainbow/Don't care if it's like this, kill your problem. A wandering rainbow spinning round is an apt way to describe their journey: going in circles, trying and sometimes failing to find their path, but doing so in a way that's true to themselves and their colors. The following lines can then mean, "I don't mind this, and you shouldn't either. Kill the part of you that sees this as a problem."
Suddenly, we leave this hype, intense mood, and enter something softer and more introspective in the outro section. During my first listen of this song, I was reminded of candy bOmb, but candy bOmb went right back to the chorus while Rainbow shade fades into silence. I don't think there are any significant textual connections between these songs, but both sections serve the same purpose - to contrast the narrator's noisy, stimulating lifestyle with a calmer, pensive moment.
To me, the outro of Rainbow shade evokes vivid imagery of someone who wakes up after a wild night to find himself surrounded by a welcoming space, like a soft bed in a quiet room with sunshine peeking in through the window. The narrator recounts that he was so wasted last night he can barely remember it, but the softness of the melodies conveys that he feels something very different from a hangover. The lyrics imply there's someone next to him or in his faded memories, and that person is the reason everything feels different. The outside world hasn't changed and everything that's infuriating and painful is still out there, but it feels faraway. This is the rainbow sign he's been waiting for - an embrace that allows him to be at peace with himself and reality alike.
As the song culminates, his viewpoint grows wider, encompassing both his and QQQ's perspective. The unspoken truth is getting clearer/What was kept hidden will be revealed in the light. Never in this song or project is it explicitly stated that queerness is one of the main themes, but it is the unspoken truth of it, as well as countless other things OnlyOneOf have done. They sing about a dream of an endless sky where they shine high and bright, embodying a rainbow sign that can be seen by everyone if they just look up. The anger that permeated the song's earlier parts fueled them to rebel and fight for change. Here, they discover the power of warmth that can heal the wounds we share - a connection built on empathy.
One of the last lines in the song is Embrace me. Whichever viewpoint you look at it from, be it those sending out the rainbow sign or those receiving it, it expresses a desire to be accepted for who they are. The narrator who wanted to become more like the figures QQQ represented in UNCOOL is closer than ever to achieving that goal - he's ready to become a rainbow sign and a guiding light for others.
Burnaway begins with the narrator facing himself in the mirror, self-reflecting about the struggles and mistakes of his youth. By asking All these memories I trusted, where are they headed? he questions the credibility of his own memory, something that we know to deeply fallible, repeatedly warped and rewritten by our brains. For him, these memories are foundational to his self-image. The mirror in O reflected scars, and it made him want to break both the mirror and himself to get out of the prison of his past (All I need is break, break, break myself and fix it.) In Burnaway, this instinct to self-destruct also rears its head, but there's a crucial difference - he feels no bitterness toward his past self. He reexamines the past with a mature, detached, gentle approach to his younger self who didn't know any better, forgiving him for his imperfections. Through that, he also accepts who he'd become, including the scars on his skin and the scars he gave to others.
The references to fire make me think of the savanna MV where fire was a prominent visual motif, which invites an interpretation that this is also QQQ looking back at their career, re-evaluating their choices and inviting us to reconcile with the past along with them. I remember that insanely blazing day/A melody that flickered here, let's burn away.
By the time we get to the second verse, the narrator isn't looking at his past self anymore, but at someone who's here with him, together in the flowing time. He signs to them, The entire world as I feel it has been drawn by your hands and Everything comes from you. These sentiments brush up against that instinct to elevate a lover to an almost god-like status, but if we look at them as two people ostracized by society, we can see why the narrator finds comfort in a world created especially for him by someone who loves him. It allows the painful reality to fade when they're together, even though being together can be painful as well. The warmth this person shares with him is comforting, and the burn marks when they get too close are precious.
There are two possible causes for these burn marks, the fire of hate coming at them from the outside or the lover being the fire itself; someone with the capacity to hurt, someone seen as dangerous. Either way, the narrator doesn't see them as dangerous. He's so devoted to them as to put his life in their hands - Only your decision is needed to dive into the fire. "Us together is a dangerous thing, and it's up to you if you want to risk it." He might be blinded by his affection, but he also might be the only person who looks beyond what the lover has been told about themself and believes themself to be - a danger, a hazard to health, someone nobody should get close to. To the narrator, they're someone who can help him get through another painful day; his blue escape, the opposite of fire. They're his rainbow sign, the one who opened the healing world of love and empathy before him. Now, he embodies everything he's learned and tells them, Look at me who believes in you. 'I love you', say it to me quietly.
Right after stating that this person is his rainbow sign, he sings I'm nobody without you. Although that doesn't imply the healthiest mindset in a personal relationship, if we look at it from QQQ's parasocial perspective, it makes sense for them to feel that way about their audience - an artist with a voice and message that nobody listens to would feel like a nobody. After over a year since releasing their most recent song, they once again ask us to stay with them.
The closing line of the album is I will burn and light your path. They become the guiding light they needed someone else to be for them two songs ago, and it's not a grand, faraway, celestial light, but a cleansing fire that can warm and scald. Imperfect, hurtful if you get too close, but always within our reach.
Being a guiding light that burns away for the sake of others is selflessly self-destructive, but it leaves room for something entirely new to be built in place of the old self; a final severence of ties to one's past and a choice to move on once and for all. We've seen the narrator attempt this kind of rebirth before, mainly in the instinct series, but looking at those two projects side by side, it's clear how far we've come since then.
Aside from existentialism, there is one more thing I wish I'd explored better in my instinct video, and that's the narrator's relationship to time. While discussing tear Of gOd, I said that the boy feels the promised paradise slipping away, realizing he can no longer reach it as there is no place for the likes of him there. At that point in the story he's exploring a side of his nature that he's been taught is a sin worthy of being sent to hell for eternity, and that poisons his relationship with himself, his sexuality, and later also his faith. Paradise is meant to represent eternal happiness, but the narrator seems more concerned with the former than the latter - For the sin of swallowing the apple, I miss the wings of eternity. The reason why he wanted a holy, blessed relationship in angel even though it hurt wasn't just to adhere to societal norms, but to save his eternal soul from damnation. There is an interesting concept in medieval philosophy that has been largely forgotten but is too fitting not to mention - it was believed that angels exist somewhere between time and eternity in a realm called aevum, so by getting close to someone he perceived as angelic, he might've thought he will also be elevated to that realm.
Across the instinct albums, he deconstructs his faith, eventually arriving at Faith is poison to me in skinz and As if we'd swallowed the forbidden fruit, we feel catharsis in ultimate bliss. Eternity is a lost concept to him, gone with his faith in the dogma, but the underlying cause for his desire to believe and strive to obtain eternity is still there.
Life has no meaning the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal - Sartre
The fear of our limited time on earth passing us by too quickly is something pretty much everyone can relate to, and it has been with the narrator from the very start, weighing on his subconscious. In savanna, he tells someone he enjoys being with You can take my time, like he's thinking about it in terms of something he's actively giving away. The references to time are countless across their discography, many steeped in desperation to turn back, undo, redo. Achieving a free, happy, fulfilled self feels like a race against time, and being stuck in one place for too long causes him a lot of distress.
That's what it means to him to burn himself away. This constant desire for rebirth is what drives him, makes him feel like he can face another day without becoming submerged in regret. Once the album loops back to UNCOOL, we meet the narrator as a person with a fully realized sense of responsibility for what energy he puts out into the world, someone determined to share his truth and create more freedom now that he's achieved his own. And the circle keeps going, because this isn't the answer. It's just a sign to recognize each other.
QtoresQ might be OnlyOneOf's most cohesive album yet; blatantly self-referential, continually bringing the scattered dots and lines to the surface of this circular yet progressing journey of self-discovery. This race toward self-actualization has been largely focused on personal development with occasional acknowledgment of their influence on the world, mainly in the beyOnd MV description. Now, they turn their focus beyond themselves to ask What are you looking for in me? - "How can I heal, inspire, awaken? How can I mean something bigger than myself, fix something more important than me? How can I free you and show you the way even though I don't know the answer?"
The sign is enough. At least for now, it's all we need from them. We recognize them, they recognize us, and it's enough. As long as we're here together, we can keep going and create another chapter.
