Review: Seventeen - Not Alone
Seventeen have switched between styles almost arbitrarily for the J-Pop market. They debuted with the fun funk of Call Call Call, and also released singles like the trendy Fallin' Flower and the darker 24H. Most of their songs, Japanese or Korean, have been self-produced. This shows the group's variety. Not Alone is the most J-Popish they have ever sounded.
The simple orchestral instrumentation is timeless. It is uniquely J-Pop, and is slightly more light-hearted than other examples of this style. The surging synths are also something unique to this song. The guitar especially drives the song forward, while the percussion adds the foot-stomping energy.
The members provide a strong vocal performance. This is especially evident in the bridge (which has some really strong backing vocals) and the pre-chorus. They don't really get to show their vocal skills here, as the song pleasantly glides at middle height, neither surging nor collapsing.
Weirdly enough, the song's best moment is the drop chorus. The whimsical melody is almost dreamlike and has that lightweight charm being sought. The first vocal refrain is supported by guitar and is really strong. Of course, the dreamy second phase is what I am referring to. It is hard to not smile when it comes.
Hitorijanai is a great song! SEVENTEEN has really been hitting hard on Japan and I'm glad this was promoted. Also I noticed something odd, SEVENTEEN is really strong on Physical sales but weak on Streaming. NiziU on the other hand is amazing on Streaming but relatively OK in Physicals. Well, at least SEVENTEEN nailed least week.
ReplyDeleteI think the sales difference has to do with the Japanese market as a whole. Female artists tend to get the most streaming, as their audience is teens (generally speaking), while male artists tend to have pre-teens and twenty-something year-olds in their audience. I know several exceptions though. In a way, sales and streams are more about the listeners than the artists.
DeleteYeah. These metrics are what makes the artists' profit and income along the way. Japan is a big money market as people really love Physical consumption and less Digital/Streaming, but that market is growing too. I'm glad that the Japanese GP is very keen on what music is great and what is meh.
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