SF9 Modernizes the Wild West in Latest Comeback
After successfully winning their first music show with previous comeback “Good Guy,” the nine boys of SF9 are back with new mini-album 9loryUS and title track “Summer Breeze.” Since debut in 2016, the group has experimented with many different musical styles and concepts, so it’s no surprise that “Summer Breeze” goes in a completely different direction from their previous comeback.
The Title: “Summer Breeze”
Leave your expectations at the door, because even the teaser didn’t capture the full picture musically. The Wild West influence is heard immediately in the opening melody, the familiar whistling that many of us associate with the old-timey Western trope, though it is accompanied by a modern acoustic beat. As Jaeyoon opens the first verse, a totally different vibe comes into the forefront, best described as a classic EDM sound not unlike their previous track “Now or Never.” It’s unexpected and could even be called somewhat incongruent, but despite that, the mashup works surprisingly well. The Wild West influences return in the chorus accompanied by the phrase “Let’s giddy up now,” though this time mostly overshadowed by the EDM influence that remains strong. Despite initially being a jarring combination, the rhythm is infectious and the chorus addicting and almost immediately warrants a repeat. It is a noticeably different direction from previous hit “Good Guy,” but the group still manages to pull it off better than expected, given how difficult it is to make a concept like this stick.
What kind of music video accompanies a modern Wild West story? The closest parallel to what SF9 portrayed would be a gangster meeting, equipped with sophisticated suits and loaded guns. The outfits ooze expense from beginning to end, even as scenes change and eventually lead to the main location in the story, an upscale bar. The plot alludes to a connection with “Good Guy,” with the infamous golden bracelet appearing numerous times and taking the form of a snake. The climax of the video occurs when all nine members collect at the bar, with a number of them trickling in and sharing friendly banter with each other while concealing loaded guns just out of sight. Hwiyoung kicks off the firefight as he arrives last, his gun hidden behind a bouquet of flowers, which are dropped as he proceeds to turn and shoot in Inseong’s direction. A notable moment from this fight is when Taeyang shoots the mirror that had appeared earlier, which is surrounded by the golden bracelet snake and clearly has some very important meaning—the true intention is up to interpretation. The storyline aside, the choreography shots are particularly eye-catching, especially the darker scene on top of a motel roof with the neon green sign illuminating the black-clad members. The video definitely pulls the entire concept together and gives meaning to the musical influences in the song itself.
The Album
9loryUS features six new tracks, kicking off the B-sides with the preppy “Into the Night.” This track has an upbeat demeanor with a bit of a big band accompanying melody, giving the boys a chance to showcase their brighter musical side. This demeanor is maintained going into “OK Sign,” which has a bit more of an EDM influence than “Into the Night,” especially heard in the chorus. This track almost feels like a mashup between the title “Summer Breeze” and its preceding B-side. Upon first listen, these tracks are catchy, but don’t particularly stand out much.
“All Day All Night” features a more retro rhythm guitar as the main focus of the melody, which helps differentiate it from the first half of the album. It has a slightly more addictive sound than previous tracks as well, despite being somewhat along the same lines with an upbeat focus. There doesn’t seem to be any slowing down on this album, with “Go High” following the previous track and maintaining a fairly consistent fast tempo and EDM sound. While there is an addicting quality to all of these songs, it becomes just a bit repetitive back to back.
Finally the album concludes with “My Story, My Song,” which brings a slower and more sentimental vibe that was definitely not present on the other tracks of the album. The change of pace is very welcome and helps the song stand out amongst the album as a whole. The affectionate nature of this song is easily heard from the very beginning and gives it a ton of charm as a whole.
9loryUS shouldn’t be classified as a bad album, but it feels a little lacking, especially in comparison to the astounding previous album release in FIRST COLLECTION. Admittedly it would be incredibly difficult to live up to the strength of that release, so it’s not meant to be a criticism. The lack of different explored genres makes it a bit flat and the disappointment mostly comes from knowing that SF9 is capable of releasing some truly astounding music. But hey, perhaps that can’t be true of every release. Regardless, 9loryUS will surely gain some fans despite our specific criticism. Always keep an eye out for what SF9 has in store next.