SEVENTEEN Inscribe Love Letters To Their Kinship on 12th Mini Album “SPILL THE FEELS” — In Depth Review/Analysis
CARATs have yet to love SEVENTEEN as much as SEVENTEEN, again.
As SEVENTEEN’s collection of glorious career accomplishments are ever-expanding, the latter half of 2024 has rather pulled into focus a crucial turning point for the group — one that shifts attention towards something immeasurably more invaluable than any professional success. As the 13-membered group begins the lengthy journey of a new uncharted state through individual military enlistments mixed with ambitious solo endeavors — now, more than ever, the burning star of unified devotion in the center of their universe is shining the brightest it’s ever been.
This 12th mini album SPILL THE FEELS commemorates all of their time spent together — every damning hardship to serene retreat to joyous celebration — while welcoming in a new sequel of forever; a refined collection of stylish takes on true to form SEVENTEEN musicalities of vital synth beats, funky rhythms, and a smooth tenderness are all bounded by the running sentimental vein of their devout beating hearts.
“Eyes on you”
This mini album exuberantly kicks off with a bang of confetti streams and strobes of flashing neon lights with the opening group track, “Eyes on you.” The trendy yet refined slick electro house production paired with each of the members’ distinctive vocal colors and lyrics that speak of an understood magnetic intimacy creates the invigorating party-ready energy of a sequined-covered night out with your favorite people.
Right from the intro, the classic ‘four on the floor’ dance beat of steady bass drum hits, a line of closed hi-hats, shifting snare hits, and a bonus screamed vox is evoked. A swift clapped drum fill then drops the gloriously glitzy chorus that provides the sonic addition of a rubbery funky bass line and light underlying glimmers of a glowing synth pad, of course also introducing the jaunty upbeat vocal line to match.
The verse still rides on the coattails of that energy, but focuses on the bass and rhythm; the defined contrast to the more bustling chorus is nicely polished out with a silken synth chord lightly draped along and the smooth harmonized background ad-libs (with a touch of serrated vocal chopping for a varied texture) — all preventing it from feeling too flat. The jerk of the bass line quickly fizzles as the pre-chorus build up diverts from the funky rhythm for a bit — proceeding headfirst into steady crashed claps and an in-and-out oscillated synth bass pad, alongside a background prolonged ‘ooh’ that adding more smoothness to the mix. It continues revving up to the chorus as it switches to a quick new pattering of snares, and an obscure DJ count in (which is a fun detail I really enjoy) accompanies the drum fill claps as the wriggling bass line comes back up to the surface.
The chorus comes in three acts — the tempered anti-drop of the sophisticated funky bass and four-on-the-floor drums, a few measures of the added snare hits lifting the energy up, and then the full resolve of the familiar lushness of the post-chorus drop now also featuring a singing baby synth and casual vocal chops for some more layers of melody and rhythm for the most robust mix of peak energy; the way this sequence unfolds is incredibly gratifying as it takes the space to highlight all the distinct elements and allows you to really relish and dance in the beaming colors of the production.
With how cleanly and dynamically this song moves with each section, the second verse that comes around as a replicate of the first verse rings as more comfortably familiar rather than stagnant. Even still, the verse gets extended to include the rap breaks from Vernon & S.Coups while the chopped background vocals from the post-chorus are brought in to detailedly decorate and distinguish a slight switch up in form. The rest of the song finishes out with the same pre-chorus, chorus, and a slightly extended post-chorus (of course with different members singing) — ending with the denoting line, “I need only you.”
However, more than just sonically pleasing, the overall vocal arrangement paired with the lyrics of affection gives this trendy pop song a distinct SEVENTEEN heart that shines through more blindingly than any flashy synth.
There’s a lot that I adore about this production, but interestingly enough, I find that the vocals of each of the 13 members is one of the song’s biggest appeal. Despite SEVENTEEN being a group with such a wide range of distinct vocal colors, as the members sing line by line on this track, it’s amazing how well all of their vocals suit this sound. The uniqueness of their voices singing repeated passages keeps the track fresh, as they almost act as a palette of thirteen highly saturated colors painted in between the sketchings of the production. Of course, the result is due to the members’ efforts in recording, but I also need to give props to the work of the sleek vocal production that acts like a digital shiny lacquer — it makes their natural tones pop while also creating a smooth cohesion between them all and the electronic track. This resonates all throughout, but the best instance to hear it would be the first half of the chorus — “Eyes on you, Eyes on me / When I hold your hands tightly” — sung initially by syrupy-voiced Jeonghan then for the last chorus, belted crisply by Wonwoo. These vocal colors and all the electronic quirks entangled in the mix with various pops at different sections keeps the track dynamic, bright, and lively.
The key phrase — “Eyes on you, eyes on me” — acts as its own understood pledge of allegiance to each other. Not only as the members sing one by one, but also something as subtle as the layered background harmonies that coast along the main vocal lines affirm a sort of communal support that all 13 members are on this same page with. Every mundane, frivolous, or even painful moment that is guaranteed to exist as long as life does is never a nuisance that kills the mood — in fact it only strengthens their trust in each other as the other’s mere presence acts as a smoothing balm:
“Meaningless conversations are nice because of you / So sweet, keep going”
However, more than their connection being a magical all-curing spell that diffuses all ailments, there’s a loud emphasis on the other person being a comforting authentic mirror image of your own vulnerabilities:
“The same BPM, Our heart rates matching up / Our honesty might burst out”
The set of lyrics in the post-chorus profoundly stand out to me — the dedication to continuously deepen this already resilient bond is so admirable and a true testament to the strength of their relationship:
While the lyrics are undeniably sentimental, notions of letting loose and having a good time interspersed set the attitude of joyous pride rather than sappiness; the confident cadence in each of their voices on top of the zingy instrumental also further reiterates the celebratory mood.
When you put a funky bass line, ceaseless electronic beat, and lacquered prismatic vocals all together, what comes out the other end is an addictively fun song with a dash of grounding sentimentality that unexpectedly keeps this track lingering around in your head long after its last note.
“LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled)”
SEVENTEEN tend to toss back and forth between a ‘bright’ versus ‘darker’ concept every comeback, but this time they’ve steered away from high impact all together in favor of the easy listening chill hip-hop title track “LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled).”
In regards to the mark of DJ Khaled as a producer on this track, I can’t say I’m overly familiar with his work, but it’s clear that his influence comes through the relaxed hip-hop inspired beat — in particular, the pattern of the rotund synth bass, trap snare claps, & ticking trap hi-hats. However, this style of a chiller tempo hip-hop track is also not completely out of SEVENTEEN’s wheelhouse, as it even feels like an upbeat version of the chorus of the past title track “F*ck My Life,” especially with the familiar notables of the high pitched vox and hint of guitar licks. Truthfully, the most jarring outside influence on this song is the writing — the flow of the English phrases within the primarily Korean lyric passages strike in a way that makes it obvious the song isn’t in its most flattering state, or rather that it is clear it was originally all English (especially if you hear the official English version in comparison); it’s a nitpicky fault that doesn’t incredibly taint the song, but it’s noticeable.
The song’s format follows a basic form with micro variations in the production for each section; right from the start, the instrumental here already lays down the foundation for the full track. The intro initially flashes its punchy bass and rudimentary light hip hop percussion before hints of cool guitar licks and the bouncy bass pad join the beat, with the song’s signature melodic baby vox line humming within the mix (of course, with that signature shouted producer tag from DJ Khaled himself on top of it all).
With easy-going vocal melodies, the verse and pre-chorus continue the same framework, just now with an emphasis on the rhythm of the rotund bass pad, more stylish guitar licks, and a bonus quietly hyping ‘hey’s in between. Still, at least the verse keeps the percussion pushed in the back of the mix before it (and the general rest of the production) moves louder to the forefront and more emphasizing harmonies come in to create some sort of dynamic build for the pre-chorus.
Again, the chorus is virtually the same besides the earlier melodic baby vox motif added alongside the main instrumental. Small details like some added ‘hey’ and ‘ho’ shouted group adlibs that break up the vocal line a bit and the shouted background harmonies that give a little boost to the catchy — “I only want you baby, baby, baby” — hook are therefore welcomed top offs.
The second verse lightly plays against the established rhythm as the instrumental takes a few beats to break it up with quick pauses while playing with the hyping shouty vox and riding the bounce of the synth chord and baby vox melodic line weaved in between — as the different flows of Vernon then Mingyu’s rapping complimenting it. From this point on, the motif baby vox line gets even more prominent in the mix as it moves to the second pre-chorus.
Despite the essential melodic vox motif taking up space throughout the song, it’s interesting how the (exclusive to Jeonghan) bridge is the only time the leading vocal melody matches the sample vox. Whether it was his particular vocals or not that were the ones pitched up and modulated to be dispersed throughout the song, I would like to (stretch to) interpret it as a little reassuring nod that Jeonghan’s presence will be felt as much as possible.
From this point on, the main instrumental stays, and the song finishes out with a final standard chorus and simple fade out for the outro.
Compared to other title tracks, “LOVE, MONEY, FAME” is noticeably less dynamic and less in your face with a high impact sound or message, but I actually do find the simplicity of the production and the nonchalant but straightforward (slightly corny) message of prioritizing love over frivolous money and fame to have its own charm. Initially? Yes, a little underwhelming, and still the weakest track within the album, but as it stands on its own, it’s a really good easy listen. Its catchiness suddenly latches onto you and the light-hearted playfulness of it all feels like a good day of hanging out with old friends. I also believe that the title track’s sentiment does a genuinely great job at putting the album’s main message on display: love, more than anything else, is what matters most in life.
“1 TO 13”
In case the aforementioned group tracks somehow came across as too vague, the title of “1 TO 13” alone tells you everything you need to know about how indispensable the members are to each other.
This last group b-side isn’t too far off from the opening “Eyes on you” with its shared celebration of their synergy over an electronic dance-influenced beat, but this time it follows a more leisurely vibe of something to bop your head along to, rather than a punchy party banger.
This track is dressed in Miami bass elements from head to toe with its heavy hand on the foundational pumped 808 bass, bit of dry snare hits, and snappy percussive clicks. Despite the prominence of the heavy bass, the song skips by with a rather happy-go-lucky energy thanks to the light touch of synth chords in the back, dots of fresh orchid-colored synths, breezy vocal toplines and harmonies swaying amongst the petals, and of course, the lovely sweetness from the lyrics that can only be sung with a smile. There are some subtleties in the way it builds — such as short transitions of a woosh to open the pre-chorus and the piddles of dotted synth before the chorus, or the zooming bass pad underneath the duration of the chorus — but overall, there’s never any big shifts in the composition. However, through the combination of the deeper resonance and lighthearted patterings, it creates a refreshing temperate dynamism that makes the most out of the shorter length of this track.
Just as the song title would imply, there are precious lines that specifically allude to SEVENTEEN themselves interlaced all throughout — such instances would include, “My every season since May was only you,” that refers to the month they debuted, and, “My 13 promises, / I will protect them for you, no matter what happens,” that acts as a pledge to their fellow members and to fans. What I also find interesting is the few all-English lines that feel purposely highlighted so that their message gets across to every single fan that’s listening — what stands out the most is the pre-chorus key line, “For the ten thousand hours, I’ve been with you / I used all thirteen parts of my heart,” and of course (what I consider as) the highlight of the whole song, the post-chorus with the overt reference to their dual mini albums You Make My Day (2018) and You Made My Dawn (2019):
“You always make my heart beat (Beep) / You made my day (day) / You made my dawn (dawn)”
In my opinion, this post-chorus is where the song’s heartwarming essence comes through the most; not just from the lyrics, but there’s also a cuteness from the darling melody and harmonies that are just lovingly hooking.
Amongst the rest of this album, it’s not a complete stand out, but you can’t help but be infused with its natural gracious and serene sense of happiness.
“Candy”
The last half of this project is where the gold of the indispensable unit tracks reside — starting with vocal unit’s “Candy.” To be completely honest, it’s hard to determine how much of my personal adoration of jazz is weighing in — but I am fairly confident in stating that this song is one of the best things the vocal unit have ever done; it’s pure magic.
I am in love with how the composition is not just ‘jazz inspired,’ but a straight up pristine old-school jazz ballad. The short but sweet simplicity plays to the strength of timeless music elements simply done to a T, while also simultaneously functioning as a refreshing endeavor in terms of the vocal unit’s back catalog.
More than vaguely throwing some jazz influences into a track (which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing either), the complete commitment to the genre is pretty admirable; all the standard elements are seen here — from the tepid drum pattern of small hi-hats and brushes, delicate shimmering chimes for the transitions, gentle plucked double bass, elegant washes of strings, to the tranquilizing glint of the piano keys. The members’ vocals are also a sight to behold as they follow through with an authentic vocal style to perfectly complement the old-school sound; the prominence of the smoothest mixed voice from all the members (that I want to point out, also wonderfully utilizes the seldom seen full bodiedness of their chest voices) with chiffon ribbon tailings of vibrato is such a treat of its own that I absolutely cannot get enough of.
While it’s difficult to single out a highlight of the song, the instrumental interlude that splits the song in half is breathtaking every time. As the first chorus finishes up, we are finely held by the airy gravity of the bass and careful percussion as the strings sweep us further into the cosmos, allowing us to freely waltz amongst the stars of the gorgeous twinkling piano line with a wondrous mind of its own.
If the sonic production plays like an ode to jazz, the lyrics follow the spirit of warm classic jazz love songs with lines of dedication that read like a vow. I love how rather than fulfilling the lyrical expectation of plainly, naively, or even hopefully wishing for a saccharine-sweet love like candy, they forthrightly counteract and acknowledge the remotely impossible sense of purity in favor of a stable grounding of dependable maturity leaning on realism. The narrator reflects on the reality of love being a balancing act that you must constantly attend to, and something I find particularly fascinating is the perspective of how the bitterness of a wounding adulthood is tied into the bitterness that naturally occurs in love:
This notion — that could appear to be pessimistic — actually makes the otherwise confident declarations to nurture a love as sweet and gentle as possible only touch more deeply, trustworthy, and of course, even sweeter:
“As we have a love like candy / Let’s slowly melt away in it / How does that sound?”
“Candy” is the undeniably most tender spot of the mini album. Inside and out, the work of the vocal unit this time around has resulted in a remarkable track with a lingering ever-present warmth, like a hot drink after a day in the cold that soothes every crevice of your heart and soul.
“Rain”
The performance unit continues to uphold their consistency in releasing fan-favorite dance pop tracks with “Rain,” but the layered complexity that reveals itself as you zoom outwards makes it stick out as one of the unit’s most compelling tracks to date. The juxtaposing 80s’ dance-pop sound against the depressed confessional lyrics creates an incredibly picturesque track with its storytelling, both sonically and lyrically.
We’ve fully come down from the intoxicating euphoria of the fun night out in the heart of the city from earlier in the album and are now left stumbling around with a killer hangover. Right from the intro, there’s a thick dampening mist of a synth pad and muffled filter that blankets the opening vocal lines and funky bass line, like a mystery bound to be unraveled. The one-two clap of the drums slaps us from the fuzzy, disoriented headspace to the reality of bumbling down the side of a darkly lit street to the rhythm of the slap bass while synth pads of passing headlights and glitching neon signs in the form of reverb electric guitar licks accent the path. From the chic leisurely trudge of the verse and pre-chorus, some synthy glimmers build up to the transitioning one-two drum punches again into the potent chorus; the smoothly rolling arpeggiated synth bass takes up all the space in our minds as it numbs alongside the steady thump of the kick and snare pattern that pounds like a severe migraine — while at the same time, the vocals keep pulling upwards into a whiny high falsetto as the emotions gain intensity and take over the wheel. After the narrator has urgently begged for the rain to keep pouring and urges this melancholia to soak through their clothes and skin, the bridge and final chorus has them fully spun out as spiraled spells of tunneled vocals and intervals of empty space convey being involuntarily dragged inside of a street tunnel as a checkerboard of amber light beams and dark shadows paint over their face. With no clear light at the end as we only continue to drive down a road you can’t see the end of, a whiplashed full stop closes the song.
Like most productions with a strong influence of 80s funk or synth pop, the deep-set bass lines and complementing stylish accents are the basis of this track’s sonic appeal — but there’s also lots of strength in the accompanying vocal composition of the suave melodies, smooth background harmonies, and alluring high falsetto. However, more than just a cool sound, I find its most striking point to be how it creates such an immersive melodramatic soundscape. The relatively simple and familiar elements are cunningly used to create the steadily satiating sonic contrast of the grounding bold bass on the low end and illuminating touches on the high end, therefore producing a widened atmosphere to set the stage of this song.
While past performance unit songs have always had (underratedly) great lyrics, I believe this is the first song of theirs that has this degree of a melancholic story. Taking the lyrics at face value — the scenario of a self-isolating person, or rather a floater in a human shell, who has become numb to both the outside world and their inner disposition to a direly depressed point and pleads to be at least consumed by gloom at no resolve — still results in such a compelling telltale portrayal of a weary inner dialogue while incorporating impeccable vivid imagery. However, I find that this track is the key that crucially uncovers the crux behind the entire wider narrative of this project.
Sure, its relevance can come in the form of depicting an instance of a wounded time that earlier tracks mention mending and overcoming, while also acting as an example of vulnerability that matches the ‘spill the feels’ phrase of the album title. However, there are some lines of specific images that started to pique my curiosity.
There’s notable mentions of an aversion to light in various forms, of course due to the narrator’s darkened state of mind — for instance:
“The bright neon sign in the city, it’s a night I want to avoid them”
The following inclusions lean into the straining nature of light and stimulation:
The emphasis on how blinding the realm of entertainment is, think — TV appearances, constant booming music, steeped in the hustle and bustle environment of city life, and even being pedestialized amongst seas of crowds (“Standing alone amongst a forest of people, There’s me”) — is where the idea of this track as a commentary on the loneliness of celebritism starts to bind. Taking in the aforementioned, small but distinct details add up that remind you that we’re in the point of view of a SEVENTEEN member — perhaps with a little reference to their own previous title track with the “I don’t wanna cry” phrase in the lyrics, but even a literal detail — “I draw the curtains closed…I turn off the lights, and sit in an empty room” — of window curtains and ceiling lights can also easily come across as a metaphorical one of the unavoidable emptiness they may feel after the stage curtains close and the lights are shut down after a concert is finished.
It’s lonesomeness, but it also encapsulates a particular dissociation that seems like a bit of an inevitable response to what happens when the delicate balancing act of working as a public-facing persona versus living your private life unfortunately results in eroded blurry boundaries, regardless; even the vulnerable feelings in this track are charmingly dressed within an attractive beat. The narrator themselves can’t seem to understand this odd emotional vacancy either, baffled by their own human identity as a performer:
However, what I also admire about this song’s lyrics is the fact that it can, of course, easily be interpreted from the flipped perspective of a common citizen — it doesn’t take much to also be burnt out in a perplexing forlorn daze, as we’re all essentially part of the same system that unrelentingly demands so much from us.
Digging into the full depth of “Rain” really tightens and strengthens the concept of the entire album, but especially provides a background context to the opening group tracks. Nonetheless, there are endless reasons to be entranced by this song.
“Water”
Well, speaking of water, we go from being drenched in sorrowful rainfall to now ending this mini album on a high as we ride atop mighty waves like kings on hip-hop unit’s “Water.”
This song continues the unit’s becoming signature of succinct but cocky general diss tracks with a hype electronic sonic direction. I really appreciate how well they translated the coldness of the ‘water’ theme to construct the soundscape; the essential silvery-blue synth pad droplets and steel-like auto-tune create a combo that really feels like being dipped head first into icy frigid water. Of course, the hip-hop inspired sonic groundwork of the droning bass pad, 808s, and trap snare hits & hi-hats are still pronounced, but overall, they play a supporting role to the front-facing ‘cold’ elements in terms of the track’s sonic color; those cool and thunderous elements add up to a boastful and hype storm powered by their own conviction. As much as I enjoy the overarching composition, the structure of the track is where I’m clouded with some mixed feelings.
The absolute highlight of the song is easily the pre-chorus with the auto-tuned passively arrogant vocal melody — perhaps sneakily the stickiest of the album — with the dominating backing production of the overhead droning synth pad and flutey synth lead tucked in making for an electrifying white water wave of a playful melodic medley; the members are practically smirking at you from above, knowing it’s impossible for you to escape from their reign. Considering its strength, I enjoy how the track opens with that pre-chorus but muted to give an intimidating sense of a big wave brewing underneath you, with the run of trap hi-hats to burst through the water into the chilly invigorating drop of the chorus.
Adversely, the verses and chorus feel lacking in comparison; they’re not so much as flat-out bad, but more so skate by with nothing particularly striking. The individual rap verses (which I will admit, is the most objective perspective) are fine, but rather trite flows, with the sufficient instrumental behind it acting as a concave version of the whole production — not inherently a fault, but an energetic deficit is felt with barely any other sonic variation or intriguing accents (besides the attempts of some adlibs and brief pauses in rhythm). Although, I do have to say that the flow of Mingyu’s rap and the way S.Coups and the lead synth dart around each other are my favorite parts of those sections. As for the chorus, the melodic pre-chorus to fake out drop of just the chanting chorus to the full instrumental drop does work in creating a satisfying accumulation of energy, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that the repetitive banality of multiple straight measures of ‘water, water, water, water’ with the familiar set of synths can start to feel stale. At the end of the day, it’s still an enjoyable track, but it feels like a bud of potential that could have been fleshed out more.
However, it’s worth noting that this haughty hip-hop unit track has a distinguishing factor that adds a deeper attraction to it — more than flexing for the sake of it, it plays an essential role in closing the strong narrative of this album. The direct connection in the tracklisting of performance unit’s “Rain” to hip-hop unit’s “Water” is more than just a similar thematic motif when taking a good look at the lyrics. While the vocal unit’s “Candy” acts as a loose exposition, this two song arc from conflict to resolution is quite clear cut — the clouds of emotional detachment which induced a rain that threatened to drown them out in complete devastating sorrow leads the protagonist to fully giving into their overwhelming emotions in “Rain,” and as they let themselves feel through these emotions, it then allows them to take control and leads to the resolving rebirth that transmutes that deluge of emotional intensity into a powerful, fateful tsunami that bolsters them up with tenacious confidence in “Water.”
What fully seals the deal with such satisfaction are the lyrical references between the two songs where the lines directly resolve each other, for instance:
Water: “The reality of this long night / The sun rises, a while after that”
Rain: “I can’t explain my heart that has frozen”
Water: “Here comes the sun, let it beam on my skin / Melt away, drop, drop”
“Water” serves as both a fitting emboldened conclusion to the album and also as the perfect loop point back into the emotional state of where we started and how that unwavering belief in the group came to be.
As someone who has delightedly followed SEVENTEEN’s musical journey since their rookie days — through all their concept shifts, genre fixations, and honing of their sonic identity — it’s eventual that some releases will resonate less or more than others. Personally, their last few mini albums were decent, but felt like they were missing a certain spark that would leave an enduring impression. However, this latest mini album SPILL THE FEELS has surprised me in the best way possible.
The first impression through the tasteful sonic quality of the individual songs makes it a thoroughly enjoyable project on its own, but I found that as I let it marinate with time, the base notes of the album’s message started to become so undeniably pronounced in a way that deepened and enlivened the whole listening experience. As SEVENTEEN have had the privilege to be so involved in their artistry as a group, every project in a way feels like a conversation between them and their fans — but, perhaps from the nature of it being a delicate time for the group, I am wholly impressed with how much care was put into taking this clearly very precious message of unity and loyalty and creating a cohesive and genuine narrative that best expresses their collective mindset at the moment.
Whether you’re an attached fan or just looking for some good music, the three group tracks that revel in the joy of each other’s presence and the three unit tracks that tell the sensible story of what it took to reach that is bound to resonate with your own life one way or another.
This 12th mini album SPILL THE FEELS is a constellation of who SEVENTEEN are in the year of 2024 — each song is its own shining star that ultimately connects to each other, relaying all the sentiment that is typically reserved for the look in each other’s eyes now to the listeners’ ears.
*All lyric translations from @svtranslation on Twitter*
“Eyes on you” — 10/10
“LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled)” — 7/10
“1 TO 13” — 8/10
“Candy” — 11/10
“Rain” — 10/10
“Water” — 8/10
Album rating: 4/5