It’s the year of Seventeen sub-units, as the group has been unable to make a full comeback while members serve their mandatory military enlistment. So far, we’ve had DxS (DK & Seungkwan) and V8 (Vernon & The8). Now, it’s time for Jeonghan and Joshua to make their sub-unit debut as JxJ. While the previous two acts occupied very specific sounds, the JxJ approach feels a little more like a grab bag of styles.

Perhaps due to this stylistic malleability, title track 12 o’clock takes the duo back to tried and true Seventeen sounds. It’s a light, funky dance song. It’s actually been awhile since we’ve heard music like this from Seventeen members, so the overall sound carries enough nostalgia to work. Jeonghan and Joshua have quite similar vocal character, making 12 o’clock feel more like a solo track. A bit of textural variety would go a long way toward drawing out its charms, but it’s hard to argue with a song so amiable and upbeat.

12 o’clock‘s biggest sin is its runtime. There’s just not much to the track’s sub-2:30 length. Most of the song feels like the same highlight medley clip repeated over and over. There’s no sense of progression, and without a meaningful endpoint in mind we’re just spinning our wheels. There’s not much reason for the music to exist. HYBE seems to be one of the last agencies desperately holding on to these ultra-short song lengths, and it does the music such a disservice. It feels like I’m listening to a mood or concept rather than an actual song.

Grade: C+