Seventeen have yet again broken pre-order records for their new album. It’s astonishing how much of a global juggernaut they’ve become, especially considering Pledis Entertainment’s dire straights when they first debuted. This success calls for a victory lap, and new single God Of Music (음악의 신) is happy to oblige. I love the ambition in that title alone, and I want to love the song equally as much.
God Of Music hinges on so many of my favorite Seventeen elements. Its energy is big and bright, its tempo is bounding, and the guys stuff everything they have into the mix. In a K-pop climate that can often be called “subdued,” it’s nice to hear one of the industry’s biggest groups throw it all on the line. They attack the song with gusto and the instrumental responds accordingly. It’s a big ball of rhythm and sunshine, ablaze with brass flourishes and synth solos. They haven’t sounded this ebullient on a title track since 2016’s classic Very Nice.
However — and I hate to say this — God Of Music‘s melodies do nothing for me. I find them flat and a little fuddy duddy. The chorus, especially, feels like a first draft before uncovering a stronger series of hooks. With so much verve propping up the track, God Of Music gets by on goodwill. But apart from the driving pre-chorus, there’s just not enough melodic highlights to make this a standout in their discography. Still, I’m happy they swung for the pop rafters this time. I’m confident the live performances will compensate for some of the song’s shortcomings.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I think the song’s a bop! And the MV is so delightfully, unabashedly corny & I absolutely love it. Extra points for being in Budapest!
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I enjoy the energy from the song and the mv is vibrant too.
Happy they are doing well despite the antis and overfervent fans protesting on Joshua’s love life.
They have some of the best synchronised dancing and really good performed. Cant wait to catch them on music shows soon.
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There’s also a part of the video that’s shot in space! There’s a behind-the-scenes video of how a disco ball microphone was sent into space.
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Wild! Where did this budget come from lol
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hard agree… that chorus is just NOT hitting for me ever since I heard the snippet. the post-chorus is fun but not enough to make up for it. regarding the album, Diamond Days and Back 2 Back are my favorites (this is how you know I’ve stanned since debut because the songs I like the most are the ones identical to Shining Diamond)
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I wasn’t too sure about this comeback album from the Highlight Medley, but it is a lit better than I thought it was gonna be. I especially really love this song as the title track! Woozi has done it again 👏😊
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I think it is great!
Oh but what the hell is the Hybe machine doing to their voices? One of the best vocal lines in their generation and it is all washed out to a tinny wah.
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Can we set up a heist and steal HYBEs vocal processing equipment? I want to hear their individual voices again TT
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Not even steal it, just reach in a disconnect a few wires.
Or a hammer, which would be highly efficient but immediately detectable.
Count me in.
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Fully agree on this one, glad they’re doing big energy like this on a single again but there wasn’t much actually catchy about it.
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oh it’s a hit on first listen. the chorus sounded a little weak in the teasers but i think it works in the context fo the full song. the verses are definitely carrying though. fml as an album was a disappointment but they haven’t missed a single time with their title tracks this year, which i’m happy about after having at least one dud a year the last couple of years.
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I think I agree on the parts of the melody. The first time I heard this song I was like oh okay so this is what we’re going for and then the pre-chorus came and it made me excited for the chorus . The pre-chorus really did a good job by building up momentum to the chorus, but for me personally , I feel like the chorus did not live up to the momentum. I could not seem to catch the drift or a memorable part but it’s nice . Although , there was nothing memorable for me in the chorus . My highlights were the pre-chorus and the music interlude section before the last chorus. Also the vocals sounded weird. I don’t know if it was me and maybe just because I’m not really in a good state today or it’s actually what I was hearing.
I think the song suits being performed than being listened to an audio . This is due to the fact that I listened to the song first before the music video and at some point I got bored because the song felt a bit long and also I think the fact that there was nothing that is catching my attention until I get to the pre-course, kind of played into that. So I think it will be really nice to see it being performed and I think the stages are going to be great because from what I’m getting I feel like they want to engage the audience the fans when they perform the song at the year and awards and on tour , so I think this is a great performance song, but in terms of just listening to it on Spotify or Apple Music without the music video there is nothing that really grabs my attention to it so I think maybe my opinion will change after the performances or maybe it won’t. We’ll see. But like the song even the concept was kind of feels similar to NCT DREAM hello future. The only difference was that hello future had something to grip on and they had like a very big climax towards the end of the song and that was just chefs kiss you know and even performance wise so I believe that this song is also going to be a song that if you actually watch it live or the stage performance of it , it will change how you feel about it, and I think one could enjoy it even more.
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This is like a faster, funkier version of _World. I was kind of meh on that song but every time I hear it, it puts a huge smile on my face, so I think this song will function a lot like that one for me. I feel like a lot of the songs on this album are like previous SVT songs on steroids…this one, Diamond Days (for obvious reasons), and Back 2 Back, which is my favorite b-side (Domino on steroids). I love the maximalist production on these songs…and then you have Monster with the haunted house sound effects, haha.
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Agreed re: _World! This is definitely in the same realm. I also was kind of meh on _World at first but it has become my go-to cheer-up song.
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The Back 2 Back and Domino comparison is so spot on! I’m also loving how much more maximalist this album sounds, especially in comparison to FML from earlier this year. This is more in tune with the Seventeen energy that I know, and I’m enjoying the production this time around a lot.
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Oh this one is hitting for me! I’m so happy. Super wasn’t really for me, though I liked the fact that they were still trying out something new, so it’s nice to see them basically go back to their roots so to speak as they’ve always done but still keep it new enough to feel fresh. God of Music isn’t as strong throughout as I would have liked, so it’s not a flawless comeback, but this is still one of their stronger efforts. I’m looking forward to the performances too – their energy always imbues the song with even more to enjoy.
I’m also really happy with this album as a whole. Not a single song I don’t really like, although some are greater standouts than others (Back 2 Back and Headliner for me). The nostalgia they were going for with Diamond Days is working on me as a long-time carat, even if I would have been happier with a different post-chorus for that one.
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Decent enough song, but much too safe.
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I do kinda agree with this review, especially about the melodies since in the preview I did feel there wasn’t much standing out. But overall this was a satisfying comeback, hearing the full song does elevate the experience for me and that kung chi pak chi part slaps. And I like this bright, upbeat with full instrumentals sound that svt does well. I think this is what _World wanted to be but it didn’t quite get there (which isn’t surprising because _World has outside producers involved. Still love both songs tho). Looking forward for the stages because it seems like they will be fun, maybe a bit like BSS Fighting stages (hopefully!)
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Very Nice came out when I had just become a fan and it is still one of my fondest memories. It was my favourite Seventeen song for a very long time, even if it didn’t (objectively) quite match their peak songcraft.
After years of gradually losing the connection with Seventeens’ sound, I was so excited for the chance to relive the Very Nice era with this song.
And yes, I do enjoy this! I appreciate that Seventeen is still willing to 1) come out with such an upbeat sound in this mellow era and 2) write lyrics that don’t center on (romantic) love.
And yet, it doesn’t quite hit me this time. Turns out, as Seventeen has grown and changed, so have I. Perhaps this song is more flimsy and hollow than Very Nice was, or perhaps I’ve lost the ability to resonate with boundless optimism. The production reminds me of Dynamite and Can’t Stop the Feeling (Justin Timberlake): sugary, catchy, but with little real substance. I feel like I might hear this chorus in an ad for a soft drink next summer. I enjoy it, but it fizzles out quickly.
That’s not the note I want to end on, however. Beneath the HYBE vocal filters, the spirit of this song tells me that the Seventeen I fell in love with is still there.
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Sidenote: For a song all about unity through music across language and culture, I really wish we would’ve seen even more diversity in the video! Not a criticism necessarily, but something that occurred to me.
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HELLO? YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT SCOUPS WAS FLOURISHING ALONE! That’s like one of the most looked forward things in the mv along with the choreo. Overall, the song was awesome,especially the meaning, and I really cried from joy. It was a different vibe from their previous works,so as a die hard Carat, I found it very refreshing.
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This is not a bad song. It just doesn’t do anything for me. Writing this comment I can’t even remember how it sounds even though I’ve given it a couple of listens to see if something clicks.
Other comments say it’s similar to “World” but God knows I cannot hear it. “World”was one of my favorite songs last year!!
At least “Super” (which I don’t like), has it’s moments.
7.5/10
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