[Review] 12 O’Clock – JEONGHAN x JOSHUA (SEVENTEEN)

Despite being in the military enlistment era, SEVENTEEN has remained active and busy with unit promotions. This week, the group launched its 7th subunit, JEONGHAN x JOSHUA. The pair released their first mini-album, DREAMSCAPE, featuring the title track 12 O’Clock. ICYMI: JEONGHAN is also part of another SEVENTEEN subunit, JxW (with WONWOO), and they previously released the single Last Night in 2024. While both JEONGHAN and JOSHUA are in SEVENTEEN’s vocal unit, I actually had no idea what direction they would take as a subunit. We have also heard a range of genres from each unit so far, so the curiosity deepens. 12 O’Clock turned out to be a funky dance-rock track. The instrumental is quite light, which makes the track feel pleasant and appreciable. Despite being under 2 and a half minutes, the track also feels spacious and manages to incorporate a brief guitar solo and a substantial instrumental break. As for JEONGHAN and JOSHUA’s vocals, they take a similar light approach to match the instrumentals, which can be hit or miss. Again, since they complement the instrumental, pleasant descriptors come to mind; 12 O’Clock‘s melodies speak to this. But it doesn’t lend itself well to a st...