Review

Song Review: Seventeen – Home;Run

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Over the past few years, Seventeen have secured their place in K-pop’s A-list, routinely selling over a million copies of their albums. And, they’ve done it while staying true to their self-producing roots. This has allowed them to develop a signature style. No matter whether the group goes light or dark in concept, you can always identify a Seventeen song. Usually, I’d consider this a good thing. But as their popularity has soared, I’ve felt that the group has been stuck in a bit of a creative rut. June’s Left & Right left me cold, and although new single Home;Run revisits their funk-pop roots, its repetitive structure could use a jolt of melodic diversity.

Home;Run pairs the group’s usual charms with a brass-filled instrumental that borrows from big band and swing. This approach is guaranteed to thrill many fans. I’ve personally never been a huge lover of big band elements in pop songs. The last time I can remember K-pop doing it really well was in 2017, when Super Junior unleashed the excellent Black Suit. Home;Run has a similar energy, utilizing jazz piano and stabs of brass to give its verses a propulsive drive. The production bounds forward with confidence. It’s theatrical and fun, and knows exactly what it wants to accomplish.

What’s missing in Home;Run is a sense of melodic variety. From verse to chorus, too much of the track is beholden to the same two-note hook. This makes Home;Run come off as a series of chants rather than a fleshed-out pop song. There are exceptions, of course. The pre-choruses offer a brief switch-up, and the fun rap during the verses delivers some spontaneity. A splashy dance break gives needed breathing room as well, but the melody misses the chance to stretch itself in more satisfying directions. Even so, Home;Run is an enjoyable performance piece.

 Hooks 7
 Production 9
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 8

69 thoughts on “Song Review: Seventeen – Home;Run”

  1. This was me throughtout the whole review: 😦

    I am shocked , I thought you were gonna rate this something like 9……

    Guess I stand corrected.

    Though I loved this comeback , so it earns an instant 9 from me.

    I am waiting for Very Nice PT.2 From them but with an especially satisfying pop melody (falsettos can be used in the chorus , can’t they?)

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    • Haha, same here! I’ve only listened to the track once, but that was more than enough to fall in love with it. I’d easily call it their best release in over a year, and I really enjoyed Left and Right!

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    • Haha, guess it’ll take a little longer for you to know Nick’s tastes ^^. I know his taste in music like the back of my hand and I knew this would be somewhere in the 8s. And it’s something I agree with, it’s certainly no Mansae or Very Nice.

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  2. idk man….. I’m gonna disgree on this one, easy 9.
    It’s just the exact Seventeen I’ve been missing for the past few years and everything from the production, to the hook, their performances, just make me smile like crazy.
    I love the song and that chorus is soooo nice! Though I do agree with your point about the variety. Personally for me what would have elevated it to a mid 9 would be if they changed up the second chorus and extended the final bridge.

    Great Review Nick! Also my goodnes you have like 4-6 review to write today that’s crazy!

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  3. Well hey, after years of begging, we got some old fashioned Seventeen sound. Oh yes, old school Seventeen meets big band swing. Hip hip hooray!

    You could do a nice Lindy Hop to this. (That’s an old swing dance style. Think old Glenn Miller “In The Mood” type of big band dancing, plus all the modern retro dance competitions keeping the style alive, all those Brooklyn hipsters in pork pie hats and Rosie The Riveter costumes doing swing dancing on the weekends.)

    So of course I have bought it already on itunes. I was half way through the second verse, and clicking away.

    That said, rating is about right – low 8 for me too. Its not so much the melody for me as it sounds a bit frantic, especially in the chorus. The chorus doesn’t lay into the groove easily but sounds like it is racing ahead of it. I thought the bpm was too fast but tapping it out, it isn’t that. its how the chorus keeps hitting the hit chord too high too often, the note is heavy on the 1 2 then off on the 3 4 for two measures, then all eighth notes for the next two measures, and then bang back on 1 2 again. Something about that makes it frantic as there is no breath in there. … When I hear a song like this I inevitably imagine a tap dance, and everything in my imagination forces those eighth notes back into stepping on the quarter notes for my feet thereby slowing it down.

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    • Ahh Lindy hop dancing looks so immensely fun! Always love to watch it on yt. I am really happy to hear this carefree Svt sound again but I dont know.. I also miss some of that ‘melodic diversity’.

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      • So, I put on a Lindy hop competition video, muted it and played Home;Run over it…it was very entertaining. Kinda wish Seventeen just broke into couples and started lindy hopping in the chorus- that would truly be something.

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    • Ooh! I do really like how you break down your reasoning for the rating, and the comments (more or less) are polite and thoughtful too. I would give it a 9 the grooviness makes me so happy but I can’t say it’s objective given how much i fall in love with all of their songs. There’s this instrument that just goes crazy in the background near the end (I think starts with vernon’s rap?) and I absolutely love it, and wonder what the song would have been if it was incorporated more ?

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  4. this having the same rating as loona’s trainwreck of a song? also the assumption that their music quality has declined over the years is hilarious to me. their early albums were near unlistenable, now they actually put out good b-sides and cohesive albums.

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      • obviously i wasn’t talking about every single b-side? going seventeen is probably one of their best minis but 17 carat and boys be were not good at all. overall their music quality has only increased over the years.

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            • that’s fine but claiming they’re in a slump when they’ve been SO vocal about how pleased they are with their music these past few releases is just weird? just say you fell out of love with their music and leave it at that. svt themselves are very proud of their recent output and most fans consider their past couple albums some of their best.

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              • Isn’t that basically what I’m saying, though?

                I mean, “I’ve felt that the group has been stuck in a bit of a creative rut” is different than saying “this group is in a creative rut.” One’s presented as opinion, and the other fact. No one should ever take my words as fact. I’m not claiming to be some expert or anything, just a fan expressing their opinion.

                Anyways, I’m glad the guys are pleased with their output. I’m sure the same can’t be said for every K-pop group.

                And, I’m glad that you love the song and the group’s more recent work. There’s nothing better than really connecting with an artist’s music.

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    • Woah! I’ve never disagreed more! I adore their early music, especially very first few releases. It’s not nostalgia either- I only became a fan around Aju Nice.

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      • their title tracks were always good (they’re the reason i became a fan) but their b-sides were awful until love & letter and even then their albums still had a lot of skips. nowadays i can listen all the way through their albums without desperately wanting to skip any songs.

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  5. I would actually rate this at least 8.5, heck for now I’m rating 9 even.

    (I seem to disagree with you many times despite me thinking our tastes are similar)

    I rate songs for how well it does it’s job, or what I think it’s job is. This seems to be labeled as a special comeback, which to me sounds more like a “hey we’re just releasing some special songs, just chill” comeback than a “ayy we are releasing a super experimental and totally unique, never the same before, worldwide hit comeback which will break 139383 records” cb. Considering that, I think they did excellent with this one. Not every song needs to be Infinite’s The Chaser.

    Plus it’s exactly the Funkteen I’ve been looking for. Now Rockteen next!

    (The album is a nice listen, doesn’t top Heng:garae but overall very solid)

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    • (I seem to disagree with you many times despite me thinking our tastes are similar) – is a feeling I can relate to on this blog haha! Its fun reading different perspectives though.

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  8. Wow I feel like you’ve been especially harsh on seventeen these past 2 years. That being said, this is easily one of the best bg comebacks for me. The “theatre kids” lived up to their name. A 9.5 for me.

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      • We appreciate that, but when you gave it an 8.75 upon release that hurt me more than it should have lol. At the end of the day the best thing u can do is give your opinion raw, even if people might not agree.

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      • Lol, Nick. If you hadn’t liked Hit, THAT would have been be a problem. I apologize if I sound grumpy but as the blog that made me appreciate Seventeen’s earlier discography more, your rating on this hurts more than anything.. ouch, an eight. An eight!!!!!

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            • 😀 I know! That’s why the differing views don’t make sense to me. I think Seventeen has passed the golden age for you so you’re bound to get tired of their sound. For me though, every new album has been better and more refined than their previous works. And that is why, I wish for their production team to remain unchanged. A complete overhaul would be extremely damaging to them at this stage. (atleast in my opinion)
              I hate it when people impose their opinions on others so I hope you take none of my comments in a negative way. This is one of the few places where I am comfortable enough to comment. So thank you for maintaining that atmosphere always 🙂

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              • No problem! In the end, we’re all just fans expressing our opinions. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to subjective art like pop music, and it’s fun hearing different opinions. Sometimes they help you appreciate a song that you didn’t quite connect with, and sometimes they challenge existing feelings about a comeback. Both are completely valid, as long as they’re presented with mutual respect.

                I’m glad that you feel comfortable commenting here! My aim is to maintain that sense of comfort on this site (though occasionally I can get a bit snippy when presented with a troll-like comment!)

                I hope that Seventeen hasn’t passed their “golden age” for me, but if that ends up being the case, they’ve already left behind an incredible singles run.

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              • I’m sort of in the “falling out of favor” corner as well, but I’m not sure how much of that is due to their evolving sound and how much is due to my own evolving tastes. I do love this song (!!!!) but I can certainly understand why it wouldn’t be life-changing to another listener — and an 8 is still (often well) above average for this site, so I was surprised without feeling scandalized 😉 That sort of liminal space I occupy with Seventeen makes both the “potential SOTY” camp and the “weaker end of the strong” camp positions I could see myself having. Whether their sound has changed in a direction that doesn’t suit me personally or I’m just attached to their old work, who’s to say? As long as SOMEONE’s enjoying their current stuff, especially the members themselves, that’s great!

                (And don’t worry, I don’t think you’re being disrespectful or anything either! It’s interesting that we’re on different sides on this — I agree on this song, but I’ve hardly listened to even a Seventeen b-side since Teen, Age-ish.)

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                • “As long as SOMEONE’s enjoying their current stuff, especially the members themselves, that’s great!”
                  True! It’s truly refreshing to see a relatively senior group proudly performing their debut singles with as much of a rookie mindset as an artist can possibly have. It just goes on show the confidence they have in their previous and current works. Seventeen has built a very unique niche in the current kpop scene. I have seen more 2nd gen kpop fans as carats than in any other fandom. Something about their music (and performances) is just so captivating and reminiscent of 2nd gen groups that makes it hard to ignore them for some oldies like me. Added to that is the ‘it” factor that so many groups despite having great discographies lack. I am of the opinion that kpop is more than music.. it’s about grand eye-feasting performances as well. And this is one aspect that Seventeen will always sell out the best. Even if their songs are less dynamic and experimental, their performances will more than make up for it. Ode to you was an absolute DELIGHT to watch.

                  “I agree on this song, but I’ve hardly listened to even a Seventeen b-side since Teen, Age-ish”
                  :O :O Noooooo. Their b-sides are so good though! Maybe you will listen to them at another time and click better with them. An Ode and Semi;colon have been absolute gems. I understand if people would consider Heng:garae as too slow but even in that, songs like KidUlt and Together were pretty well-received. Songs like Run to U, Thinking about U, Holiday, Snapshoot are no different than their earlier funky, high-energy songs.

                  This has gotten tooo long. I apologize for that. Hope the rest of 2020 gives you lots of pleasant music to gush about. Cheers!

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          • I mean technically speaking based on your rating system an 8 is a “strong” song. I think we all tend to focus too much on the numbers. I try to focus on the words that come along with the numbers. Cos I feel that this is no “outstanding” song (meaning nothing about it blows me away) but I certainly feel that this is a “strong” song (meaning it ticks all of my important boxes)

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  9. Honestly I think I fell in love with this the moment I heard “Seventeen right here” in the preview. I became a fan of the group right after Oh My, & this is my favorite title since then. I love big band in my pop songs. Having so many voices has always helped their more repetitive songs be more engaging. I don’t really notice the repetition because of the variety of vocals along with the variety of instruments. The moments I really love are the vocal harmonies at Mingyu’s part, Jun’s “na na na”s, and Vernon’s rap.
    DK also ends the song with a nice variation on the melody. It’s an easy 9 for me.

    I love the whole album, maybe even more than Heng:garare (I need a few more listens to be sure). It sounds really cohesive, & I enjoy every song. Do Re Mi was my favorite on first listen, but that may change as I really dive into the album.

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    • I agree! I read a comment that said “this song has Vernon written all over it” and I burst out laughing. The song is so true to the special unit’s dynamics and relatively younger age. I am still having a hard time choosing a favourite B-side.. all of them are so good!

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  11. Its much better than the “hey this was made solely to go viral on Tiktok” Left and Right. My only gripe is as you said, the hooks are very samey throughout. But things are on the up again hopefully!

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  12. ‘The last time I can remember K-pop doing it (big band elements) really well was in 2017, when Super Junior unleashed the excellent Black Suit.’

    Hey, what about Golden Child’s With Me? Or does that not count as big band.. I thought you did touch on it in your review for that song.

    That aside, I can see why you gave this the rating you did. I like hearing funkier Seventeen again. But I miss the melody, the big sing along chorus, something like that. Maybe I’ve just fallen out of love with their stuff for good? I hope not. I’m happy that so many people are loving it though. These boys are immensely talented and deserve the hype!

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    • No, With You is great too, but it’s a b-side (and technically came before Black Suit).

      I’m glad you understand where I’m coming from with this song. I’m feeling like my review of this has been a big WTF moment for everyone here, which is fine but makes it seem like I hate the song (which I don’t).

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      • Ahh right, wow I can’t believe that Golcha album is that ‘old’ already! I still listen to it so regularly 😮

        Although I, too, have been hoping and hoping for a funky Svt comeback, after listening to it I wasn’t as satisfied as I should have been. I was a little surprised to see people be THIS excited about the song- in comparison your (still very positive) reaction might seem cold to everyone haha!

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  13. To me, this is Seventeen returning to form (even if it could be better) and I can’t help but feel super happy about that. It’s been a while since I’ve really liked a Seventeen song.
    I agree that the melody could use a little more variation throughout but boy is it fun overall. I’m all up for Seventeen and brass together when it’s done like this.

    8.5/10 right now, we’ll see how it ages.

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  14. This excites the theatre kid within me. The instrumentals were more exciting than the topline melody at times, but all in all I enjoy it!
    I expect Seventeen to bring fun and energy, and they deliver with this one.

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  16. Just about all of my thoughts have already been said by myself or someone else, but I think it’s a real testament to Seventeen’s strength as a group that an eight seems super low for a lot of people! For “great” to feel like a lowball is really indicative of a powerhouse group.

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    • This is such a good point. Absolutely true. This is not a bad song by ANY means, it’s just.. many of their other songs are so good that the standard is around the 9’s.

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  17. I loooove Seventeen, but this song just does not do it for me instantly, IDK. Maybe I should give it another listen. I always go here whenever my fave groups have new releases just to check other people’s perspectives 😅 so I’m glad many people love it 😊

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  18. While I agree to an extent that the song is a bit too repetitive at some parts, I feel like the repetitiveness is mostly just in the chorus and the 1st half of the 1st verse. The 2nd verse doesn’t really have that problem, and like another commenter said, having 13 members with fairly distinct vocal colors helps mitigate the repetitiveness. I might be kinda biased because swing is among my many favorite music genres and I love Seventeen a lot, but I personally really enjoyed the song. I’d most likely give it something between an 8.5 and a 9.

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  19. I’d thought I’d love this song but for some reason there’s some production choices that made me, uhm, let’s say, I didn’t enjoy it as much. Found myself taking my earphones off and I do that when I find songs too noisy or cringey. While I’m glad this has a little bit of an old school Seventeen sound, their blatant intention of making this a hit puts me off a bit. It has this “whatever it takes” feeling that I really dislike. It’s a 7.5 for me.

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  20. I haven’t genuinely liked a Seventeen song in years. Their 2019-2020 stuff is not bad, just not really my taste and it’s not their best either. I like what they were going for in Home Run, the vibe, the style and the era, but the song felt to me too uncomfortably fast. Especially the chorus, it went on too fast without me particularly enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, I like songs with fast choruses but something does not click in this one for me. I don’t know another way to describe this song other than “uncomfortably fast”.

    It’s a 7 for me. Kinda reminds me of TVXQ’s Something, though I don’t think both can be compared fairly. Something is just pure fun to me.

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    • I really like the brisk tempo in general, but those loud, repeated brass stomps combined with the shouting hook does make it sound a bit ‘frantic’ indeed. Some of it sounds like consecutive punches to the ear, haha

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  21. I’m glad they’re going back to their old funk-inspired pop sound, but so far nothing they’ve released this year has stuck with me. Fingers crossed on them releasing a spiritual sequel to Very Nice sometime next year.

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  22. I personally completely disagree, I love this song to bits. I thought after lalalilala, Knock (I know you are not into it but i love it), dun dun, la di da, boca, wannabe, and etc are great but this i loved it. I didn’t have high hopes for it at first but this song is bomb. But everyone should know this is just my subjective opinion and so is his so please respect that, we all have different tastes and opinions on music

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