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The band describes the sea of emotions their music involves and what it means to “swim through sin.”  Photo courtesy of cotoba Please introduce yourselves!
Hyerim: I'm Hyerim, cotoba’s bassist and maybe the calmest member. I love cats and Chiikawa. Dafne: Hello, I'm Dafne. As the guitarist and producer of the band, I contribute a lot to songwriting and conceptualizing our albums. I also probably eat the most and cook the best in the group. DyoN: Hey, everyone. I’m DyoN, the vocalist and guitarist who jumps around the most on stage. I’m also in charge of [picking our] hair colors. These days, I’ve got sky blue hair to match our new album cover. For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “cotoba is ___” or “cotoba’s music is ___”? Hyerim: “cotoba's music is weird." Dafne: “cotoba is [a] volcano,” [and] “cotoba’s music is [an] eruption.” DyoN: “cotoba’s music is way too introverted”! What is the story behind how you became a band? Hyerim: I was friends with our former drummer Minsuh, and I joined cotoba through her introduction. DyoN: The beginning goes back to when Dafne and I played “Nandemonaiya” from the anime Your Name and “Unravel” from Tokyo Ghoul together. That sparked the formation of the band.
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A compilation of past song, album, and music video reviews! While my SEVENTEEN ten-year anniversary series focuses on their full-group projects…
The Ultimate SEVENTEEN MV Ranking (part 1 and part 2) Every SEVENTEEN Album and EP, Ranked The Hidden Gem on Each SEVENTEEN Album The 17 Most Definitive SEVENTEEN Songs What HAPPY BURSTDAY Represents … their subunit and solo works deserve some love too! Here are my past reviews of it, all in one place! A ranking and review of the best new releases from Korean, Japanese, and Chinese artists! View the Substack version of this piece here! #20: Lexie Liu, “FFFFF”
“FFFFF” is a darkly delicious dose of hedonistic hyper-pop! Set in a macabre mansion, with a deadpan demeanor that brings to mind Wednesday Addams, Lexie Liu puts all the blame on her crush: “They say I’m a menace / It’s your fault / Passive / Then I get all aggressive / When you call.” She holds him responsible for her cravings while still indulging those cravings, treating him as the means to an end. There is no genuine affection in her voice as she impatiently asserts things like “Kiss me, don’t text” and “I don’t even care”! She needs him more than she wants him, as evidenced by secretly taking his blood whenever he joins her vampire family for dinner, by her marrying him before he can say no, and by her cavalierly holding his babies for a gothic and blood-splattered family photo! #19: KARDI, “Not But Disco” “Not But Disco” brings to life the borderline-spiritual experience of moving to intoxicating music in an immersive environment. It is the right kind of thrill for a rave, a dance floor, or anywhere else where one feels elated soaking in the present atmosphere. The group indicates their awareness of the emotional ascension that songs like this can provoke, saying things like “I can’t see anything,” “I can’t hear anything,” and “Maybe we’re trapped in a narrow kaleidoscope.” They provide that hypnotic, transformative sensation through vigorous instrument-playing, a combination of sly and straightforward sonic shifts, a range of vocal filters, and inimitable lead vocals that put the perfect punchiness on certain words for emphasis. “Not But Disco” ends in a blaze of glory, with glitching and beeping-out-of-control electronics colliding with dizzying drumming and guitars for the ultimate erratic madness! #18: N.Flying, Everlasting Ranking SEVENTEEN’s music videos from 2015’s “Adore U” to 2025’s “THUNDER”! View the Substack version of this piece here! Check out part one here!
#25: “MY I” Although performance videos were ineligible for consideration for this ranking, this self-described “Special Video” needs to be an exception! While JUN wears black and THE 8 wears white, they perform an astounding dance with acrobatic flourishes. The performance is centered around a white ribbon that has meaning as fluid as the dance moves. The ribbon is sometimes a point of connection, physically drawing a line between the two. Other times, the ribbon becomes a tool for one to corral and control the other: THE 8 briefly turns it into JUN’s leash, and JUN uses it to pull back on THE 8’s outstretched arms, as if THE 8 is a bird about to take flight before JUN stops him. The back-and-forth dynamics remain until the last sequence, when they both drop and spin away from the cloth but voluntarily go back towards it. They once again decide to both hold the ribbon, keeping the member in black attached to the one wearing white, keeping the yin with the yang, keeping the ribbon’s positive connotations alongside the negative ones. #24: “Left & Right” “Left & Right” is a comedic reminder to dance through life! Whether dancing away the stress of something major, like S.COUPS dancing after a car crash, or just because it is preferable, like when the majority ignores a race’s starting gun to dance on the track instead, the time to move it is always! The video sends literal messages too, like via a billboard that says “Youth can change everything,” and via a brick wall that says “Do your best” in one scene but changes to say “But maybe not sometimes” later! They refuse to take themselves too seriously, the ideal demeanor for a good summer playlist pick like this one! Ranking SEVENTEEN’s music videos from 2015’s “Adore U” to 2025’s “THUNDER”! View the Substack version of this piece here! #46: “My My”
This is “Oh My!”-lite; it has the same vibe of “Oh My!,” but with much less to take in visually! In “My My,” the members go camping together and ride a flying boat. In “Oh My!,” they throw a surreal slumber party and take a trip above the clouds for a wider range of activities! #45: “Pinwheel” This video’s symbolism is meaningful but relatively surface-level: a compass, literally sitting on a fence… The context runs much deeper and leaves room for more interpretations in other SEVENTEEN videos. #44: “THANKS” This video is underwhelming when held to SEVENTEEN’s specific bar, with nothing particularly original about its settings, attire, or plot. However, its choreography puts it a notch above “My My” and “Pinwheel.” #43: “CHEERS” “CHEERS” sticks to one main theme: flashiness! The subunit’s boastful demeanor matches their bold fashion, which includes bright suits, embellished hats, red leather, and animal-print pants. Their confidence is admirable, but it takes on more unexpected and ambiguous forms in other videos. After all, there is no mystery here as to what they mean when they dance in front of a sign that says “BREAK THE RECORDS”! #42: “Power of Love” The color-changing scenes and symbolic value make “Power of Love” nice to watch, but rewatches are unnecessary. It is apparent right away what is meant by the members starting in separate locations but gathering together by the end. Similarly straightforward is the meaning of one member in a winter setting joining hands with another member in a spring setting. Regardless of season or location, the group members come together. What to listen to in order to understand what makes a song a SEVENTEEN one! In no particular order besides chronological, these are the songs that best encapsulate the essence of SEVENTEEN!
Song: “Adore U” The classic SEVENTEEN-ism: Contagious enthusiasm Also worth appreciating: How solid of a debut song it is! SEVENTEEN skipped the “finding our footing” phase. The image in people’s minds of the group upon debut was exactly what they’d hoped for: a spirited group of go-getters for which it would always feel like the best was still yet to come! Song: “Pretty U” The classic SEVENTEEN-ism: The topic of struggling to find the right words to describe intense emotions, ultimately settling for plain compliments like “You are pretty”! Also worth appreciating: The song’s bright tone that perfectly represents the sensation of being consumed with a crush! Song: “CALL CALL CALL!” The classic SEVENTEEN-ism: The message about not hesitating to ask for help or a sympathetic ear the second one starts to feel the need for it Also worth appreciating: The verve conveyed in their voices! They won’t take “No” for an answer and refuse to let someone suffer in silence when they are just a call away! Song: “Getting Closer” The classic SEVENTEEN-ism: The juxtaposition between sound and substance. Sharp sounds define the song, but so do sensitive questions like “Where are my friends?” Also worth appreciating: The iconic live performance of this song at the 2018 MAMAs! The singer and rapper talks about his new music and desire to keep changing things up. 가수이자 래퍼인 그는 자신의 새로운 음악과 끊임없이 변화를 추구하고자 하는 열망에 대해 이야기합니다.  Photo credit: Instagram For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “JUN0 is ___” or “JUN0’s music is ___”?
당신의 음악을 아직 들어보지 못한 사람들에게 어떻게 설명해 주시겠어요? "JUN0는 ___입니다" 또는 "JUN0의 음악은 ___입니다"라는 문장을 어떻게 마무리해 주시겠어요? I’d like to describe JUN0’s music as a bouncing ball. You never know where it will land, but there’s always a sense of flow and energy within it. JUN0의 음악은 튀는 공이다 라고 표현하고 싶어요. 어디로 튈지 모르지만 그 안에 흐름과 에너지가 있다는 뜻이에요. What is the story behind how you decided to pursue a music career? 어떤 계기로 음악 경력을 쌓기로 결심하셨나요? It was around the age of 22, after I moved to Seoul, [when] I felt the need to pursue music “properly.” At first, I mainly worked on just rapping, but one day, while creating music with my team members and friends, I tried “singing rap” for the first time. It felt so fresh and fun, and it was the first time I felt like my emotions were naturally flowing out. My musical style and direction changed completely, and that became the starting point for the JUN0 you see today. 음악을 ‘제대로’ 해봐야겠다고 느낀 건 스물두 살쯤, 서울에 올라온 이후였어요. 처음엔 혼자 랩 위주로 작업을 했었는데, 어느 날 팀 형, 친구랑 같이 음악을 만들다가 처음 으로 ‘싱잉랩’을 해보게 됐어요. 그게 너무 새롭고 재밌었고, 동시에 제 안의 어떤 감정들이 처음으로 자연스럽게 흘러나오 는 느낌이 들었어요. 그 순간 이후로 제 음악 스타일이나 방향성이 확 바뀌었고, 그게 지금의 JUN0를 만든 시작 점이었죠. Dependable yet dynamic, this era is an all-encompassing homage to “The SEVENTEEN Show.” The most essential HAPPY BURSTDAY teaser picture to see to understand this era’s main message is one with this text:
“THE NEW SEVENTEEN IS RIGHT HERE… ALL NEW POSSIBILITIES BURST FORTH. THE BURSTDAY PARTY IS ALWAYS OPEN TO THOSE WHO EMBRACE NEW CHALLENGES. IF YOU’RE READY TO BURST OUT YOUR POSSIBILITIES, JOIN OUR PARTY ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. WE WILL NEVER STOP CHALLENGING OURSELVES. THE BURSTDAY WILL CONTINUE FOREVER.” This not only brings to mind SEVENTEEN’s debut video, “Adore U,” which has a birthday party theme, but the Face the Sun era, whose trailer includes this message: Tony, Anakin, and Michael talk about how they became a band, how life cycles inspire them, and the Hong Kong music scene. Tony 、 Anakin 同 Michael 傾吓佢哋點樣成為一隊樂隊，生命週期點樣啟發佢哋，同埋香港樂壇。  Photo courtesy of Billy Elvis & Phoenixgoo For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “Pandora is ___” or “Pandora’s music is ___”?
對於之前冇聽過你嘅音樂嘅人，你會點樣同佢哋形容呢句「潘多拉係 ___ 」或者「潘多拉嘅音樂係 ___ 」呢句說話？ “Pandora’s music brings life and hope.” Pandora嘅音樂係帶俾人生命力同埋希望。 What is the story behind how you became a band? 你點樣成為一隊樂隊背後嘅故事係點？ Tony wanted to play guitar [in a] band, so he [asked] his younger brother Michael to [join] him. One day, when the two brothers went to a music studio, they met Anakin, who was playing drums. It started with [the] sentence “Would you like to play some music together?” 最初係Tony想彈吉他夾band，於是捉細佬Michael陪伴，有日兩兄弟去一間音樂室夾band時，識到正在打鼓嘅Anakin，就由一句：「要唔要一齊玩下啲音樂？」展開Pandora之門。 How each SEVENTEEN full-length album and mini-album stacks up! #18: DIRECTOR’S CUT
No SEVENTEEN album is worth overlooking, but something has to take last place! That position goes to DIRECTOR’S CUT, which is perfectly fine but does what SEVENTEEN’s other albums do in more creative, versatile ways. This EP is a straightforward, crush-themed one with predictable pop material. #17: BOYS BE While not exactly derivative of the EP that came before it, BOYS BE is not much of a sonic or thematic departure either. Both 17 CARAT and BOYS BE are about crush-related nerves, and that shyness is explored in more charming ways - and just more ways, period - in later projects, and it was inherently explored in a way that felt fresher when it was SEVENTEEN’s debut 17 CARAT era. #16: YOU MAKE MY DAY This mini-album is one of SEVENTEEN’s bubbliest and brightest; it is by no means a bad release! But by comparison to their projects that cover more topics, moods, sonic experiments, and original ways with words, YOU MAKE MY DAY is not in the same league. #15: 17 CARAT 17 CARAT is a very solid group introduction. The upbeat debut release made a clear case both that SEVENTEEN would be ones to watch and that they would reveal more of their skills in due time. Watching them grow as artists has indeed paid off; 17 CARAT was a stepping stone for far greater works. |
