Buried Treasure: Seventeen – Eyes On You

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.

It’s been quite some time since a Seventeen album has captured me, and new release Spill The Feels (such a cheesy title) is unlikely to break that trend. I don’t see myself going back to it often, but there are a couple of tracks worth keeping. Rain is a funky — if underdeveloped — jam and Eyes On You opens the album with an engaging 90’s dance beat.

It’s rare to hear Seventeen tread this far into dance music, but HYBE seems to have an affection for this style. Eyes On You reminds me of TXT’s I’ll See You There Tomorrow, which just so happened to open their latest album. I don’t think this track is as memorable, but its glistening production is very sleek and fashionable. This sound has a tendency to feel a bit hollow and aloof if not given enough personality, and I would have expected Seventeen’s power vocalists to inject more character. Instead, vocal effects smooth over their individual quirks, making the track feel oddly generic. But in this context, that polished production style works. It’s not the best K-pop song I’ve ever heard, but with a few small changes this could have been a much more compelling title track than the overly safe Love, Money, Fame.

Grade: B