SEVENTEEN making it to their 10th anniversary is certainly an impressive feat worth celebrating – it’s hard for pop groups to come this far, especially with their entire line-up intact. For the 13-member K-pop boyband, their fifth studio album ‘Happy Burstday’ is not only a present to their fans, but a stepping stone between the past and future, celebrating their growth over the past decade and the transformation that’s yet to come.
The boyband start out the record with their signature, high-energy sound. There’s the explosive opener ‘HBD’, a high-octane pop-punk track – armed with a heart-thumping drum beat and a guitar-led chorus – that immediately commands attention. Keeping up the momentum are the sizzling, pulsating beats of lead single ‘Thunder’, a club-ready banger that dives headfirst into the carefree nostalgia of late-noughties EDM and house-led pop music, and the sensual, Pharrell-produced ‘Bad Influence’.
Following these three songs, though, ‘Happy Burstday’ takes a detour. 13 of the album’s 16 tracks are genre-spanning solo tracks by each of the boyband’s members. It’s a first for the group, who’ve previously only showcased solo moments through performances, mixtapes and the occasional standalone single. Unsurprisingly, with the album being pulled in so many different directions by 13 individuals, this approach has yielded mixed results.
It quickly becomes obvious which members had a clear vision of what they hoped to achieve going into their solos, with the weaker tracks coming off as an impassive, thank you letter to fans rather than an exuberant celebration. Still, the group manage to strike gold now and again. Leading the pack is Hoshi’s utterly addictive ‘Damage’, a sultry bass-heavy track featuring production by Timbaland. Then there’s the confident, strutting tech-house of Mingyu’s ‘Shake It Off’, his nonchalant sing-rap vocals and animalistic, dirty deep bass – another scene stealer on the record.
Other standouts see the members playing to their tried-and-tested strengths, whether it’s Seungkwan’s stirring rock ballad ‘Raindrops’ or the energetic synth-infused pop-punk of Vernon’s ‘Shining Star’. The8 and Jun lean into their established sensual, dreamy dance sound with ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Gemini’ respectively, while leader S.Coups brings a booming alternative hip-hop track in ‘Jungle’.
‘Happy Burstday’ might not be SEVENTEEN’s most cohesive release, but it succeeds at showcasing the group’s transformation over the last 10 years. The record’s focus on solo songs exposes each member’s strengths and weaknesses when they stand alone, but its group tracks are a self-assured testament to their chemistry and magnetism as a whole.
