Get “Ready to love” SEVENTEEN’s New Album Your Choice
Carats can rest easy—SEVENTEEN has made their summer comeback! Released on June 18, the group’s newest mini-album Your Choice explores themes of love through a slew of songs that expand on SEVENTEEN’s maturing musical identity, including the title track “Ready to love.”
From Friendship to More in “Ready to love”
Packed with surging beats and a melody driven by an electric guitar, “Ready to love” encapsulates the adrenaline rush that comes with falling for a friend. The track is high-energy, rivaled only by 2019’s “HIT,” and powered just as much by the members’ vocals as it is by its pulsing tempo. Despite the heavy dance beat, the song never veers from its melodic focus, even allowing hip-hop unit members Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, and S.Coups their vocal moments. Meanwhile, the rap lines sound more anthemic than anything, appearing mostly as punchy English lines sprinkled throughout the song. With live performances gearing up again, it’s likely this track was prepared with audiences in mind, but that’s about as “summer” as the song gets. “Ready to love” has very little, if any, build, and its static EDM beats sound more fit for a dance hall than a summer day. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though it is strange for a SEVENTEEN track as the group tends to rely on explosive bridges.
It’s no surprise the track has a different sound than the usual SEVENTEEN release. Last October’s ; [Semicolon] marked the conclusion of the group’s youth concept, ushering in a new project under the moniker “The Power of Love.” This, paired with the release of nostalgic teasers that covered past songs like “Adore U” and “MANSAE,” made it unclear what “Ready to love” would bring to the table. As concept photos dropped with the boys draped in pastel flowers, fans began hypothesizing the summer track would be a sister song to 2018’s “Oh My!” but it was the tracklist release that truly had eyebrows raising.
Though the majority of the songs feature the usual production crew of vocal team leader Woozi and frequent collaborators BUMZU and PRISMFILTER among other SEVENTEEN members, “Ready to love” sees new additions to the credits—as notable as they are numerous. Amidst Wonderkid, Kyler Niko, and more who have worked with the likes of Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and ENHYPEN, the credits also feature HYBE Corporation’s “hitman” Bang Sihyuk. While some fans were excited at the prospect of the additions, many were wary given SEVENTEEN’s self-producing reputation (in fact, past titles tended to have the least involvement). In a press conference for the album, Woozi himself said he was honored to work with such talent, and while many fans are enthusiastic at the opportunities this presents for him and the group, one can’t help but wonder if this addition of producers is the start of a trend. After all, “Ready to love” is a good song at its core, but it does admittedly sound similar to the musical stylings of TXT, ENHYPEN, and many other boy groups today.
SEVENTEEN’s title track production credits compared over the years
Songs such as “Ready to love” tend to be elevated by their music videos; unfortunately, this is not the case this time around, and it has very little to do with SEVENTEEN and instead the blame lies in the production. The song marks the first time the group has worked with acclaimed director HAN SA MIN @DEXTOR-LAB, who is known for directing many YG Entertainment releases such as JENNIE’s “SOLO” and BIGBANG’s “LOSER.” While his past endeavors are nothing short of cinematic experiences, his work tends to lend itself better to solo artists and smaller groups. And regrettably, as a result, the 13-membered SEVENTEEN feels drowned out in their own music video.
The video follows the members throughout various floral sets as they gaze longingly into the distance and, aside from the occasional choreography shot, that’s really all they do. The soft pastels do wonders for the boys’s looks—not that any of the 13 handsome men need any help on that front—but the camera cuts so fast between their individual shots that the video feels more like a teaser than an official music video. It’s a shame, really, as SEVENTEEN is such a magnetic performance group. Even the final dramatic dance shot in the rain doesn’t do them justice, as the majority of them can hardly be seen through the downpour (that also seems to serve no actual purpose aside from letting SEVENTEEN continue to be handsome, this time with wet hair). This doesn’t stop certain members from having standout moments, though, with Jun and The8 in particular stealing the spotlight during their parts.
Diehard fans will surely enjoy the music video enough, but compared to recent jaw-dropping music videos like last year’s “HOME;RUN” and “Left & Right,” “Ready to love” leaves a lot to be desired.
A More Mature Love
SEVENTEEN’s sound has been shifting ever since their 2019 full album An Ode, and Your Choice sees them continue to grow as artists. The retro trend that had 2020 in a chokehold still has its grip on SEVENTEEN, with much of the album taking influence from ‘90s R&B from the boys’ smooth vocals to buoyant synths. Overall, the sound quality is much more refined compared to past releases and manages to highlight the vocals of all 13 members—a flex that’s hard to beat.
“Heaven’s Cloud” sounds like what the result of the “Ready to love” friends-to-lovers storyline would be if it came to fruition. The soft track suits Joshua’s light voice particularly well. As “Ready to love” is more or less in the same musical vein as “Heaven’s Cloud,” the third track on the album, “Anyone,” feels a little out of place. The track still keeps with the theme of love, but its heavy bass guitar and siren-like effects give the song a darker tone. It’s not bad, but considering its placement in the rest of the pleasant album, it’s the kind of track that listeners will either love or hate.
Your Choice is the first time we’ve seen SEVENTEEN’s official units since 2019, and hearing them together again feels like a much needed breath of fresh air. Both the performance and vocal units embrace the ongoing retro trend, with the performance team borrowing city pop elements for “Wave” and the vocal team channelling their inner Boyz II Men in “Same dream, same mind, same night.” In “Wave,” members Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino prove that they’re more than dancing powerhouses. Truth be told, these four members impressed me the most throughout the album; their growth as vocalists over the years is undeniable. SEVENTEEN’s vocal unit, on the other hand, has nothing to prove when it comes to vocals as they have already set a standard of their own. “Same dream, same mind, same night” gets its sound from ‘90s R&B, and the dulcet tones of Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan are enough to melt anyone’s heart. The song is not to my personal taste, but the multiple key changes towards the end of the song coupled with swelling vocals is absolutely gorgeous and sure to bring goosebumps to anyone who hears the song live.
The hip-hop team brings their own flavor to the album with their technology-themed track “GAM3 BO1.” Featuring heavily autotuned vocals befitting of a video game, the track lives in the present day with its mentions of bitcoin and NFTs. Vernon’s influence as a credited producer on the track is strong; in fact, the clever kitschiness of the song reminds me of American rapper Tobi Lou, one of Vernon’s close friends. In my opinion, SEVENTEEN’s hip-hop unit has always shined the brightest when they don’t take themselves so seriously (I’m looking at you, “Chilli”), and for this reason, “GAM3 BO1” is easily my favorite track on the album.
Overall, Your Choice is not my favorite album from SEVENTEEN, which is a shame given that it’s an objectively solid release. Personal taste comes into play a lot with this comeback, and while I am not the biggest fan of the ‘90s influences myself, I can still admire SEVENTEEN’s growth as self-producing artists, even with the inclusion of outside producers. With so many projects on the horizon and so many records Your Choice has already broken, I look forward to seeing where the trajectory of this comeback lands SEVENTEEN in the future.