Seventeen Welcome Listeners Into a New World in Their Latest Comeback ‘_World’

After successfully turning up the heat with their May 2022 release “Hot,” K-pop stage breakers Seventeen are back, this time channeling their adorable boy-next-door charm in their latest comeback “_World.” The single leads the 13-member group’s repackaged album Sector 17 and comes roughly two weeks following the release of the unit track, “Cheers.”

The single also acts as a sequel to “Ash,” the final track of Face the Sun. After leaving nothing but ashes of their ‘shadows’ behind in “Ash,” Seventeen bring themselves and their listeners into a new world of boundless potential named ‘Sector 17.’

Co-written by members Woozi, Vernon and leader S.Coups alongside Bumzu, Melanie Joy Fontana, Michel “Lindgren” Schulz, Steven Franks and Tommy Brown, “_World” is an urban R&B single with funk elements, giving it an easy-to-listen, chill composition. The single runs parallel to the sultry number “Hot” that saw the group mesh groovy whistle sounds with hip-hop beats. On “_World,” Seventeen switch gears, demonstrating their versatility as they play around with a sweet melody. Further heightened by rhythmic percussion and crisp guitar sounds, “_World’s” funky, earworming composition makes it perfect for summer. 

Complementing the track’s delightful composition, the lyrics for “_World” outline a grand love affair that seeks the charm of eternity. Wanting to whisk their love interest into their world, Seventeen display their vocal strengths, singing in breathy, mellifluous vocalizations, with lines like, “Like a déjà vu of heaven/ Meet up, let’s start your interview/ I can give you everything you want/ Down to your darkest sides/ Come, come into my world.” 

The music video shows the 13 members arriving in an unknown place hit by a sandstorm. The storm begins to clear up and a billboard sign that reads “Welcome to ‘_World’’’ is revealed. What follows next is a picturesque montage showing the members performing the groovy single on bright, vibrant sets. 

According to a press release shared by the group’s label Pledis Entertainment, as of July 15th, over 1.2 million copies of Sector 17 had been pre-ordered while the music video for “Cheers” has amassed over 16 million views in less than a week after being released ahead of the full album. 

Featuring four new tracks (“_World,” unit track “Cheers” unveiled ahead of the album, “Circles” and the Korean version of “Fallin’”), Sector 17 is a repackaging of the K-pop performance house’s fourth studio album Face the Sun, released in May. Following that album’s release, the group reached a new milestone in K-pop history, joining BTS as one of the only two K-pop artists to rack up over 2 million album sales in the first week of release. 

In other news, Seventeen members S.Coups, Hoshi and Woozi – the leaders of the act’s hip-hop, performance and vocal units respectively – will also present their very first live performance of “Cheers” on MTV’s YouTube channel as a part of ‘MTV We Speak Music’ at 7.30 pm IST on July 18th.