On May 22, 2017, K-pop group Seventeen released their fourth mini album, Al1. This mini album includes six tracks, the first of which is “Don’t Wanna Cry,” the title track.
“Don’t Wanna Cry”
The first song on this album’s tracklist and title track is “Don’t Wanna Cry.” The song starts with rapper Hansol Vernon with the line “Because I love you because the words I love you isn’t enough, no matter what I say,” which has been stuck in my head all week. The vocal parts of this song hit all of the right parts in my brain. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the EDM chorus, it is still a good song. The lyrics convey all of the feelings and the loneliness after a breakup, which gets me into the feels.
“Habit”
This song is part of the vocal team unit, which consists of only pure vocals. This is one of the songs where they outdid themselves with their vocals. I love the harmonizations that they include, and I love how everyone harmonizes and sings together, especially at the end. Lead vocalist Yoon-Jeonghan went out of his comfort zone in this song, and I love his purposeful voice cracks that add more emotion to the song.
“IF I”
This is one of the few hip-hop unit songs that I like. In this song, they use more airy vocals and do not rap as aggressively in comparison to their other songs. The transition between the chorus and the rapping is so smooth as well. I like that whenever they rap, it is more mellow and chill. I love it when rapper Jeon Won-woo says the line “If I could.” It is repetitive but sounds so good to the ear.
“Swimming Fool”
I genuinely love this song. It sounds nostalgic and a song to listen to in the summer. However, the lyrics contrast strongly with the beat, which I like. The whistling in the middle of the song adds to the mood. There is no actual beat drop, which is another reason why I also like it and find it unique.
“My I”
This is one of the more underrated songs on this album. Although not my favorite, it deserves more attention. This song is only sung by two people in the performance unit: Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao. They sing about finding themselves on a journey, as the title, “My I,” represents belonging to oneself instead of seeking validation from others. This is one of my favorite Seventeen songs in terms of its meaning.
“Crazy in Love”
The final track on the tracklist, and my favorite song on this mini album by far. It’s genuinely so catchy, and the chorus has been replaying in my head for months now. Main vocalist Boo Seungkwan’s part in the chorus is so addictive with Main vocalist Lee Dokyeom’s ad-libs in the background. I love how it transitions so abruptly from the chorus to the verse, and then the pre-chorus. I love how the bridge is different with rapper Kim Mingyu instead of the normal vocalists for the bridge.
An extremely nostalgic album, and one of my favorites. I loved the meaning of this album and the vocals included in it. Honestly, I would have to give this album a 10/10. All of the songs are unique and have a different concept, which adds variety.
You can listen to this song on platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and more.
