If you have not been following my blog lately, I ended finished up my reviews of 2023 albums (for the time being) last weekend. That means that I will be finally making a start on the 2024 albums. While it will be a slow process to catch up four months worth of albums, I do appreciate your patience as I get through them. But I will start from the beginning, meaning SF9’s 13th mini-album Sequence (released on 8 January 2024) is the first one up for review. Sequence features a total of 6 tracks, including the title BIBORA. It also is the first album release by SF9 since ROWOON’s departure from the group to focus on his acting career.

1. BIBORA (비보라) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for BIBORA. (7/10)

2. Midnight Sun – The rush of energy from the instrumentation, the familiarity of the synths and the solid vocals made Midnight Sun quite likeable. When you dig a little deeper, this pop song is for their fans – FANTASY. While fan songs are usually reserved for the end of an album, the placement of Midnight Sun towards the beginning of the mini-album is rather reassuring, especially since how SF9 doesn’t get regular comebacks anymore (which is a complete farce) and the departure of ROWOON from the group last year. Just by listening to the vocals, anyone can hear the sincerity behind the SF9 members toward their fans. (8/10)

3. DOMINO – I thought the vocal processing in this song made TAEYANG sound a little awkward at the start. But after that, the rest of DOMINO makes it a very strong dance track. The rap sequences made the song feel very dynamic. The same rappers brought us the cool descending and dramatic bridge, which gives off that vivid imagery of falling dominos. Definitely a memorable moment in the song. Pity the vocalists didn’t get much of an opportunity to shine in DOMINO, particularly since INSEONG and DAWON’s small part in the pre-choruses were my second favourite moments in the song. (9/10)

4. Strings – The brighter pop sound, the chanty hooks and the fact you can feel the members are smiling at you as they sing makes Strings another ideal fan song. Strings talks about their unbreakable bond with their fans. I like how after a rap dominant song, SF9 turned their focus to vocals. But ZUHO’s rapping in the second verse was also quite cool. I like how deep he went and the seamless flow he delivered. My only complaint about Strings is that the instrumental could have been lowered slightly so we can hear the members more clearly. At certain parts, the backing was loud that it was drowning out the members. (8/10)

5. Morning Coffee – Continuing the bright motif is the funky tinged Morning Coffee. This subtle energy in the song is bound to get you awake in the morning, just like a morning coffee. I particularly like how the funkiness isn’t in your face, which makes the song an ideal track to start your day off. It doesn’t catch you off guard, but rather eases you into its bright motif. ZUHO’s rapping was good, but I think his part doesn’t suit the rest of Morning Coffee as much. I just feel like his style was a little too harsh for this track. (8/10)

6. Superconductor (DAWON Solo) – The final song on the album a solo song from DAWON. He has a unique set of vocals, so I am glad he gets his own song to shine. However, I would also like to have heard solo songs from the rest of SF9, as well. While Superconductor does a nice job of showing us his vocals and style, the instrumental sounded like it was sped up. Maybe this was deliberate and is meant to be a musical representation of a superconductor or even an aesthetic. But I personally thought it was rather distracting and doesn’t give us much opportunity to appreciate it or DAWON. Had it been slowed down, even by a small bit, there would have been more of a chance of that appreciation happening and that would have boded well for Superconductor. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10