Here are my credentials (again): While I don’t know much about Got7’s music, I do know a decent amount about them as people. I first heard about them when I watched Jinyoung’s fantastic performance in The Devil Judge (one of my all-time favorite k-dramas), and then started to learn more about them. I’ve also seen interviews of Jackson and BamBam, and grew to like them too. But I’m doing this deep dive because I wanted to see if their music could become a favorite of mine too. So let’s get started!

(Part One)

EP #4: Flight Log; Departure

Though they’d obviously had hits before it, Fly was the Got7 song that began the sound they’d use for the rest of their titles. It blends the feel-good instrumentals and I’m-in-love lyrics of songs like A with the smoothness and confidence of If You Do. It has quite a light touch for the era of k-pop it’s from, with almost no instrumental at several points, but this pared-down style allows their vocals to take center stage and create this great airy sound.

The EP, Flight Log: Departure, begins Got7’s first series, in this case, a trilogy. I enjoyed the great tone of Can’t and the jaunty piano of Something Good, but my hidden gem was easily Beggin’ On My Knees, with its layered vocals, catchy hook, and percussive verses.

Album #3: Flight Log; Turbulence

Hard Carry comes in with a bang, or with a distorted EDM beat, a record scratch, and its yelled hook. It combines sing-talk and smoother singing in what’s quite a solid build-up in the pre-choruses, and then we have an anti-drop. Which I suppose I should’ve seen coming. And yet…I don’t hate it? I’m not entirely sure if that’s due to the hook getting painfully stuck in my head, if I really enjoy the pre-chorus that much, or if they’re just performing the hell out of it. Really, Hard Carry falls under the category I call “gym song”; though it may not technically be some kind of masterpiece, its energy is infectious and it absolutely gets you pumped.

Next in the trilogy is a full album, Flight Log: Turbulence, which, like Hard Carry, is overall darker. It’s very hip hop and EDM heavy, and so, not as much my style. But, I did enjoy the “little more, little more” hook in Prove It, the call-and-response chorus of Hey, and the great vocals of Sick. My hidden gem was the groovy, acoustic-guitar based Who’s That with its snappy percussion. I did laugh a bit at My Home though, because why is Jackson yelling so angrily about someone making him feel like home? YOU’RE THE BEST OK AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT. Sorry, moving on.

EP #5: Flight Log; Arrival

After a series of performance-only songs, Never Ever arrives almost a year after Hard Carry with a somewhat surprising sound after how bombastic Hard Carry is. It has the thumping electro base that’s so common in their work, but pairs it with some tropical elements. While I don’t dislike the song, something about the chorus’ payoff doesn’t quite land for me and that leaves it somewhat unsatisfying. I do really enjoy the section from the bridge to the end of the song, with the overlapping vocals and “never ever ever” outro”. Side note, still, whenever I see Jinyoung, I keep thinking of the Devil Judge, especially when the shots are similar to the drama, and it’s more distracting than I thought it would be.

From the third and last EP of the trilogy, Flight Log: Arrival, I enjoyed the gentle instrumental of Sign and the chanty hook of EDM-based Go Higher.

EP #6: 7 For 7

You Are builds on the minimalistic, ruminatory sound of both Fly and Never Ever,  but though it doesn’t start off very unique, it never loses that propulsive underlying beat and ended up slowly worming its way into one of my favorite songs of theirs. It just has this infectious sense of optimism to it that, in my opinion, is one of the most satisfying sounds a song can go for. It’s one of those songs that you listen to when you’re having a bad day, to remind yourself that life is worth living.

From the EP, 7 For 7, I enjoyed the slow-motion beat of Teenager and the relaxed vibes of To Me, though my hidden gem was Face, with its dramatic, sweeping chorus.

EP #7: Eyes On You

Look is a return to the more EDM-based, ultra-confident sound from their earliest days, but marries it with a sunny attitude and a simple yet dancy synth beat. The chorus especially really does this well, and I’m sure the song will make an appearance on my roller skating playlist soon. The only gripe I have is that I’m not a fan of the more hard-hitting sing talk elements in the post-chorus, since they feel superfluous and distracting from the tone the rest of the song is setting.

From the EP, Eyes On You, I enjoyed the contrast between Hyolyn’s and Got7’s tones in One And Only You (not a collab I expected but I really like it!), the tropical influences in Us, and the great vocals in Thank You.

Album #4: Present; You & Me

Lullaby goes for a sound that Got7 haven’t really done since Just Right, though it definitely feels more mature and refined. It reminds me a lot of one of TWICE’s songs from their later career, actually, with that irrepressible sense of optimism backed up by bubblegum pop and the ever-present synths. I especially enjoy how, though it’s simple, Lullaby still has dance breaks, layered vocals, and occasional instrumental flourishes that keep it interesting and ensure that the listener never gets bored. Is it the greatest song ever? No, but it’s damn good, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Miracle, like Confession Song, is a special track for the winter holidays, and so, while I’m not going to treat it like I would a usual single, I did want to at least mention it. It’s a very sweet song, with its orchestral flourishes and beautiful vocals, and I confess that the music video made me go “awww” at a couple points.. I’m also very glad that it actually has the rappers sing here, instead of shoehorning in a rap verse that ruins the mood. Even I, a certified Christmas eye-roller, really liked it.

Present: You & Me is another full album—an incredibly long one at that—and in my opinion it’s stronger than their last. I enjoyed the “come on, come on” hook in Come On, the cathartic final chorus of 1:31 AM, the gentle vocals and falling rain sounds in Sunrise, and the synth-meets-EDM of Enough. My hidden gems were the more relaxed and vulnerable, acoustic guitar-led My Youth, and the delightfully angsty power ballad Nobody Knows.

Next time, we’re finally wrapping this up. Tschüss! (Part Three) (Part One)