“Seventeen will challenge eternity” has been the tagline for the their 10th anniversary. It is an ambitious declaration for the veteran group. That is not to say that their 5th full album Happy Burstday is the work that will define Seventeen’s legacy. It very much feels like a transition album into a yet-to-be-defined era in which some members complete their military service, while others balance solo and subunit projects with group activities.
Happy Burstday reflects what is to come with new sounds, different themes, and, for the first time, the inclusion of solo songs. In doing so, Seventeen display the passion for growth that ultimately defines them.
In a recent interview, leader S.Coups declared, “We are ready to reinvent ourselves.” Happy Burstday includes three full group songs that shift from the soaring vocals and theatricality one might expect from Seventeen. “Bad Influence,” an all-English track produced by Pharrell Williams, instead exudes subdued confidence. Title track “Thunder,” a throwback to 2010s EDM club music and 2nd generation K-pop, maintains high energy throughout its runtime, but omits a bridge that typically brings more dynamism.
In spite of not having the vibe or structure of a signature Seventeen song, “Thunder” has verve, especially in its ascending vocals in the pre-chorus dropping into the repeated “Alo” in the chorus. The song boasts about inspiration “rising up and flashing like a thunderbolt,” but also has some playfulness with the “electric” noises in the post-chorus and the whistle hook throughout. That fun-loving spirit can also be found in the pop-punk album opener “HBD.” Raucous and celebratory, “HBD” asserts, “We’re living every day like there’s no tomorrow. Today, I’m going to live just the way I want.”
In addition to “HBD,” the dance music on Happy Burstday reflects the hedonistic intent to “live every day like there’s no tomorrow,” though their execution varies. Hoshi’s song “Damage,” a collaboration with Timbaland, thrills with its funky bass line and sultry vocal delivery. “Bad Influence” is promising in the layered low vocal tones over heavy bass. However, the version on the album mutes out the curse words, leaving empty spaces that awkwardly interrupt the flow of the lines. Moreover, the censoring blunts the impact of the song. Mingyu’s “Shake It Off” suffers a similar problem, along with some mixing choices that foreground the instrumentals and muffle his voice at times. Nevertheless, “Shake It Off” introduces a different, more laid-back mumble rap style for Mingyu that compellingly blends with the deep house beats.
The thirteen solo songs, which comprise most of the album, also focus on the present moment—which entails each member exploring his artistic identity. Some choices involved the members evoking their stage personas, as with S.Coups’ “Jungle,” where he spits with the swagger and aggression of hip hop unit tracks like ”Fire” and “Lalali,” but with the propulsive energy of hard-hitting bass. Meanwhile, Woozi, who contributed to seven tracks, chose to showcase Jeonghan’s sentimental side in “Crescendo,” and DK’s warmth in “Happy Virus”, reflecting his view of their personalities that largely matches fans’ perceptions.
On the other hand, Woozi highlighted a brighter side of Wonwoo through his J-pop inspired “99.9%.” With vocals over jazzy piano and trumpets, Wonwoo’s song provides the biggest surprise on the album. The best of the Woozi-written solos, however, is Joshua’s “Fortunate Change,” a groovy midtempo song with punchy guitar chords and brass layers. The song shows off both his upper and lower registers. Joshua typically favors acoustic music, but the vocal and instrumental style of “Fortunate Change” suits him.
Notably, Woozi did not write or compose his own song, but rather his writing partner Bumzu and fellow producer Park Kitae. “Destiny” brings drama and emotion, with Woozi’s voice ascending along with the chord progressions before the song fades out with a guitar solo. Alluding to “Downpour” and “What Kind of Future,” “Destiny” feels like a tribute to Woozi’s songwriting, and a gift from those who understand him most as an artist.
Members with experience releasing solo music largely chose collaborators other than Woozi, thus exploring different colors in their music. For example, Dino’s “Trigger,” produced by Big Hit producer PDogg, evokes 2000s pop R&B. The song displays Dino’s vocal power as he easily transitions from his chest voice to falsetto. Seungkwan’s stirring power ballad “Raindrops,” co-composed by Ha Hyun-sang of the band Hoppipolla, adds guitar accompaniment to Seungkwan’s emotive vocals, with more grit than he usually displays. Jun’s sleek electro-pop track “Gemini” has one the most layered and textured instrumentals on the album, fitting the theme of duality in the song.
Some members also impress in deepening their own distinct styles, even when trying out various genres. The8’s “Skyfall” shares the atmospheric synths in his 2024 Chinese solo release “Orbit.” However, while “Orbit” melds electronica with Afrobeats, “Skyfall” goes all the way in with ambient, emotional EDM. Vernon’s “Shining Star” builds on his love for rock music, this time spacey alternative rock rather than the pop punk he favored in his mixtape “Black Eye.” At the same time, the song includes synths that keep it consistent with the electro-pop elements throughout the album.
With such musical diversity, some songs flow together well (like “Skyfall” into “Fortunate Change”) while others make more drastic transitions (as from “Shake It Off” to “Happy Virus”, or from ”Coincidence” to “Jungle”). The album lacks clear progression in its track arrangement, and instead reflects an emphasis on individuality.
This shift from collective to individual focus feels inevitable, especially with dance leader Hoshi and writer/producer Woozi enlisting in the military by year’s end. Seventeen not only acknowledge this change but lean into it, through playing with their group sound and delving into solo work. Showcasing their growth, Happy Burstday provides a meaningful start to a new chapter for Seventeen.
(YouTube. NME. Lyrics via Genius [1][2]. Images via Pledis Entertainment).
