SEVENTEEN Harness The “Power of Love” on Their Explorative ‘ATTACCA’ EP

When it comes to K-Pop boy groups, there are none quite like SEVENTEEN. With 13 members, they get to explore different sounds, lyrical concepts, and dance styles while staying true to their vision and bond as a group. One perfect example is their Power of Love project, dedicated to detailing different types of love over the course of several releases. The latest installment, ATTACCA, shows off everything the group does best.  

The EP debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200, making it their biggest US debut to date and signaling a promising global future for both the group and for ATTACCA. They’ll be celebrating their hard work with a virtual concert on November 21st – you can learn more about watching the show here! They’ll also be dropping a special Japanese single, “Ainochikara,” on December 3rd to wrap up the Power of Love project. 

In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the songs on ATTACCA! 

“To you”

ATTACCA kicks off with the synth-infused “To you,” a pop anthem about staying devoted to someone. It’s a cute love song that perfectly captures the Power of Love project and opens the project with optimistic, bright energy.

“‘To you’ was one of the first songs we created while working on Attacca,” WOOZI told Consequence of Sound. “It is a song that tries to express the message of Power of Love in a more comprehensive and diverse way. So rather than referring to a specific subject, the song tries to portray gratitude and all the forms of love that can be found in our lives.”

“Rock with you”

The guitar-tinged “Rock with you” has a really cool sound that combines rock and hip-hop in a tribute to someone the group is grateful for. While it can be interpreted as a classic love song, you can also take it as a “thank you” to their dedicated fans, CARATs. 

“‘Rock with you’ is a song that expresses our determination to do everything and anything for the one we love and our passionate yet sincere feelings that cannot be controlled or stopped,” WOOZI explained to Consequence of Sound. “It depicts a passionate and absolute love. Guitar was the main source of sound we used in order to express this bold message, so I hope you guys can feel it as you listen to it.”

“Crush”

The playful “Crush” has an 80s feel to it, adding to the cheerful vibe that sees SEVENTEEN falling for someone new. It’s perfect for anyone who’s crushing at the moment, as well as anyone who needs a little pick-me-up when it comes to love!

WOOZI told Consequence of Sound, “Along with ‘To you,’ ‘Crush’ is also one of the first tracks that we worked on for ATTACCA. But unlike ‘To you,’ we tried to be musically more explicit and straightforward in demonstrating the word ‘passion,’ the main keyword of ATTACCA. I really wanted to express the fiery passion of love through the overall mood of our song and lyrics and that is probably why the entire process of working on this was full of passion.”

“PANG!”

With the heavy-hitting “PANG!,” SEVENTEEN show off their ability to make hip-hop sounds and trap beats come off as catchy as a pop radio hit. The chorus has a bubblegum pop feel that adds a new side to the track while showing off how cheerful the right love can make someone.

“With lyrics like, ‘you’re the air of love that inflates me,’ we wanted to compare our steadily growing feelings of love to a balloon that slowly inflates with air,” Hoshi explained to Consequence of Sound. “As this love increases, it eventually culminates in a ‘PANG!,’ the sound of a balloon popping, which expressed our emotions of being overwhelmed and nervous in front of the person we love.”

“Imperfect love”

“Imperfect love” is a bittersweet ode to someone who loves the sub-unit of DK, Jeonghan, Joshua, Seungkwan, and Woozi while accepting their shortcomings. It’s a kind celebration of someone who prefers to focus on the positives and take them for who they are, epitomizing the “Power of Love” project! 

“When recording, we had to go back and forth to master all the details,” Jeonghan said to Consequence of Sound. “However, when I heard the final output of the five of us in such great harmony, I still remember how great it felt, and I hope [our fans] CARATs would feel the same.”

“I can’t run away”

SEVENTEEN’s hip-hop sub-unit – Mingyu, S.COUPS, Vernon, and Wonwoo – explore the effects of a relationship’s end on “I can’t run away,” an acoustic-driven track that shows off their smooth vocals. It’s a sweet standout from the project, offering a softer side to their usually hard-hitting raps.

“The song ‘I can’t run away’ was actually a song that WONWOO and I made when we worked on ‘Bittersweet,’” Mingyu admitted to Consequence of Sound. “We then thought that it would be better to proceed with as our entire hip-hop unit, and I remember S.COUPS really liked it when he first heard it. I think it was a perfect song for us to work on together as a unit.”

“2 MINUS 1”

The EP closes with the bouncy “2 MINUS 1,” an English which sees members Vernon and Joshua exploring their rocker side. With a theme similar to Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u,” the song describes the aftermath of a breakup where the boys feel more hurt than their ex seems to be. 

Vernon told Consequence of Sound, “We were in the middle of discussing whether we should try a full-English track, and I suggested pop-punk, as I recently heard this genre coming back and have been listening to it a lot.”

Joshua added, “I think it was a smoother process of being able to express what I feel inside in English. That’s why I became more confident and threw creative ideas more actively. I thought pop-punk would be a perfect genre that could convey the message as it matched the theme of the track.”

What do you think of SEVENTEEN’s ATTACCA? You can learn more about their virtual concert here and get to know the group on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and their official website!