[Review] 96ers – Hoshi x Woozi (SEVENTEEN)

A new SEVENTEEN unit is one of the many comebacks that kicked off this week. HOSHI and WOOZI join forces in the new single 96ers (동갑내기). This is the third official unit from SEVENTEEN, the first being BSS, who recently returned with CBZ (Prime Time), and JxW (Jeonghan x Wonwoo).

If I had to judge the 96ers based on the first few seconds, it wouldn’t look good for the song. Those repetitive horns that open the song (the first major element of 96ers) were quite jarring, and the fact that it recurred throughout the song was not great. The next major element of 96ers is the interpolation of the ‘Red Light, Green Light‘ nursery rhyme, which we have heard before in KPOP. Plus, it was done multiple times in 96ers in both the pre-choruses and choruses. This pretty much got a yawn from me. The final major element is essentially the rest of the song, like the duo’s delivery and the hip-hop motif. The instrumental was playful, and the pair did a good job of relaying that vibe in their delivery. There were also a few references to past songs, like Mansae, Super and Cheers. There was just no standout moment for me to highlight. I commend the pair for working outside their box with the hip-hop sound, given that WOOZI is the vocal team leader and HOSHI was a possible vocal team member before switching to the performance team. Altogether, I wished 96ers yielded more positive thoughts than negative ones.

The music video taps into that playful side of 96ers I mentioned above, showing the pair as art pieces in a gallery or museum. In my mind, to be a piece of art in a gallery or museum means you are quite established, hinting at their current status. This complements the lyrics which speak about their own personal journey to get to where they are now. The photocopier scenes might represent their releases, videos, etc. that got to where they are (i.e., there are many copies of themselves out there in the world in different mediums). The treadmills are a little harder to guess what they represent. Perhaps the journey, but treadmills are devices you use to walk long distances whilst remaining in one place – maybe this is a hint that they are always art pieces since their early days, til now.

The choreography is precisely how I expected it. It encompasses that hip-hop motif, whilst also showcasing a more carefree and loose style. I also like how their presence commanded the stage, making this an incredible performance.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10