Tag: Seven O’Clock

Seven O’Clock returned during the past week with their brand new 3rd mini-album, White Night. On this mini-album, we can find their latest title track, Midnight Sun. Prior to making this comeback, it was revealed that Jungkyu and Hyun would not be participating as they sit out due to health concerns and that two new members (Louie and Eungyul) would join the lineup. However, due to personal reasons, Eungyul’s addition was cancelled, leaving Seven O’Clock’s current lineup at 5 members (Hangyeom, Taeyoung, Andy, 2Soul and Louie). Their last comeback was Get Away.

Seven O’Clock is one of those groups that often get forgotten due to the long periods between comebacks. To survive the industry, any artist needs to be making consistent comebacks to stay relevant. Seven O’Clock is one of those groups that haven’t had the opportunity to return consistently since their debut in 2017 and hence barely remember their previous tracks. With a quick refresher, however, it seems that the group has been attempting a brighter sound with their more recent comebacks. And they continue this through Midnight Sun, which isn’t too bad of a song. However, it is best described as a ‘typical’ comeback. It is a little late to the tropical game. I can see how some listeners would turn the other way as it is a sound that is so heavily used before. But I don’t mind its usage and that is why I am okay with it. I did think their vocals and rapping really help lift the song. They made the song feel fairly pleasant and the rapping provided some much-needed texture. There was also a decent melody that helped add to the brightness to the song. Overall, it is okay. But I hope they return with something a little more interesting next time.

I think their last few music videos have had a mismatched visual concept. While they have gone for that bright sound, they had a tinge of darkness which didn’t make sense in their music videos. For Midnight Sun, the music video is very bright, which is more aligned with the song. I liked the green colour that was chosen to be the highlight of the music video. I looked nice. However, like the song, the music video is very straight forward and bland. It consisted of mainly closeups and choreography shots formula. Sure, it is a common formula. But the video just felt liked it use just those elements, instead of having plots or using special effects to help make the video more intriguing.

I found the song had a nice bounce to it and I thought they did a good job of incorporating this into the performance. I also thought the starting formation was interesting. Apart from that, I thought the performance was okay. It isn’t the most impressive routine and the song doesn’t really give them that much opportunity to showcase an impressive routine.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10

Returning to the stage yesterday is no other than Seven O’Clock. Their last comeback saw various changes to the lineup of the group. This one shares that similarity. But instead of losing members, the group actually gained new member (Andy), thus returning the group to a 6 member lineup. Their comeback single is titled as Get Away and it is their first comeback since their double song return with Searchlight and Nothing Better.

Get Away is a different track to most. No, it isn’t anything new but its lightness is really something unique in this day and age. Get Away has a simple pop instrumental, featuring guitars and a light sprinkling of synths. Essentially, that is it. There isn’t anything more to the instrumental, which may repel some listeners. But don’t judge a book by its cover. The song manages to incorporate a very catchy hook (the English lyrics), nice vocals and nice harmonies. Together, it is a very carefree track that is light in nature and very easy on the ears. I am actually quite addicted to the catchy hook, as I find myself singing along to it. Even the rapping was done in a way that matches the lightness of the track. I also like how they added a bit of intensity through the bridge. It does feel a little odd for the track overall but I think it gives the song an intriguing touch. If you want to get away from the electronic trend but still want a decent dance track that is easy to follow, then this one is for you.

The video may seem weak due its low budget, based on the quality of the final product that was released. But I think they made do with what they had available.  The music video compromises of a bunch of close-ups and choreography scenes, which seems boring considering how the song is in regards to holding onto someone from the past. They could have added a plotline to the video with a model but that would have taken away from the carefree vibes of the song and created a loaded atmosphere. I think by approaching in a simplistic manner and not adding content to the video made it work. Though, I am not sure about the random aegyo towards the start (within the first chorus).

It was a nice performance to watch. Nothing to amazing but I liked the enthusiasm and energy they brought to the stage.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

Seven O’Clock is back with their first comeback since their debut with Echo over a year ago. But there are a few things different with this comeback. The group recently switched to a different management company and is now managed by Forest Network. Vaan has also exited from the group, while A-Day is now known as Hangyeom and Younghoon is now known as 2Soul. Today, we will be reviewing both Nothing Better and Searchlight, which is featured on the group’s second mini-album, #7.

Nothing Better is one awesome song. It is an upbeat song that features very different sections that manage to fit in well with each other. There is a brass section that really grabs your attention (at the start) and really has an addictive hook (within the song), a verse that features an acoustic sound which has a nice rhythm and a really rocking chorus. All of these sections I liked standalone and also all together, which is an interesting combination. The vocal work and rapping were all to an excellent standard. I feel like the song could have been a little more energetic as it went along, as that would have been more interesting.

Searchlight is another good song. It sticks to one style but there is still enough textures to really gain some interest. The song overall gave me Big Bang vibes (like 2011 Tonight vibes), which gave the song a nostalgic factor. While the instrumentation I thought was rather plain, the addition of the acoustic guitar and the vocal melodies gave the song a smooth surface, which I like. The rapping was also quite nice. The only thing that really bugs me with this song is their lack of commitment with the hook. The ‘You’re my searchlight’ line (where the word light went ‘up’) would have benefited from a few more repetitions. I liked it but it just didn’t feel like there was enough of it. But besides, amazing songs.

Nothing Better got the short end of the stick with this comeback. And I understand, they come from a small company so budget-wise, there might not have been enough. But given how Searchlight got a better budget,. why would you need to have a music video for Nothing Better? Their concept wasn’t even clearly defined going between school outfits, hoodies and casual wear. Searchlight had the much better music video with a concept that you can easily label as ‘hanging out’ or ‘group trip’. It felt more cohesive on so many levels. It did give off a summery vibe, however, which felt mismatched for the fall season.

We don’t really have a live performance from the group (or I can’t find one) for both tracks. However, the music videos do feature enough for me to say the following. Both routines were not a let-down. Instead, they felt fitting for both tracks and really hit the mark.

Nothing Better
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

Searchlight
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

This is another review that I have been waiting to do, but lately, I have been extremely busy with my studies. In addition to that, an influx of major comebacks meant that I had to push lesser known acts to a later date. Honestly, I was supposed to write an album review today (will be published tomorrow though) but as it is 11 pm and I have yet to write anything, I thought it would be easier to just do a song review. Seven O’Clock are one the newest groups to make their debut (and I am finally writing a review after a month since their debut). Echo serves as the 6-member male group’s debut track, who are currently under Staro Entertainment.

I actually remember listening to the group for the first time when I was on the bus. The instrumental is quite unique, and it literally jumps at you to grab your attention. You have to listen to the song to understand. It becomes really addictive after a few listens. I had to replay the song a few times on the bus that day. However, the only reason why I replay the song is due to the instrumental, rather than the other important aspects of the song.  The instrumental itself delves into the House genre of music, and the chorus comes off as catching. The rest of the song felt very generic. The buildup before the choruses was quite good and the final 30 seconds was quite unexpected, but it worked wonderfully. But besides that, the verses felt very similar to other EDM based songs out there. Their vocals and raps also felt generic. The only standout moments was the instrumental during the chorus and the final 30 seconds. Currently, I am putting them on my radar, but I am not too sure if they can stay on there. Given the generic vibes, it all depends on their next release for me.

The video consists of solo shots and choreography scenes. The backgrounds give off a nice industrial and urban vibe, which does compliment the song to an extent. But besides that, there really isn’t much to talk about in the video. If I had to summarise the video, I had already done so within the first two sentences. And this is coming from a person who overwrites every single time.

Such a strong song. But an extremely lacking dance routine. It started off nicely. You could see the build up as the song went along. But that energy just disappeared, and it made the entire dance feel a little disconnected to the song. This applies to the end of the especially. It was definitely the peak of the whole song, but the choreography at that part didn’t seem to match.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 3/10
Overall Rating – 5/10