An image of K-pop group GOT7 standing in a room with a purple background.

‘Winter Heptagon’ brings the nostalgia and maturity that K-Pop needed 

The semester is off to a chilly start, but we have some new music to get us back into the study groove. Third-generation K-pop group GOT7 has their first new release since May 2022, “Winter Heptagon.” 

GOT7 is a seven-member K-Pop band that debuted in 2014, but has been on hiatus due to the mandatory military enlistments of band members Jay B and Jinyoung. Their album “Winter Heptagon” is their comeback to the music industry. The other members of the group are Mark, Jackson, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom. 

Decade-long GOT7 fan and Scribe Sports and Photo Editor Lillian Davis, and BTS fan and Copy Editor Kate Marlett bring you a review GOT7’s latest release “Winter Heptagon.” 
 
Lillian’s Rating: 5/5 stars 

Kate’s Rating: 5/5 stars 

Track: “PYTHON” 

Written, composed and arranged by BamBam.  

Lillian: “PYTHON” is a Western-influenced, easy-listening title track. It has a cool, braggy vibe emphasized by the lyrics “I know I’m an icon,” but most of the lyrics talk about the reluctance to leave a relationship which has ahold of them like a python. “PYTHON” gives a similar vibe to their previous tracks “NOT BY THE MOON” and “YOU CALLING MY NAME.” 5/5. 

Kate: This track is the perfect one to start the album. It’s easy listening, but it’s certainly not boring! The beat is intriguing, the English rap is clear and enunciated and the lyrics “I know I’m an icon” are just icon-ic. 5/5. 

Track: “SMOOTH” 

Written and composed by Jackson Wang. 

Lillian: I instantly knew that Jackson Wang made “SMOOTH.” It’s got this smooth cool guy sound, perfect for a sunset-drive-in-a-convertible-in-California song. Its one flaw is that it’s very repetitive, but that is common in Jackson Wang’s solo music, and I love his solo music, so it doesn’t bother me too much.  4/5. 

Kate: Despite the album name “Winter Heptagon,” this one was surprisingly summery. I loved the guitar that introduced the song with upbeat energy. Like “PYTHON,” its English lyrics and Western sound reminded me a lot of American summer hits. The way their voices mesh together as they sing “smooth,” is, well…smooth! I took a point off because it was a little repetitive, but overall, a great track. 4/5. 

Track: “Our Youth” 

Written and composed by Choi Young-jae. 

Lillian: The vocalists really shine in this track. The chorus feels empty except for the run they pull off. Listening to this album just keeps bringing me back to their prior work. This track reminds me a lot of one of their previous title tracks “BREATH.” “Our Youth” has the same kind of joyful noise. 4/5. 

Kate: Right away, there’s what sounds like a space-takeoff voice, which immediately caught my attention. It’s futuristic, has a good beat and gets stuck in your head. Its more prominent Korean lyrics mesh well with the English and the cohesion makes for easy listening. The rest of the song didn’t really stand out as much as the introduction. 3/5. 

Track: “REMEMBER” 

Written and composed by Kim Yugyeom. 

Lillian: “REMEMBER” is a relaxed and confident house track. What I really enjoy is how the rap-line members —Jackson Wang, BamBam and Mark Tuan — have singing parts. Many K-Pop groups might fall victim to switching the beat up completely for an awkward rap section, but their parts here fit in seamlessly. 5/5. 

Kate: With a modern, minimalist beat, “REMEMBER” sounds like it would be playing in a high fashion scene, maybe like a runway show. It has a slightly slower beat than “Our Youth,” but many of the lyrics are sung faster, so it gives a contrasting effect. It makes me feel powerful and confident. 5/5. 

Track: “Darling” 

Written and composed by Jay B. 

Lillian: “Darling” is your traditional sweet and cute K-pop song. This type of song tends to be forgettable for me. It’s alright, but it makes me nostalgic to still see this standard, archetypal style of song still be included in the album. 2/5. 

Kate: It’s a sweet, romantic song, but “Darling” doesn’t stand out from the others in this album. It’s smooth listening, and it does have a nice nostalgic feel, but there’s not much more I have to say about it. 2/5. 

Track: “TIDAL WAVE” 

Composed and arranged by BamBam. 

Lillian: It’s another soft, easy-listening track. This song is sung entirely in English. Reminds me of “RUN AWAY” from their “CALL MY NAME” ep. 4/5. 

Kate: This song was one of my favorites on the album. It began with a chorus-like sound and flowed into a fast-paced song which slowed for a bit in the pre-chorus. The vocals rise and fall like waves, and overall, this was a catchy, beautiful song. It’s going in my playlist for sure! 5/5.  

Track: “OUT THE DOOR” 

Written, composed and arranged by Mark Tuan. 

Lillian: GOT7 doing pop-rock – who knew? This is NOT a genre I ever expected from them, but I love it! The vocals are distorted in some places, which is such a trademark of pop-rock — they really committed to the genre. This track had the opportunity for the common K-Pop high-note belt in the final chorus, but it didn’t take it. I wish they did, but this song doesn’t need it to sound good. “OUT THE DOOR” has been on my repeat since the album’s release. 5/5. 

Kate: “OUT THE DOOR” took me back to the feel-good energy of One Direction. It has a distinctly 2010’s American pop style, and that was one of the things I loved about it. K-Pop often caters to Western styles, but typically they don’t fully give into it. “PYTHON” and “SMOOTH” are examples of this. “OUT THE DOOR” throws pretense aside and embraces the American sound. GOT7’s English pronunciation shines, and it made me feel welcomed as an American and as an English speaker. 5/5. 

Track: “her” 

Written and composed by Jinyoung. 

Lillian: I am not a ballad or whisper-singing kind of person. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me, regardless of the artist. “her” just isn’t for me. 1/5. 

Kate: I love the emotional ballad vibes. The lyrics of an abandoned love are moving, and the vocals got me emotional. It is the type of song that would be played at the sad point of a K-Drama, when the two love interests are separated by some misunderstanding, and one of them is left standing in the rain alone. A winner for me! 5/5. 

Track: “Yours Truly,” 

Lyrics by all seven members. Composed and arranged by Jay B. 

Lillian: From the start, this is your classic third generation K-Pop ballad. The piano, glitter sound effect and snapping — iconic, truly. I do prefer it over “her,” but it’s still a ballad, so it would not be my go-to for casual listening. It isn’t a song I have on replay right now but expect me to be crying along in my car before class in a couple weeks. 4/5. 

Kate: “PYTHON” opened this album perfectly, and “Yours Truly,” concludes it wonderfully. The piano introduction is magical (literally, there’s a glitter sound effect), and it’s acoustic and dreamy. It’s something you’d hear at a flower boutique or at a cozy coffee shop. There’s also an organ introduced in the second verse, and it adds the perfect amount of soul. I love the blending of musical styles. “Yours Truly,” was a fitting end to the album that made me want more. 5/5. 

Ending Notes: 

As far as album names go, we agree that “Winter Heptagon” is the worst we’ve ever seen. We get it. It’s winter. A heptagon has seven sides just like GOT7, but please don’t ever name your album after a shape again. Ed Sheeran has given us more than enough mathematic-themed album names. They could’ve named it “PYTHON” to stick with the title track album names like most groups do nowadays. Anything would’ve been better than “Winter Heptagon.” 

Lillian: As a fan of GOT7 for 10 years, this album makes me proud. It’s incredible to see each member’s musical influences come together with the rest of the group in each contribution. I was a bit surprised that almost four of the nine songs were entirely English but given that three members are fluent English speakers and that they have a large international fanbase, it makes sense. I enjoyed the subtle references to the number seven in some of the song lyrics.  
 
“Winter Heptagon” is easily their greatest collective work. The only songs I didn’t save to my Apple Music library are “Darling” and “her.” 

Kate: Overall, the album is really chill. It has a relaxed beat and the voices are dreamy. I don’t think there’s a single “bad” song on here, though some caught my attention more than others. “PYTHON,” “TIDAL WAVE” and “OUT THE DOOR” were my favorites of the album with high energy and good beats. I added the whole album on my Apple Music library, but some songs I will be putting on repeat more than others. This has to be one of my favorite albums of all time. 

So, if you enjoy relaxed beats and quality music, you’ll love GOT7’s “Winter Heptagon.”