On May 27, Korean pop supergroup Seventeen returned with a powerful, nine-track album titled “Face The Sun.” Being their fourth full album since their debut in 2015, “Face The Sun” is an experimental, versatile album that displays an intense new                                                                                                           side of the 13-member group.

The album opens with Seventeen’s first full-English single, “Darl+ing,” which was also released as a single back in April. A fun and refreshing song, “Darl+ing” is an easy listen, albeit lacking the depth Seventeen’s songs typically encapsulate. The main track, “HOT,” is a song that is very different from Seventeen’s previous releases. The chorus is a great example of an “anti-drop,” or a song that builds anticipation only for the chorus to be less of a heavy beat drop and more of a minimal sound. In “HOT,” the chorus is very bass-heavy, including sound effects of a fire alarm and a dropping coin to emphasize the strength of the chorus despite a lack of other instrumental elements. The music video takes on the cowboy-esque concept that is so popular in K-pop, but puts a spin on the aesthetic in a way that only Seventeen could pull off. The other tracks, in order, are titled “Don Quixote,” “March,” “Domino,” “Shadow,” “‘bout you,” “If you leave me,” and “Ash.”

While “Face The Sun” is definitely not my favorite album from Seventeen, my favorite songs are “March” and “Shadow.” One could say that the two songs are on the opposite side of the spectrum with vibe and lyrics, but that is what makes Seventeen so versatile: the ability to pull off so many different styles of songs in one album. “March” is a confident anthem able to ignite ambition in every listener, while “Shadow” is a comforting, electronic-inspired track with emotional lyrics that I will be holding close to my heart. 

The main bone I have to pick with “Face The Sun” unfortunately comes from “HOT,” and that is the amount of autotune used. I can respect the feeling they were going for, but I think they strayed too far from the capability of their raw vocals in an attempt to try something new. While “HOT” is still an enjoyable song, it is far from their best, and in fact, left me disappointed. The pre-chorus is solely beautiful vocals, and I really wish they had allowed for that melody to stay present throughout the song rather than for a far-too-short pre-chorus. I know that “HOT” will grow on me, but I was saddened that I was not in love with the song from the first listen. 

Overall, “Face The Sun” showed a new side of Seventeen that I was not expecting, but was mostly pleased with. I would recommend giving the album a listen even if you are skeptical, because you might be surprised and find a new style of song you adore that you never would have thought of.