Attacca on Titan aka Me
Updated: Aug 1, 2022
god, I hate puns, why did I even write that.
It's finally here: my first official blog post!
Of course, the first thing I'm going to discuss is Seventeen's newest release. Attacca is their 9th mini album and an absolute gem.
If you have had the chance (privilege) to listen to their back catalogue prior to this release, I don't think my statement would shock you. Like many groups of their time and now, they work hard to produce, write, compose, and be as involved in their music's creation as possible. The color that makes them purely and distinctly Seventeen shines loud in this album and I have to agree with Seungcheol where he said in a recent interview with Allure Korea that he was more satisfied with this album than he had been with any others.
THE TRACKS AND MY SCREAMS HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD, PROBABLY
When I listen to a new album, I always listen to the songs in the order they were deliberately placed in. The artists had certain intentions for putting them in a specific order, I assume, right? (SORRY, JENNA, I KNOW WE DON'T LIKE TO ASSUME BUT, WELL. WE GOTTA WITH CREATIVITY AND STUFF.) Maybe they tell a story with the lyric progression, maybe the track titles themselves spell out a message, or it could be just the flow of the music is meant to make the listener go on a journey with built in moments, but how that journey is interpreted is ultimately up to you.
The opening track, "To you", is smooth. The vocals are beautifully blended, the music is mixed enough to be interesting, but not dropping beats insane enough to make you need to get out of your chair to dance. Your head bobs and you smile a bit while listening. You just can't doubt that it's a great song, that it sounds wonderful, and that the boys are talented as hell.
Then we transition to "Rock with you".
They knew. They knew. What they were doing. When they made that absolute TREASURE OF A BANGER. of a song. Because look. I can't get it out of my head. And it's the title track. Of course it would be stupid fantastic. Look at the previous title tracks in Seventeen's history. FEAR. LEFT & RIGHT. DON'T WANNA CRY. AJU NICE. READY TO LOVE. DON'T WANNA CRY. HOME;RUN. HIT. THANKS. BOOMBOOM. GETTING CLOSER. MANSAE. HOME. CLAP. OH, AND DID I MENTION DON'T WANNA CRY.
I'm sorry, I got a bit involved and almost just started listing all of my favorite Seventeen songs which would literally just be their entire discography, please don't mind me.
ANYWAY. "Rock with you" has been an absolute gift from the Seventeen gods that are Woozi and Bumzu. The music videos, the stage performances, that live band performance? Y'all.
Then, they hit us with "Crush", which is basically the title track 2.0. The song is so damn catchy and absolutely devastating when you watched the performance with the suits and the hats? Goodbye. The melody is so fun and will, like "Rock with you", make you dance in (or out of?) your seat without your permission. You have been warned. I am always a sucker for falsettos being mixed in with lower toned voices (bless Woozi going back-n-forth with the hip-hop unit). Also, that Jeonghan stand out solo? THE AD LIBBING AT THE END OF THE TRACK? ugh.
Basically, "Crush" slaps is my point.
NOW WE GET TO THE UNIT SONGS. AND LET ME TELL Y'ALL. THE SWITCH UPS WE GOT ON THIS ALBUM? I LIVED, BREATHED, ASCENDED, DIED, REVIVED FOR THEM.
"PANG!" was something we thought we'd get from the hip-hop unit. SUCH A FUN SONG? A great blend and mixture of fun bounce with rap and softer vocals; I loved it so much. I can't wait for the performance unit to be reunited so we can get some really fun stuff out of this song.
"Imperfect love" was a definite vocal unit song, because them v o c a l s, but the new addition here was the more rock vibe we got with a more enhanced live band sound. Absolutely obsessed with that energy here. It sounded incredible and was so easy to picture an offline concert setting with the boys singing with a live band. Hopefully we'll get that opportunity soon! Vocal unit is always wonderful to listen to when they really show off their talents because they harmonize so beautifully and they really showed that skill in this song. Also I love that Seventeen loves ad libs as much as I do.
"I can't run away" was a song I'm not sure anyone expected from a hip-hop unit but I'm so happy the boys got to showcase a different side of their talents. Frankly, all of Seventeen is incredibly talented vocally and the boys showed that just because they can rap, it doesn't mean they can't also sing. The music had just enough "pah!" to keep up with the hip-hop unit but soft enough to have their voices just melt into it.
That ends the actual album, unless you have the digital version which includes the English track "2 MINUS 1" with Joshua and Vernon!
This one is so nostalgic sounding for me, for some reason? I think it's because it reminds me of (gonna age myself real quick don't mind me) a Boys Like Girls or (very early) All Time Low vibe and sound. It has some guitars in it that give it a kind of light alternative rock sound but their voices are bright and upbeat. It puts a smile on my face and makes me feel like I'm back in my early years of high school.
In case it wasn't obvious, Attacca is literally a no-skip album for me. I don't usually love every single track on an album but here we are. I love this album, this group, and I'm always looking forward to what music they put out next. They never disappoint and they somehow get better every time.
That's all for this one! There will be more posts coming real soon, so keep an eye out!
We'll chat soon, chickadees!~
Ash✨