Seventeen – ‘Going Seventeen’ Album Review

Last year’s super rookies are novice no more. Seventeen has shown tremendous growth in their multi-faceted year-end hit album Going Seventeen. The boys not only showed off their solid chops in funky pop and energetic hip pop tunes, but surprised us all with wistful ballads, groovy R&B sounds, and even a catchy tango dance number. Going Seventeen is surely the boys’ most advanced work yet.

Track 1 – Beautiful

Going Seventeen kicks off with a lighthearted and playful pop number featuring bouncy synths, rhythmic drum beats, and the boys youthful vocals. Beautiful gives off an optimistic outlook towards “paradise” and is the perfect opening appetizer for the album.

Track 2 – 붐붐 (BOOMBOOM)

The boys turn up the tempo and intensity with title song BOOMBOOM, a hip hop and synthpop mix. BOOMBOOM is the most representative of Seventeen’s unique recipe for success — rap- or chant-led verses against a strong hip hop beat, followed by melodic pre-chorus, and finally a hooky synth chorus to top it off.

Track 3 – Highlight

Continuing with the synthpop trend, Highlight is an electro dance synth number with strong and booming beats coupled with a catchy composition. Just like the lyrics says “I’m like a bird”, Highlight gives off a lofty vibe and makes you feel like you’re soaring in the sky.

Track 4 – 기대 (Lean On Me)

Lean On Me takes a sharp transition towards an unexpected swingy ballad direction. With soft rap, trumpets sounds the backtrack, and a choppy beat, Lean On Me is certainly relaxing. But the monotonous melody and clock-like tempo start to feel boring rather quickly and is easily forgettable.

Track 5 – 빠른 걸음 (Fast Pace)

Thank god Fast Pace immediately picks up the slack. I was shocked by Seventeen’s creativity in mixing the marching tango beat with pretty flute riffs, and a winding melody that highlights the boys’ beautiful falsetto. Fast Pace is easily the most intriguing and inventive number on the album.

Track 6 – 몰래 듣지 마요 (Don’t Listen In Secret)

Beautiful acoustic piano strings single-handedly accompanies the boys’ airy and soft vocals in painting this wistful ballad. Though Don’t Listen In Secret doesn’t have too many crazy belts, Seventeen was really able to show the depth of their emotions alongside the somber melody.

Track 7 – 글쎄 (I Don’t Know)

I Don’t Know is a mid-tempo groovy ballad that further extends the boys’ sentimentality with low-pitched emo-rap, melancholic vocals, and gentle guitar sounds. The chorus of this track is the highlight, graceful melody layered on with the boys delicate vocals make for a lasting impression.

Track 8 – 웃음꽃 (Smile Flower)

Smile Flower is yet another acoustic ballad, backed by simple yet pretty guitar plucking sounds. The vibe is less bleak and heavy than the previous tracks, more like a wishful longing on an autumn night. Though the boys vocals are solid as usual, this is a fairly generic song that we’ve all heard before.

What Do You Think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.