Ethereal and heavenly, Love Dive Continues the Success of IVE’s Debut

Just a few months ago, rookie group IVE enthralled and entertained the world with their hit single, Eleven. Fast forward to April 2022, and the six-member group has garnered even more favor with their first comeback “Love Dive.” 

(Photo Cred: Screenshot from Official Music Video)

At first, listen I was intrigued but not fully drawn in, which tends to be my experience with quite a few K-pop songs so I knew I needed a second listen. Granted I only heard the chorus but I had more feelings of “it sounds alright.” However, when I listened to the song from beginning to end, I was hooked, particularly by the girls’ ethereal voices and deep backbeats. The way you can ride the rhythm from beginning to end and not get bored is my favorite thing about this bop. 

I love how the song has a subtle sensual feel but nothing that’s overtly outrageous. The lyrics are flirty yet playful. The instruments are heavenly. The overall vibe of the song is something that just transports you to a faraway place. 

Photo courtesy of IVE Official Twitter

Thousands of songs use ooo and la la as background vocals to accent the main lyrics. They work well in the background but in Love Dive the ooo, ooo, ooos (followed by the la la la la) is front and center and the main draw of this song. 

The thing that really caught me however was not the chorus or the lovely vocals. It was the oh-so-satisfying dance break that had me coming back to this song over and over. To me, it’s the bow that ties the whole song together and I don’t think it would have been complete without it. 

The dance itself is simple but surprisingly fun to do with a mixture of feminine moves including elegant spins and graceful hand movements, complete with pretty lines and floorwork that requires a little bit of flexibility.

Some fans have a theory that IVE has a continuing theme of “self-love,” starting with Eleven. So in essence Love Dive isn’t about falling in love with another person but falling in love with yourself (hence the narcissistic line) I totally believe you should love yourself but I agree with self-love so deep to where you become more important than caring for others. Not sure if IVE means to portray that but if their theme falls in line with the story of the God Narcissus, then they could be hinting at that. 

While the song itself left nothing to be desired (for me anyway) I do with the dance had a bit more, particularly the chorus. I started learning this a few days ago and I was surprised at how simple the moves were. This would have been a good opportunity to throw in some more medium-level moves similar to other groups who have songs similar to this one, like Red Velvet for instance. 

But all in all, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SONG. I loved Eleven but I adore Love Dive, and I feel like the group has outdone themselves with their latest album. “Royal,” the second track on the album, is also an enjoyable song to listen to and has a bit of a retro feel to it. 

If you haven’t given Love Dive a listen, I would highly recommend it! While this kind of song may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it has grabbed fans’ attention and it’s only been out for a few days (check out Instagram and you’ll see what I mean). 

Photo courtesy of AllKpop

What do you think of this comeback? Leave me a comment below!