Here are my credentials (again, 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) (Part Two)

EP #8: Spinning Top~Between Security & Insecurity

We’re back with Eclipse, which is another step in the maturation process of Got7’s music. The transitions are smoother, the EDM flies underneath, the raps flow in naturally with the rest of the track, and the chorus is likely their most sprawling yet. I really like how it pulls back just before the chorus, almost mimicking an anti-drop but instead, using it to further emphasize the build. My only gripe would be that I wish the dance break’s instrumental was more powerful, to justify its after-bridge placement, but overall, it’s quite strong.

From the EP—which has the most k-pop boy group name I’ve ever heard, Spinning Top: Between Security and Insecurity—I enjoyed the pulsing beat of Kkeut (“End”).

EP #9: Call My Name

You Calling My Name takes time to get started, with hardly any instrumental in its first minute aside from some rhythmic finger-snapping. The voices take center stage in a way that they haven’t in one of Got7’s titles yet, and one thing you can’t accuse this song of being is same-y. The first time the chorus hit, I was admittedly a little disappointed at how soon it ended, feeling like it cheapened the track. Imagine my surprise when, the second time, the instrumental smashes in and a post-chorus pulls it out; the third, it’s taken even further and the outro brings the listener home in an incredibly satisfying way. The steady build also makes it more of an earworm, and actually turned it into one of my favorites of theirs, once it grew on me a little bit.

From the EP, Call My Name, I enjoyed the instrumental hook of Now or Never and the percussive guitar of Run Away. My hidden gem was Crash And Burn, though, with its powerful contrast between the more controlled verses and more emotive chorus. Its final minute is just perfectly cathartic.

EP #10: DYE

Not By The Moon was one of the few songs I’d heard of Got7’s before this deep dive, and it’s always interesting in that case to see how a song fits in with the rest of a group’s discography. In many ways, Not By The Moon follows a similar formula to many of Got7’s previous singles, from its building pre-chorus to its more minimalist verses to its catchy hook. But it does the difficult job of innovating within the formula, not only by having such beautiful and fanciful lyrics but by its many references to Romeo and Juliet, most notably the hook itself. All of these things combine to create something that’s genuine and climactic, appealing to emotion and completely succeeding.

From the EP, DYE, though I enjoyed the Latin Pop influences of Trust My Love, my hidden gem was Love You Better, with its lovely vocals and layered distortion.

Album #5: Breath Of Love

After the intense drama of Not By The Moon, Breath truly lives up to its name, being incredibly light and airy, incorporating tropical beats and a whistling hook that I confess got stuck in my head. I’m sure that it depends on when you listen to it, but though I liked the song, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I did really enjoy the music video, though.

Last Piece is back to the sound Got7 have been building on for years, though this song is much more upbeat and fun than their titles usually are. But that only makes it confusing when the post chorus is mostly a distorted EDM instrumental before the song returns to its smooth synths. I think that I like this song in theory more than in practice; I like most of its parts but something about it just doesn’t quite gel, in my opinion. Maybe it’ll grow on me, who knows?

From the album, Breath Of Love, I enjoyed the dreamy sound of Waiting For You, the fade-out in Thank You Sorry, the minimalist chorus of I Mean It, and the jaunty, jazzy piano in 1 + 1 (my hidden gem).

EP #11: Got7

In 2021, Got7 did something that very few k-pop groups have managed: they left their company, JYP, and kept going on their own. As their first song after that monumental decision, Encore is unsurprisingly a laid-back, sweet song by the members about their childhood and about how much they love being together for both each other and their fans. Even though I’ve heard so many songs like this, they never fail to touch me, especially when it’s coming from a group like Got7. I may or may not have watched the music video a few more times than I had to, and I’d have to say my favorite part is watching Jackson and Yugyeom try and fail to tango.

Nanana is part of their first solo EP. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, to be honest, if it would sound like one of their songs and if it did, what kind of song? Well, kind of a combination of all of them: it’s laid-back and airy, warm and sunny, and really feels like a celebration, probably because it is one. It’s a new step in their progression, and though it’s not one of their best, it’s the sound of a group finding their feet after finding their freedom.

From the EP, Got7, I enjoyed the whistling flute in Drive Me To The Moon, the gentler sound of Two, and the glitzy instrumental of Don’t Care About Me.

Album #6: Winter Heptagon

Python has a creeping, almost lullaby-esque sound at first, and the whole song is fairly minimalistic. The build of the pre-chorus is great, probably the best part of the song, and while I was worried about the chorus being too empty, I was happy that that wasn’t the case. I would have preferred that they did a Call My Name thing and build on a minimalistic hook, but I didn’t mind it. The song was also entirely in English, which isn’t that surprising, given that most of them either speak it or are fluent. As for the lyrics, all I have to say is, damn, guys, what girl broke your heart?

I was very happy to see that this is a full album, something unusual after a hiatus. There was a lot I enjoyed, from the hints of funk and smooth (sorry) sound of Smooth to the gentle vocals of Darling to the percussive beat and clever turns of phrase in Out The Door (my hidden gem).

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! Though I always try my best to get to know the members of a group when doing a deep dive on them, I really feel like I learned who Got7 are in this last week or so. I watched so much content from them—mostly because they have such compelling personalities—and that included some of their Got The Stage performances and Got2Day videos, a couple interviews, and my personal favorite, their friendship test. It was a fun journey, and though I can’t call myself an Ahgase, the members themselves won me over. I also really appreciated how distinct their voices are, and even not knowing them that well, I could almost always tell who was singing.

My Top 5 songs are Not By The Moon, You Calling My Name, Lullaby, Turn Up The Music, and A, with Just Right and Crash And Burn as honorable mentions. Got7 gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me. The music of their first few years wasn’t for me, but I admit that I judged the whole of their work too early, and I’m happy that I stuck with it to see how much it improved. Their later work is incredibly consistent and yet distinct from each other, which isn’t an easy thing to achieve, and I’m excited to see where they go next!

Next time, we’re onto a new group! Tschüss!