SEVENTEEN Brings the “THUNDER” for HAPPY BURSTDAY
Photo: SEVENTEEN Official X
SEVENTEEN is celebrating their tenth anniversary with a powerful 16-track album. All 13 members—including Jeonghan and Wonwoo, who enlisted in the military last year—contributed to the group’s fifth album. Released on May 26, HAPPY BURSTDAY comes packed with a new title track, two new B-sides, and new solo songs for each member. Though SEVENTEEN has no doubt come far from their “Adore U” days, their latest title track, “THUNDER,” brings back a sound associated with late second-generation K-Pop and early third-generation K-Pop.
TRACKLIST:
“HBD”
“THUNDER”
“Bad Influence (Prod. by Pharrel Williams)”
“Skyfall” (The8 solo)
“Fortunate Change” (Joshua solo)
“99.9%” (Wonwoo solo)
“Raindrops” (Seungkwan solo)
“Damage (feat. Timbaland)” (Hoshi solo)
“Shake It Off” (Mingyu solo)
“Happy Virus” (DK solo)
“Destiny” (Woozi solo)
“Shining Star” (Vernon solo)
“Gemini” (Jun solo)
“Trigger” (Dino solo)
“Coincidence” (Jeonghan solo)
“Jungle” (S.Coups solo)
The Title Track: “THUNDER”
Back in 2012, Pledis Entertainment started airing Seventeen TV, a series of online broadcasts which introduced their trainees. It saw the trainees covering songs by artists like BIGBANG, BEAST, Super Junior, and then Pledis Entertainment labelmates NU’EST and AFTER SCHOOL. While SEVENTEEN’s “THUNDER” doesn’t transport listeners back to all aspects of the 2010s (the old neon-colored walls of Seventeen TV probably still give someone nightmares), it has a musically nostalgic feeling. Composed by Woozi, S.Coups, and BUMZU, “THUNDER” is a more subdued take on club music coming out in the 2020s K-Pop scene.
For their “BURSTDAY,” a term conveying SEVENTEEN’s explosive rebirth, SEVENTEEN declares that they will “keep rising up and flashing like a thunderbolt”: “THUNDER” centers around this ambition to soar to even greater heights. While the party aspect seems present in both the song and music video, it personally lacks a strength denoted by the song’s thunderous title. For an EDM title track, “THUNDER” feels like it could deliver a harder impact.
The Group B-Sides
Where I felt like the subdued nature of “THUNDER” did not match the title, “HBD” bursts with energy. This rock song matches what I would expect from a birthday anthem: as the song reaches its end, the bass eclipses and it gives an image of the whole group jumping in celebration.
Following “HBD” comes “Bad Influence,” produced by Pharrell Williams. The song originally premiered in January at the Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Fall-Winter 2025 Show in Paris. SEVENTEEN succeeds at performing this slower, smooth hip-hop song. It’s another great English song following “SOS (Prod. Marshmello)” off 2023’s SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN.
The Members’ Solos
After years of digital singles and unofficially released solo songs, SEVENTEEN has finally included official solo songs on an album. The first comes The8’s “Skyfall,” a song he described as one expressing the idea that falling “carries the strength to rise again.” Its initially gentle sound eclipses into a strong EDM chorus in a way that I think reflects The8’s mature, collected demeanor and artistry. Each member’s distinct individuality leads to the subsequent songs on HAPPY BURSTDAY sounding very different from each other. Take Seungkwan’s “Raindrops” for example: this deeply emotional song addresses the feeling when “memories with someone [come] raining down.”
The solo songs certainly feel like a reflection on the journeys the members took to get to SEVENTEEN’s 10th anniversary. Looking at the credits of “Shake It Off” by Mingyu will give that impression with lyricist Samuel Arredondo, who appeared on Seventeen TV. SEVENTEEN’s hip-hop unit delivered my favorite solos out of the bunch (I love their creativity), but HAPPY BURSTDAY has such a broad variety that everyone will find something they connect with. While I do not believe HAPPY BURSTDAY represents a perfect album, longtime CARATs will likely feel the solos fit the members to a tee and the tracks will provide new CARATs with strong individual introductions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to deciding which feels more shocking: the fact that SEVENTEEN made it to their 10th anniversary with their lineup intact or the fact that Hoshi and Timbaland collaborated.
Edited by Cara Musashi