Only ARTMS would attempt releasing a nearly 15 minute music video in 2025, and truly, only they could pull it off. With their previous videos for “Birth” and “Virtual Angel,” ARTMS displayed immense creativity, boldly reimagining classical mythology and establishing their own visual language. ARTMS’ latest title track “Icarus” proves to be even more ambitious, with two MVs: a black-and-white performance video dubbed the “club version,” and the longer “cinematic version” that embeds the club version within the group’s complex lore. However, it is not only artistic ambition that stands out. With the creative direction of Jaden Jeong and masterful direction of Digipedi, both MVs weave together emotional stories about loss, resilience, and hope.
“Icarus” reframes the character from Greek mythology, who escaped imprisonment with wings made by his father Daedalus, but ignored his warnings not to fly too close to the sun. Instead of being a tragic figure or a symbol of hubris, however, ARTMS’ Icarus strives to regain his wings:
I won’t give up, holding my breath
I spread my wings again, trapped in this maze
At the burnt end
Dreaming of a new birth
The instrumentation, with piano arpeggio followed by orchestral arrangements, dramatically reflects the desire for rebirth. The members’ airy falsettos floating over snare and bass feels like taking flight. “Icarus” lacks the hooks of a typical pop song, but the repetition of “reborn like a phoenix wing” during the bridge and outro emerges as a memorable mantra.
The MV’s contemporary dance, with the members’ arms and bodies rising and falling as though attempting flight, beautifully mirrors the song’s lyrics and arrangement. The club version MV begins with Kim Lip hunched over, with her shoulder blades jutting out to look like sprouting wings. Soon after she begins her dance, she seems to morph into Choerry. The image seamlessly transitions from one member to another, aided by smooth camera movement, precise blocking, and exact synchronization. At the bridge, the members begin to fan out, emerging as five people instead of one. Their formation, resembling open wings, illustrates the “reborn like a phoenix wing” line.
While the club version of the MV is affecting on its own, the cinematic version sets up the choreography sequence with intricate storylines and retro cyberpunk aesthetics. “Icarus” takes elements from “Birth,” such as the cross imagery and the menacing, glowing ‘mother’ figure. It also picks up from the ending of “Virtual Angel,” in which cult followers of ARTMS apparently fall to their deaths. However, in “Icarus,” the girls are not dead or even missing, but are said to be living in another realm inside a TV.
Reversing the parasocial dynamic of “Virtual Angel,” Choerry is depicted as staring at the TV screen, seeking the girls in the static. “Virtual Angel” promises, “I’ll be there for you when your wings break,” and “Icarus” affirms that sentiment while also indicating how ARTMS is broken as well.
Often lore-filled videos feel overly complicated, and I would not blame those who have that criticism of “Icarus.” Even without dissecting every element of the storyline, however, I still found the imagery powerfully evocative. The MV forgoes a linear narrative for a more associative one, encouraging viewers to link its shots together on an intuitive level.
For example, early in the video, Choerry stands on a rooftop while a girl with angel wings falls to the ground. A plane ominously flies overhead. Later, Jinsoul goes up to the same rooftop and dons armor reminiscent of Joan of Arc, and then an enormous black bird flies overhead, recalling the airplane in Choerry’s scene. Jinsoul’s scene then cuts to crows swarming in the sky, compounding the menacing mood. Four men with guns shoot some birds down, and then the image cuts again, to Icarus-like figures falling from the sky. These juxtaposed scenes suggest that Icarus’s fall is due to powerful, malevolent forces that want to take away his newfound freedom.
Haseul appears to be one of the falling figures as well. As a result, it is hard not to read the group members’ own struggles when they were part of Loona, battling their former company Blockberry Creative. Heejin stated in an interview that Icarus’ story was like their own: “We had a moment when our wings were broken, which happened quite publicly.” Haseul went on to say that “Icarus” represents “the fall, yet giving hope to the fallen.”
The people represented in “Icarus,” including the members, appear broken in some way, and find safety in spaces where they can explore their identities and lean into change. Inside the TV, Haseul encounters her double and other figures rising out of electric waves, as voiceover reminds us of the missing girls: “They’re just undetectable as their form has changed.” Club Icarus also serves as a refuge for those in a transitional state. A voiceover notes as Kim Lip passes wing-wearing clubgoers, “more and more birds are losing their homes in the city.” Significantly, Heejin spots one of the girls in “Virtual Angel” there.
The dance performance takes place in an empty warehouse that also feels like a liminal space. However, the dance provides emotional release from the tension built throughout the video. ARTMS members may seek out places like Club Icarus for connection, but they do not actually appear together until the bridge of the song, nearly 13 minutes into the cinematic MV. Lyrically, the song also shifts from individual (“once again I’ll fly away”) to collective liberation (“we fly high”). This portion of the MV conveys that hope for healing and rebirth is a shared experience of mutual support.
ARTMS have established a compelling sequence of tracks from “Birth” to “Virtual Angel” to “Burn” and now “Icarus.” Each release expands the group’s lore, but more impressively, “Icarus” creates an associative narrative that draws upon this lore, cultural references, and other imagery for powerful emotional effect. Captivating audiences emotionally as well as intellectually, ARTMS’ bold artistry stands out in the industry and continues to innovate.
