Semicolon (stylized as ; [Semicolon]) is a special
extended play (EP) by South Korean boy band
Seventeen. It was released through
Pledis Entertainment on October 19, 2020, four months after its predecessor, Heng:garæ (2020).[1]
The album consists of six tracks, including the
lead single "Home;Run", all of which have been co-written by the band members.[2] Sporting a
retro sound, Semicolon primarily incorporates
dance-pop,
funk,
pop,
acid jazz, and
bossa nova, while also experimenting with
hip hop,
R&B,
trap, and
jazz elements. Recorded and released as a "special album", the record lyrically reaches out to the youth who are enduring the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, offering comfort and encouragement.
Seventeen's special EP was much anticipated after the band earned the moniker of "million seller" with their previous album Heng:garæ, released in June 2020, which became their first album to sell one million copies in South Korea.[3][4][5][6]Pledis Entertainment posted a 40-second trailer video on October 5, 2020, which revealed that Seventeen would be releasing a new EP Semicolon the same month.[7] Recorded as a "special album", Semicolon speaks out to the young people who are enduring the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Described by band member Mingyu as a "youth diary", Semicolon thematically follows its predecessor Heng:garæ, though the band began working on the album prior to the latter.[9]
; [Semicolon] is an album that spreads a message of support for youth who run endlessly. Like the very punctuation, ; [Semicolon] represents a brief pause and moment to take a breath, exchanging laughter with one another even amidst the hardships of the generation. We hope to give our peers living today warmth, comfort, and support.
— Dino on the title and message behind ; [Semicolon], Elle.[8]
Music and lyrics
Semicolon consists of six songs which urge the listeners to "take some time off in their busy lives."[2] The album touches upon themes of youth, encouragement, and comfort.[10] The opening track, "Home;Run" is an
uptempo'20s and
'30sswing and
dance-pop song, with a
retro-indebted sound.[1][11] The song incorporates strong
brass sound, "chipper" finger-snaps, cheerful beats and
jazz-inflected piano harmony in its production and
Asian instruments in its
bridge.[4][9][10] The lyrics emphasize the passion of youth and deliver comfort to the listener through baseball metaphors.[9][12] Elaborating on the sound and the lyrics, Woozi explained, "We expressed the feeling of hitting a home run with a rhythmical and hard-hitting sound."[12] The following track, "Do Re Mi" (도레미) is an anthemic slow burn number featuring a
trapbassline.[4][10] "Hey Buddy" is a
funk and
pop song featuring
'80s instrumentation and brass sound.[13][10] The third track, "Light A Flame" (마음에 불을 지펴) incorporates
Latin-inflected
bossa nova jazzy rap with an orchestral pitch.[10][13] "Ah! Love" is an
acousticsynth number with jazz,
hip hop and
R&B influences. Performed by S.Coups, Jeonghan and Joshua, the track features
vocal harmonies and
guitar instrumentation.[4][13] The album concludes with the
midtempo mellow
acid jazz and synth
ballad, "All My Love" (겨우), featuring
'90s nostalgic
hooks.[4][10][13]
Release and promotion
The album's title and release date were announced on October 5.[14] The album tracklist was released on October 12.[15] The following day, a preview of the tracks featured on the album was released in the form of a highlight medley.[16] Two music video teasers for the
lead single "Home;Run" were released on October 15 and 16.[17][18] The album was released on October 19, 2020, in CD and digital formats.[19][20][13] The
music video for the lead single "Home;Run" was released in conjunction with the release of the album.[21] The
'20s themed visual is a cross-over between Murder on the Orient Express and
Beyoncé's 2006 movie The Pink Panther, and features the band members sporting
retro-suits in underground poker clubs and smoky pool bars.[9]
A few hours prior to the album release, the band held a press conference, which was broadcast online through
YouTube.[20] Seventeen began promoting the album with televised live performances on several South Korean
weekly music programs, starting with Mnet's M! Countdown on October 22, where they performed "Home;Run".[22] The group appeared on
KBS' Music Bank and
SBS' Inkigayo on October 23 and 25, respectively, to perform the song.[23][24] On October 27, the band appeared as guests on the reality show Knowing Bros.[25] In the second week of promotion, "Home;Run" won first place on
MBC M's Show Champion on October 28.[26]
Commercial performance
On October 16, Pledis reported that album preorders had surpassed 1.1 million copies in 16 days, breaking their previous record of 1.06 million stock pre-orders with Heng:garæ.[27] Following its release, Semicolon debuted at number one on South Korea's
Gaon Album Chart on the chart issue dated October 24, 2020.[28] "Home;Run" debuted at number 16 on the
Gaon Digital Chart and number one on the component
Download Chart.[29][30] The album also reached number two on the Japanese
Oricon Albums Chart on the issue date of November 2, 2020.[31]
^Lee, Joon-Hyeon (June 29, 2020).
"세븐틴, '헹가래' 초동 109만 장 돌파 '역대 2위'…"새 역사 썼다"" [Seventeen,'Hengarae' surpassed 1.09 million copies in the first batch,'second place in history'... "I wrote a new history"]. Hankyung (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
^Jo, Yoon-seon (October 5, 2020).
"[공식] 세븐틴, 19일 스페셜 앨범으로 컴백…트레일러 최초 공개" [[Official] SEVENTEEN, comeback with special album on the 19th... First trailer release]. Sports Chosun (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (October 5, 2020).
"세븐틴, 19일 스페셜 앨범 '; [Semicolon]'으로 컴백..트레일러 최초 공개" [SEVENTEEN, Comeback on 19th with special album '; [Semicolon]' .. First trailer released]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^
abGo, Seungah (October 19, 2020).
""13명 에너지가 우리 근원" 세븐틴, 청춘 이야기로 '홈런' 터트릴까(종합)" ["The energy of 13 people is our source" Will SEVENTEEN,'home run' with youth story?]. News1.
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
^Choi, Hee-jae (October 12, 2020).
"'컴백 D-7' 세븐틴, 타이틀곡은 'HOME;RUN'…'청춘 아이덴티티'" ['Comeback D-7' Seventeen, the title song is'HOME;RUN'... 'Youth Identity']. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Seung-Hoon (October 15, 2020).
"'컴백 D-4' 세븐틴, 'HOME;RUN' 뮤비 티저 공개..역대급 텐션→에너지 분출 '강렬'" ['Comeback D-4' SEVENTEEN,'HOME;RUN' MV teaser unveiled.. Previous-class tension → energy burst'Intensity']. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^
abYoung, Hana (October 19, 2020).
"[종합] 세븐틴 "'세미콜론'처럼, 열심히 달리는 청춘들의 '쉼터' 됐으면"" [[Comprehensive] SEVENTEEN "Like a'semicolon', if it becomes a'rest area' for young people running hard"]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Miji (October 19, 2020).
""잠깐 쉬고 가도 돼"…세븐틴, 지친 청춘 위한 경쾌한 위로[쥬크박스]" ["You can take a break and go"... Seventeen, a cheerful comfort for the weary youth [jukebox]]. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Hong, Se-young (October 22, 2020).
"세븐틴, 오늘 '엠카' 통해 '홈런' 무대 최초 공개 [공식]" [Seventeen to unveil 'Home Run' stage for the first time on 'M-Countdown' today [Official]]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Si-yeon (October 23, 2020).
"세'뮤직뱅크' 컴백 세븐틴, 뉴욕 브로드웨이 연상케하는 무대[별별TV]" ['Music Bank' comeback Seventeen, a stage reminiscent of Broadway in New York [StarView TV]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Min-ji (October 24, 2020).
"'아는 형님' 세븐틴, 역대 최고 난이도 게임에 불타는 승부욕[오늘TV]" ['Knowing Brothers' Seventeen, burning lust for the highest difficulty game ever [Today TV]]. Newsen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Sujin (October 29, 2020).
"세븐틴, '세미콜론' 가온차트 3관왕 달성" [Seventeen achieves 3 crowns on Gaon Chart with 'Semicolon']. Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Yoo, Jae-hyuk (October 16, 2020).
"세븐틴, 스페셜 앨범 선주문량 110만장 돌파…더블 밀리언셀러 예고" [Seventeen, surpassed 1.1 million pre-orders for special albums… Double Million Seller Notice]. Hankyung (in Korean).
Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
^Park, Ah-reum (October 29, 2020).
"세븐틴 가온차트 3관왕, 연일 쏟아내는 기록" [Seventeen Gaon Chart 3 crowns, record pouring out every day]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via
Naver.
^2020년 43주차 Download Chart [Download Chart – Week 43 of 2020] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. October 24, 2020.
Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
^Ji, Min-kyung (October 29, 2020).
세븐틴, '세미콜론'으로 가온차트 3관왕 달성.."글로벌 대히트" [Seventeen, achieved 3 gold medals on Gaon Chart with 'Semicolon'.."Global Big Hit"]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Yeo, Do-kyung (October 29, 2015).
'엠카' 세븐틴, 블랙핑크 제치고 1위..트와이스·TXT 컴백[★밤TView] ['M-Countdown' Seventeen beat Blackpink, ranked 1st.. Twice and TXT comeback [★Bam TView]]. Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Noh, Surin (October 30, 2020).
'뮤뱅' 세븐틴, 'HOME;RUN'으로 1위...트와이스·TXT·CIX 컴백 [종합] ['Music Bank' Seventeen, ranked first with 'HOME;RUN'...Twice, TXT, CIX comeback [Comprehensive]]. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Miji (November 1, 2020).
세븐틴, 결방된 '인기가요'서 1위…'홈런'으로 4관왕 달성 [Seventeen, No. 1 on 'Inkigayo' Achieved 4 crowns with 'Home Run']. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020 – via
Naver.