Despite being one of my favourite groups, I’ve found Seventeen’s recent material to be quite disappointing. Apart from last years excellent Hit, I don’t think I’ve really loved a Seventeen song since 2018’s Call! Call! Call!. This has left me falling out of love with a group that once challenged for a spot at the very top of my bias list. New Japanese single 24H might not be the kind of musical moment I had hoped but it’s easily the strongest Seventeen single in a while.
At its very core, 24H follows the kind of soundscape that’s become familiar to us fans of the group. It might seem abit too repetitive for some but I’ve always loved groups having a consistent musical through line. It helps them garner their own sound and while Seventeen have experimented with their singles multiple times in the past, there are always a number of elements present to really drive home the fact that we’re listening to a Seventeen song. But while 24H is musically very strong, I can’t help but feel like I’m listening to a song more suited to Nu’est than Seventeen. As Seventeen have moved into a more direction, their soundscape has come to overlap with their seniors quite a bit and this is both a benefit and a curse. But in the case of 24H I’m pretty happy with the final product.
The guitar driven verses are powered forward by consistent percussion and helps create a real sense of build. It’s probably the most rhythmic Seventeen single yet and this really shines during the more downtempo hook. It’s a transition that mostly works but i really wish it went just a little bit harder. I appreciate the structural experimentation and the way the track snowballs from its restrained opening verse to something much more substantial. The chugging electric guitar that comes in to support the pre-chorus is probably the songs most dynamic moment and while I really wish the hook would follow this route, I cant really fault the song construction. It’s a nice balance between the more aggressive and subdued moments of the track and lends itself to the groups strongest single all year.
Verses: 9
Chorus: 7
Production: 8
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 8.25 / 10
KBopped 