SEVENTEEN - FML

Six million three hundred thousand copies in South Korea alone, plus another good million-odd worldwide. In other eras this might have been called a solid success, or even by some a flop (just think of Madonna's "Erotica"), but in a record industry turned completely on its head, where the song format - if not the sound-bite - now rules, a number like that is bound to be staggering, the most striking sales figure of the year. So much so that the result achieved by "FML", the tenth EP from SEVENTEEN, the sprawling boy band active since 2015, makes the record the best-selling of all time in their home country. With BTS and EXO having paved the way, the globalization of k-pop and the climate of hysterical devotion surrounding idols have for years turned supporting one's chosen group into a moral obligation, pushing results that must be topped release after release, under pain of social disapproval. The sonic outlook? The leap in quality? These are all aspects that can quite comfortably fade into the background when minimal effort and unconditional fan support already deliver such phenomenal results. From the heights of its triumph, the EP under review here perfectly embodies everything just described.

Not that the group - always self-managed and coordinated through the joint efforts of vocal leader Woozi and producer Bumzu - hasn't varied its formula over time; what's on offer in "FML" is certainly no exception, with the emergence of an arena-friendly streak aiming to fill the stadiums the thirteen members have grown accustomed to of late. "Super", the band's first top-three hit on the singles chart, embodies this new drive, a bombastic attitude only hinted at before but which here translates into an all-consuming euphoria, a double chorus that's certainly impactful, though a bit dated in dropping Dubstep breakdowns and harking back to the brief tropical-house season. That's something of a leitmotif running through the whole project, a grandiosity of style that also permeates the ballads and more relaxed moments, beneath which, however, all the clichés typical of the genre seep through.

Undoubtedly motivational and full of hope, "F*ck My Life" tries to subvert the self-pitying tone of the phrase into a vital surge, but the intent falls flat with a lackluster r&b tune tinged with chipmunk-soul samples and hip-hop excursions. It's overly familiar material, playing on overly predictable dynamics to make much of a difference; courtesy of one of the three sub-units into which the band is divided (hip-hop, performance, vocal team), "I Don't Understand But I Luv U" is the obligatory trap-soul ballad, the tale of an alien love drifting over drowsy sing-alongs, barely carried along by the flow of the beats.

Slightly better are the vivid minimalism of "Fire" and, above all, the straightforwardness of a melody like "Dust", all synthetic sweetness and hushed beats. Still, as with the group's previous releases, there remains the sense of witnessing an inconclusive project, a collection put out more out of habit than real necessity. Granted, the operation's success all but silences every objection, but it remains to be seen what will endure from this sextet. With the eleventh EP already on the way, the sales record set by "FML" risks being broken all over again.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

24/10/2023