As members are entering the military one by one, Seventeen has smartly reconfigured its promotions into units. This isn’t unique for the group. Their structure is designed as three teams combining into one larger group and they often feature unit and solo tracks on their albums. Vocal led ballads are also common for the group, and that’s what we have today with DK and Seungkwan’s Blue.

This duo is very well known and loved for their vocals, and there’s no denying the talent on display. Neither voices are among my personal favorites, but I realize that’s a minority opinion and that they’re objectively great. Blue is also objectively well-performed, even if I find it difficult to fully embrace. I’m not a ballad person in the first place, but when I find one that hits me I tend to fall in love with it forever. Blue is incredibly emotional, backed by a soundscape that’s stark and lush in equal measure and structured in a way to wring out as much drama as possible. The song’s even given an extended, cinematic music video to further tease out the sentimental bombast.

This is all to say, I appreciate Blue for what it is but I’ll probably never play it again outside the context of an album. I’m sure it’s better enjoyed in a live setting where you can fully enjoy the raw talent of its performers. And for fans of winter ballads (the Korean listening public says hi!), this will certainly find itself on many playlists.

Grade: C