The visuals lean heavily into the alien concept they have going on. I was soon recommended this insightful video on YouTube about the girls and their rebranding.
But long story short. f5ve (pronounced fi-vee) is a five member girl group from Japan consisting of Sayaka, Kaede, Ruri, Miyuu, and Rui. They are formerly known as Sailor Guardians 5 or SG5 and debuted with the song “Firetruck” on March 1, 2023. In April 2024, they changed their name to f5ve and dropped the Sailor Moon concept, and they are co-managed by Three Six Zero and LDH Japan.
“Magic Clock” was produced by BloodPop and AG Cook (most known for working with Charli xcx). Looking through BloodPop’s discography is interesting. I didn’t realize he made “Lucid” by Rina Sawayama, that’s my favorite song of hers. “Sorry” by Justin Bieber, “911”, “Sour Candy feat BLACKPINK” and “Babylon” by Lady Gaga are bangers. And I see a LE SSERAFIM song here too, “1-800-HOT-N-FUN”. Slay.
Seeing that BloodPop also produced f5ve’s debut single “Firetruck” makes so much sense. I gotta go back and listen to more of f5ve’s older songs. But I totally see how we got “Magic Clock”. The sound is pretty consistent. Hyper, techno pop elements going on. Me liking “Lucid” and those Gaga songs make more sense now. Again, if there’s one thing about me, I’m consistent in my music taste, lol.
The music video for “Magic Clock” has limited scenery, but it works incredibly well for the plot going on. The algorithm is working overtime because back in January/February I started getting ads for another Japanese group called Psychic Fever for their banger “What’s Happening“. Another song I’ve had on repeat for weeks now. This will not be the only time I talk about that song this year on ATK. So I was shook to see one of the Psychic Fever dudes being featured during the early stages of promotion for “Magic Clock”.
I had that Leonardo DiCaprio meme moment. Turns out Tsurugi is the group’s leader and one of the rappers. Psychic Fever is also managed by LDH Japan, so brand synergy wise, love that. But also it didn’t feel out of place with him being there. It was funny watching him messing with the clock while f5ve kept doing their performance, completely unbothered. Mans was panicking when he aged them up or down too far. And the girls were like, “the show goes on 💁🏾♀️”.
This picture with everyone takes me out because it’s them referencing the ending shot of “Magic Clock”.
I just love how silly f5ve are. Their Twitter account is gold.
And my absolute favorite one:
I love that Adele meme so much, lmaooo. Anyway, the moral of the story is f5ve is great. I adore “Magic Clock” and I’ve been playing it daily since release. They’re definitely one of my favorite “new” girl groups right now. I’ve already preordered their upcoming debut album Sequence 01 dropping May 5, 2025. Big slay for that release date, btw. And I need everyone to check out and support their music.
I want to know what y’alls thoughts are on f5ve and “Magic Clock”. Do you have a favorite member? I think mine is Ruri. I do plan on doing a deep dive into their older releases and seeing what vlog, interviews, etc content I can find on them. Tell me everything in the comments! Next up is another QT but I’m not sure who it’ll be on yet. So make sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, & BlueSky.
Take care!
Ash💫