Song Review: Jungkook (BTS) – Seven (ft. Latto)

With South Korean military protocols leading BTS to enter an elongated group hiatus, they’ve inevitably landed into that segment of the group lifecycle where each member goes off on their own solo ventures. With RM, Suga and Jimin all releasing solo projects in the past few months, Jungkook’s release comes as a much anticipated and expected venture. One that taps into a garage inspired beat and some interesting hooks to deliver a rather infectious groove.

With a title like Seven and years of lore peddling done by the groups PR team that focused on wholesome camaraderie, brotherhood and fandom appeal, many fans expected the track to be a homage to BTS. Talk about a subversion of expectations. Lyrically and thematically, Seven goes straight for the bedroom , describing how the man himself has the endurance and capability to keep you satisfied for 7 days a week. Every hour, every minute and every second. An unexpected avenue to go down and one that’ll likely throw many of his younger fans for a bit of a spin. Though masking them behind such an instrumental was a smart choice. But you know what, I kind of admire it. Sure the lyrics in the explicit version feel a little too forced and at odds with the bouncy, glitchy production but its sheer existence warrants a few accolades in itself.

But more so on the song, Seven is a fun time. The production is incredibly enjoyable, cruising forward on a sense of consistent propulsion and groove that is as infectious as it is potent. It’s easily the highlight of the song, bringing a sense of life to each and every melodic turn even when they centre into otherwise potentially grating territory. Most notable of which is the central repetition of the days of the week. Which is handled surprisingly well here. Jungkook himself is unexpectedly great on the track, working well with the production with a performance that feels perfectly suited to rhythmic bounce of the soundscape. It falls a little flat at times but never enough for it feel detrimental to Seven‘s vibe. Latto’s feature is also well incorporated, though I would have loved to see her pop up a few more times with some additional adlibs or something to really bring a sense of looseness and spontaneity to the track. But if anything, Seven is a strong solo debut for Jungkook, one that points towards some great future efforts if he chooses to even further down this particular soundscape.

Verses: 8

Chorus: 8

Production: 9

Performance: 8

Final Rating:  8.25 / 10