SEVENTEEN is one of the artist kickstarting this week with their latest comeback, _WORLD, the title track off the group’s fourth album repackaged, SECTOR17. Previously, the group made their comeback with HOT and their fourth studio album, Face The Sun (which I have yet to review) at the end of May this year. As part of their return yesterday, the leaders of SEVENTEEN have regrouped as a subunit for CHEERS (which I have also yet to review, and will do so later this week). As for now, here is my review for _WORLD.

Compared to their past tracks, _WORLD is is probably one the group’s most pleasant title tracks ever. Described as a urban R&B track, _WORLD just glides through and I enjoyed that. I liked that _WORLD steps away from the world of electronic music that has been a consistent presence in KPOP since forever, but also SEVENTEEN’s usual energetic style as well. Instead, the group maintains an upbeat nature to _WORLD without feeling heavy or loaded. Light, flowy and very gratifying comes to mind when I think of ways to describe _WORLD. In addition to the urban R&B background, there also seems to be some a subtle touch of funk and brass added to the mix, which helps add some liveliness to the song. Such a pleasant song that takes the focus on a heavy beat allows the song to focus more on the vocals delivery. Even the rapping in _WORLD was limited to just two members (Vernon and S.Coups, in the second verse). Everyone else sounded really neat throughout the song, with a sweet melody adding a warming glow to _WORLD. The slightly stripped back bridge (most of the instrumental disappeared briefly for this apart, aside from some atmospheric presence and a simple beat) keeps the song from falling into an overly consistent state, allowing the song to briefly and subtly reset to give the final chorus a soft explosive feel. I also liked how Joshua got his chance at handling the peak of the song at the end of the bridge. Overall, _WORLD was pleasant listen that I quite enjoyed. Not exactly a smash hit, but it is definitely a good track nonetheless.

I am not entirely sure about the sandstorm start to this video. My guess that this was a way for the producers to connect both HOT and this video together, but I felt it was unnecessary. I think this video had enough to stand alone and didn’t need to be connected with another videos. But who knows, maybe I am overlooking some deep meaning. Aside from that, this was one fine video. The day time scenes throughout this video looked so fitting for the sweet melodies and pleasant nature of the song. The night time scenes felt light and breezy, evoking the feelings of a midsummer’s night. The smiles the members had on throughout this video made me smile as I watched the video.

My exact same thoughts can be carried through to the performance aspect, as I can see from the music video. It isn’t a mind blowing routine, but it is one that appears to fit splendidly well with the song. I really liked the smooth nature of some of the moves, which complements the idea that the song glides along. But yet, the group strikes the right balance with sharp movements and sychronised approach. I also really like the second post-chorus hook sequence. It is an innovative formation and adds a different performance “look”.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10