Thanks to SEVENTEEN’s BSS, Happiness is only a “TELEPARTY” Away — In Depth Album Review / Analysis
Don’t hate your life, we are BooSeokSoon!
SEVENTEEN’s identity as a 13-membered group has never gone in vain — in fact, it has granted them an ever-pulling charm as they wholly utilize their abundant pairing and unit possibilities. From the introductive group description — ’13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17’ — that signals the significance of their main hip-hop, vocal, and performance units, to having multiple mixed unit album tracks and official duo debuts, it is clear that these varying combinations are intrinsic to how the group showcases the facets of their diamond.
However, there is one trio in particular who harness a rivaling amount of notoriety on their own — and they call them BooSeokSoon.
Ever since the days of Boo Seungkwan, Kwon Soonyoung, and Lee Seokmin as trainees dancing to “Catallena” by Orange Caramel in their bright green practice room or live broadcasting an Andromeda episode where they start (prophetically?) cheering for team Korea, all the way to debuting their first official song as a unit for a fanmeeting — BSS and their loud humorous cheerfulness has always been the group’s secret weapon that fans could never get enough of. With how naturally this miracle trio of Seungkwan, Hoshi, and Dokyeom brighten every room they walk into, it was never a question of whether the infectious joy of BSS could transcend to sensational heights — it was only a matter of when.
Even though BSS’ appeal has always been their deluge of burning passion and energy exhibited through their naturally godly talent at gag comedy, this single album presents their niche done to a T. Presenting their fresh takes on playful and nostalgic sounds as the carrier pigeon, TELEPARTY — as the combined title of ‘telepathy’ & ‘party’ might clue you in on — is the rightful delivery of the promise of happiness under the saving graces of BooSeokSoon.
“CBZ (Prime time)”
If the simply fun and inspiring debut track “Just Do It” had the energy of a good iced coffee, and the comeback hit “Fighting” had the charged buzz of invigorating energy drinks, then the call for reckless abandon in the form of “CBZ (Prime time)” makes you feel like you must’ve downed enough boozy spirits to summon BSS right in front of your face.
This most recent title track is still the good ol’ amusing and cheerful BSS we know and love, but somehow with a diplomatic concept that’s a simultaneously sillier, yet more dignified approach that embraces the joy of their niche. Their overflow of sprightly vocal expressions with a bit of quirk (yes, sometimes Hoshi is on the verge of growls) and the ingenious match of a boisterous western swing-reminiscent blend of swing jazz and country creates an affair of fun absurdity at its best.
The rush of anticipation is felt with the intro of heartbeat-like punched booms of the kick drum, with subsequent claps and excitedly screamed vox in between to complete the simple pattern. Despite the quick build of high tension, the minimalist beat is a bit of a fake out before leader DK calls in — “They call us BooSeokSoon” — and the fast glittering of the piano glissando glides us into the full treasure chest of the rowdy instrumental. We’re introduced to the essential elements of the old-time swinging rhythm of the playfully skippy jazz keys, the western country-esque acoustic guitar riff, and the under-layered spurts of a brassy bass — it’s a combination that commands you to get up and jive along in a crowded dance square.
As that instrumental break gives us a first taste of the busy chorus, the verse cools everything down for a bit; it focuses on the stable kick and clap base of the rhythm section and sprinkles in the familiar twinkling piano line at every other measure, but with the quirky and fitting addition of cowbell hits, elated baby vox shouted ‘hey’s, and some added depth with lower end piano chord strikes. By the latter half of the section, it climbs back up in tension as some of the aforementioned elements of the dancing piano line and blows of brass are incorporated back in, making it feel noticeably busier again.
The rattle of a vibraslap atop the wound down country guitar riff quirkily transitions to the satisfying simplicity of the pre-chorus; a more barren instrumental of just the loud thump of the kick drum plus a tinge of a crash cymbal lined to the claps in the pattern amps up the impact of the percussion, perfectly setting up the low-toned drawn out harmonized group chant on top that brings in a smooth and full texture. When you take in the entire section, along with the garnishes of shouty vox and meager sport whistles in between, you get an energy very reminiscent of the kind of hype found at a school rally.
It’s a small detail — but I love how the opening of the chorus cautiously separates the first syllables with matching strokes of a bass line underneath, like we’re in a slingshot being pulled back before we’re immediately launched into the commotion of the spunky chorus in full swing. The way the raspy brass is blowing, the acoustic guitar riff is fiddling along, and the piano keys are brightly tapping away with BSS’ sprightly vocals over everything makes for the kind of infectious celebratory pizzazz that possesses you to burst out of your seat and get your body moving. Even the way the familiar crowd of low harmonies sneaks it way in to smartly separate the vocal lines of each member adds this touch of supportive communal hype that imperceptibly adds to the excitement. We transition to the pre-chorus with hasty heartbeats of that kick drum, where it then lets the rambunctious instrumental shine with some ‘hey hey’s to keep the momentum up. The emphasizing punched pauses of the key phrase — “Happiness is BSS, we are CBZ” — to finish off the (post) chorus is just an effectively fun way to add some flair to a song that’s already jam packed with bustling dynamics.
The second verse ever so slightly deviates through a breather of a minimal first measure before swiftly joining back to the regular instrumental — in a way that prioritizes keeping up the established headfirst forward momentum as it practically flies by in between the real meat of the pre-chorus and choruses. Similarly, the second pre-chorus exclusively adds a subtle piano build up towards the end to continue livening up the track.
All the way from the bridge to the very end of the song, in my opinion, is the standout of the whole track. The bridge is very no frills, but the signature catchphrase of “Youth is now” chanted over and over that grows from aggressive whispers to adamant calls is so damn effective with its stickiness. The heart thumping bass drum and initial distant crash that cracks open an almost siren-like swell gets louder as their voices do, and the addition of the bouncy piano chords add to the tension as the loudness in your mind feels like it practically bursts into the real world as it truly becomes inescapably all encompassing around the circumference of your head (in a good way, of course). I also want to point out how the imaging effect in the mix is also another ingenious weapon in this, as the initial whispered chanting from BSS has Hoshi first come in from the left, then Seungkwan on the right, and then DK in the center (both channels), followed by them chanting all together as they hold those same positions — just a cool way to amplify the immersion to another degree.
Considering the chorus is already quite vivid, the final chorus doesn’t need to conjure up a big grand blowout of an ending — the mere small change ups through the new lyrics, DK playfully zesting up the last bit of his line, and the last repetitious finale of whams does its job to a clean close.
The lyrics are thematically right on par with BSS’ previous title tracks: a hearty serving of encouragement for listeners to get through their tedious work days filled with numerous futile worries through the sheer secondhand power of BSS’ vigor. It’s also no surprise that “CBZ (Prime time)” is filled with humor, such as the refrain of the latter half of the verses, “Ugh, whatever / Everyday’s like puberty”, and the chorus lyrics, “Do whatever you want, it doesn’t matter / Except for your [parents’] nagging” as examples that stand out the most to me. However, what makes this song notably and distinctly more charming than their others is the built in punny wit of these lyrics — it’s saturated in it, yet presented so simply.
Therefore, it’s such a shame that what I absolutely adore the most about this song — not to mention the fact that it’s the song’s concept entirely relies on — is their ingenious use of the Korean pun of “청바지” that gets somewhat lost in translation.
The Korean title of “CBZ (Prime time)” is ‘청바지’ (cheongbaji), a shortened version of the phrase ‘Youth is now’ (청춘은 바로 지금, ‘Cheongchuneun baro jiguem’), while also coincidentally being the word for ‘jeans’. Of course, it’s difficult to translate the pun directly, so the English title renders the shortened phrase into closely aligned initials of ‘CBZ’ with the parentheses of ‘prime time’ to capture the essence of the original phrase ‘youth is now’ — in the sense of every moment being the prime time to live out some youthful joy.
While the cheering phrase plays out as a campaign slogan that further carries out as a visual pun throughout the music video, there are nods to it in the lyrics as well, such as “Today’s dress code is jeans”. Although, my favorite use of the pun is the witty pre-chorus that chants the tagline: “CBZ [cheongbaji] (CBZ) / Go and get changed into your / [jeans]”. I also love how the incessant chanting from BSS of the full phrase “Youth is now” for the bridge ramps up the energy to tie the meaning all together at the end with the new final chorus lyrics of “Hello, fill my heart to the top with youth / Let’s have a glass, filled with ‘now’”.
What can I say? “CBZ (Prime time)” is just another instant classic born from the iconic trio, rounding out a trinity of energizing anthems with the most eccentrically exuberant track yet.
“Happy Alone”
The chipper bouncy b-side “Happy Alone” is the palpable embodiment of a gratifying day. The theme is very on par with BSS’ manifesto — giving yourself permission to taste happiness through pockets of your everyday life. Yet, this time, the hustle & bustle is completely left behind as we spend the day sweetly enjoying our own presence and frolicking on a well deserved solo date; it’s the kind of day where the breeze sweeps through your hair just right, as you take a sip of your coffee that’s just the way you like it, and take a walk under the bluest sky you’ve ever seen.
This bright and easy-going song is marked by its happy-go-lucky stride; its refreshingness can be mostly attributed to the unmistakable signature of the new jack swing-esque percussion pattern, along with the beaming synths and sunny vocals.
A little singing synth line trills its melody to open up the song, along with the first spits of a warbled synth pad. A sweep quickly starts up the instantly recognizable new jack swing type of beat with its hard-hit flat and dry snare in its swinging stumbling pattern. A bouncy synth pad also concurrently comes down to bulk up the repeated snare hits, but also weaves in and out in syncopation against the hollower percussion collection of the shaker and tiny cowbell knocks as the aforementioned all move forth in this dynamic opening instrumental.
The verses leave a wide sonic room with the bass kick and warbled synth pad to create that thick space for the the vocal topline to lay on, while the tiny almost shaker-like back and forth pattern of the closed hi-hat and the spare hollow cowbell nicely trim overhead. By the second half of the verses, the signature snare smoothly slides back into the mix completely. The brief few measures of the pre-chorus plays it the most minimal, acting almost as a ‘suspended in air’ false drop moment, by taking out the synth pad for only the familiar steady bass drum, tiny clicky closed hi-hats, and cowbell hits, as it guides the sparse words of the vocal topline before the lively chorus.
All the elements come together cohesively for the chorus to create that harmoniously bright feeling — happy steps of the snare and synth pad smack the ground, the quieter percussive bits add the sensation of your head bobbing with satisfaction, and the synth lead sings like your own content mellifluous humming as the fairly high vocal line practically exclaims with a beaming joy about treating themselves for a day. The post-chorus rounds it out with a little catchy pop melody as the appeased narrator continues basking in their own self love.
The song keeps at its refreshing pace, and the sections themselves are lively enough that it flies by rather than bogs down. The bridge does offer its own vocal melody, which is welcomed, but there’s nothing truly unfamiliar; it retracts some elements to tone it down and build back up into another regular chorus that happens to be the final one of the song. Although, I will say that the compressed scat-like adlibs from Hoshi to take us out is a nice little touch.
Ultimately, “Happy Alone” works as a great casually joyful b-side to compliment the ultra high injective energy of the title track. While it’s nothing overly elaborate, the dash of the new jack swing influence keeps the song fresh as it captures a single moment in time of self-delight.
“Love Song”
As the last song on this project, the tender mid-tempo “Love Song” leaves a lingering sweetly wistful taste. The unmistakable 2000s r&b-influence of this track is not only clear through the nostalgic qualities of the simple plucked arpeggiated guitar chord and sine synth lead, but the lyrics of longing for a lover to return happens to align with the smooth old-school sound flawlessly.
As a bit of a bait-and-switch title, the song is a doleful post-break up confession of our narrator(s) still caring about their ex and quietly yearning for their relationship back. Within the song, I particularly enjoy how they smoothly use the line in the pre-chorus — “My playlist is full of love songs / That you filled up” — as a reference for the underhanded title. There’s something intriguing about how the sweetly romantic expectation that the title sets up gets flipped once the song unfolds to almost mimic the scenario being described — a once warm love is gently laid to rest under a blanket of disappointment.
That picked guitar that never withers away is the core of this production; it moves in tandem with the vocal topline, generally acting as a guide for its melody throughout the song. The opening notes of the song is that main melody of the guitar line, along with the shifting soft shaker and quiet streams of twinkles as peripheral sonic compliments in the air. Bumps of the bass drum kick in the verse, along with the rest of the percussion line with some claps and closed hi-hats taking up most of the sonic space here as it fills in between the guitar line.
The trembles of the shaker transitions us to the familiar softness of the intro for the pre-chorus as the twinkly synth reappears cascading down as the section opens and the shaker also gingerly rolls in and out, although with the guitar line moving more heedfully. The simple serenity of this instrumental really lets their vocal colors shine, especially with the background harmonies acting as a soft mist that the vocal topline wades through.
Although the chorus carries the same production as the verses, you can’t help but feel tranquilized in this section’s own version of a melty and airy vocal topline. Not to mention, the vocal harmonies (kind of all throughout, but especially the pre-chorus and chorus) are basically their own background pad that adds a feathery-like smooth texture to lull and cushion everything — only adding to the suave r&b mood.
A few bouncy knocks of a synth bass pad takes us to the post-chorus — not so different as well, but adds in another signature of the 2000s r&b sound with the slick sine synth lead in the back for a new bit of melodic interest. The post-chorus is quite modest, but the collection of the melody of that sine lead synth, the “I-I-I-I just wait for you, I-I-I” repeated parts by each member, and the compressed back ad-libs in between are just so good and unexpectedly attracting in a way that it just might be my favorite part of the whole song.
The second verse for the first measure cuts out the percussion to leave only the guitar line and DK’s vocals, before the bouncy bass pad stumbles in with another familiar sparkling ribbon and a smooth harmonized ‘ooh’ to slide in, and we get back to the regular verse. The song closes softly as the (second and final) post-chorus finishes up quite similarly to the intro; the guitar line does the rest of the talking with some dainty shakes and glittering glistens, with the final swell and knocks of the bass drum coming to a clean close.
This track is definitely my favorite of the b-sides, and is up there with the title track for me. The reason I keep being pulled to this track in particular is unmistakably due to how personally nostalgic the early 2000s r&b influence immediately and strongly struck me; that sine synth lead and the simple plucked arpeggiated chord in particular flooded in memories of that genre and time. This song is nothing too flashy, especially compared to the aforementioned tracks in this single album, but it lightly tugs at the heart enough to stir up sentimental feelings and the residual smoothness of the production and vocals all the way through are enough to soothe any aches in your heart.
With ample nationwide success piled high on their beloved backs and an ambiguous amount of time left for all three members to be readily available together sneaking up on them, this comeback for BSS held the heavy weight of a highly expecting audience; not only did they need to satisfy their prevailing wants, but they also needed to come out with something that could satiate enough for the years to come.
While BSS have only given us a dash of what their artistry potential as a unit contains (through the fistful amount of songs in their discography thus far), this latest single album has impressed me with their effort of playing with new genres and the care put into getting their message across, so clearly injected into every corner of this project. When you are the current face of a zesty, fun-loving, ultra exuberant and positive niche, it’s quite easy for it to become cringe, phoney, or stale.
Instead, TELEPARTY feels like a bustling go-to hangout establishment that’s run by everyone’s favorite cheer team, BSS; their heartening customs of comically delivered encouragements with blared springy and dynamic music played through overhead speakers and a calming cozy tonic to send you off on your way to seize the rest of your days leaves you savoring the air of the atmosphere as you exit with revitalized heart.
*All Korean to English lyric translations from @svtranslation on Twitter*
“CBZ (Prime time)” — 9.5/10
“Happy Alone” — 7.5/10
“Love Song” — 9/10
Album rating: 4/5
