SEVENTEEN trio BSS have become somewhat of a voice for the working class since releasing their viral single ‘Fighting’, featuring Lee Young-ji, in 2023. The song’s infectious optimism, riffing on shared experiences with jadedness from the grind, offered comfort through charm and wit amid challenging times: “As everybody knows, life’s always gonna be lame / So just try to perk up / We’re playing this life like some down-on-his-luck Beethoven / Keep calm and play on, the next movement.”
In the same way BSS described ‘Second Wind’ – the single album that featured ‘Fighting’ – as a “daily mix”, they aptly proclaim ‘Teleparty’ as a follow-up “party mix”. Over the course of three tracks, Seungkwan, DK and Hoshi, having rekindled the lost art of quirky K-pop, expand on their grounded whimsicality. What’s different this time is a departure from exuberant pop towards experimentation, with refreshing callbacks to the more understated retro eras of pop music.
Lead single ‘CBZ (Prime Time)’ embodies this the best with its incorporation of swing jazz and country. If ‘Fighting’ was a pick-me-up for the Monday morning commute to work, ‘CBZ’ is a reminder of how to enjoy life outside of it all. The trio embody a devil-may-care attitude on the song, as they beckon you to shed your worries, put on your favourite jeans and relish in the now. “Whatever, I don’t care / Everyday is puberty / The sun will come up as ‘we’re young’,” they declare, championing the mindset that youth is not age, but a state of mind.
They continue to elevate this rich feeling with ‘Happy Alone’, a chipper New Jack Swing tune about everyone’s favourite time of the day: the end of work. BSS celebrate the small wins as their voices glide on its uptempo synth-funk, embarking on one of their most vocally challenging performances yet. The percussion and synths on ‘Happy Alone’ are remarkably reminiscent of the genre’s pioneers, from Janet Jackson to TLC, with a touch of modernity.
As the sun begins to set, BSS bring the festivities to a close on a bittersweet note with ‘Love Song’. The closing track evokes the contemplative stillness of night, as they unpack the complexities of romantic nostalgia. Even then, its emotional wandering is far from sombre with a repetitive piano-driven melody that keeps things rhythmic. ‘Love Song’ takes obvious cues from seminal 2000s pop songs, specifically Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’, without sacrificing the dynamic listening experience they are known for.
‘Teleparty’ makes a compelling case for SEVENTEEN’s – but even more specifically the BSS trio – epithet as the theatre kids of K-pop. Their narrative-driven music and its stylistic tone are not just powered by their bubbly on-stage personas, but also by the subtle theatrics of their delivery and performance. ‘Teleparty’ is the perfect sister album to ‘Second Wind’, acting as the soundtrack to a warm homecoming celebrating a well-deserved break from the unforgiving hustle.
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