Critic Rating: 8/10
World-famous K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN has just released their 12th mini-album called SPILL THE FEELS. The album contains six tracks: three of which are sub-unit songs, two that are with all members, and one feature song. I was extremely excited about the album’s release and was certainly not disappointed. I believe SPILL THE FEELS is one of the best showcases of SEVENTEEN’s musical diversity to date.
The first track on this album is called “Eyes on you,” which is an upbeat pop track with house music vibes. Its cheery lyrics and rhythm are similar to one of their older songs, “Lucky,” from their 2019 album An Ode. The meaning behind the song is also significant — its lyrics describe the artist comforting a loved one who constantly struggles with dwelling on their heartbreaks and past struggles. The singer asks them, the loved one, to keep their eyes on the singer, so they can give them as much assistance and comfort as needed. I enjoyed this song, but I’m not a huge fan of the instrumental, so it’s not as enjoyable to me as much as the ones coming up.
Next up is the title track, “LOVE, MONEY, FAME” featuring DJ Khaled. This song continues the same upbeat vibe as the previous song, but the instrumentals are slightly toned down and more mellow. I was originally not too happy with this collab because of Khaled’s yelling in the beginning and end, but I found the song to be very pleasant after listening to the whole thing. It may not be the usual kind of song or melody that SEVENTEEN usually releases, but with its catchy refrain in the chorus and addictive dance, it is for sure a hit.
The third track, “1 to 13,” is another upbeat pop song, this time with more summertime vibes, similar to that of “Supersonic” (2024) by fromis_9. It is a much more sentimental song lyrics-wise, where the meaning behind it is to reassure the listener that they aren’t alone and that they always make the singer’s heart beat faster. The lyrics also reference some of SEVENTEEN’s older albums like You Make My Day (2018) and You Make My Dawn (2019), which adds to the sentimental value of the song for fans who have been with them throughout their career. Overall, this song was one of their best so far, and one of my personal favorites.
Moving onto the sub-unit songs, the songs start to drastically change in genre and feel based on the sub-group. The fourth track, “사탕 (Candy),” is a very slow and soft ballad sung by the vocal unit, consisting of members Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan. It gives mostly winter vibes, with the piano and melody. I picture it to be the type of song you could play during Christmastime, sitting by the fire while crocheting something for your loved ones. The track talks about how the singers’ love is like candy, where one piece/bite can make them feel happier, and how loving gets more difficult as they grow older. Even though I am not that fond of ballads, I loved how the members got to showcase their vocals and emotions in this song.
“Rain” is the performance unit’s song by members Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino. It is a very chill, city-pop song with a catchy rhythm. It sounds like something you would listen to during a night out in the city with all the lights and scenery. However, the lyrics have a completely different meaning. They venture into the feeling of being drained from everyday life, from work to mental struggles, and simply wanting to sit in the rain and let it pour all over them. This has to be my favorite song from the album; it just has that kind of sound that you can’t stop listening to.
The last track of the album is called “Water” by the hip-hop unit, which consists of members S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon. It’s a very strong song, with a bold beat and lyrics, talking about hyping people up with their music. Fans have called it the K-Pop version of “FE!N” by Travis Scott and Playboi Carti due to its similar flow, rhythm, and repetition of one lyric — “water” in the case of this song. This track may not be to everyone’s taste, but I found it entertaining and good to listen to for motivation, such as while working out.
SEVENTEEN did in fact “spill their feels” in this album with all the sentimental value and meaning behind every song, adding to fans’ enjoyment of this release. Even though I had some doubts about some individual tracks, I liked the overall album a lot and consider this a great addition to SEVENTEEN’s discography with its diverse tracklist of mixed genres. I love SEVENTEEN and their music, and this album just created more additions to my favorites list. I truly cannot wait for more of their releases in the future.
