There is a nebulous line that draws itself between our dreams and reality; that hazy sense of awareness that lives in the moments between our wakefulness and sleep. Just before we fall into a deep and complete slumber; or just seconds before we fully come to. For some, it’s wistful, for others, it brims with promise. For Seventeen’s Jeonghan and Joshua though, it feels euphoric.
After much anticipation, the charming duo are making their debut as a unit—with the release of their first mini album, Dreamscape. With seven songs on its tracklist, the album is bound to be a rhapsodic experience for anyone—and surprising, to say the least, for Seventeen’s longstanding legion of fans. Ask any Carat in your midst, and they might not have known what to expect for an album by this particular duo. We’re calling to mind one of Jeonghan and Joshua’s older duet songs, ‘Falling For U’, a calm, relaxing tune that lets the emotional resonance of their vocals shine through.
In comparison, Dreamscape couldn’t have been more different.
Right off the bat, we’re introduced to the upbeat sonic universe of ‘Like you’. Hardly shocking for a Seventeen track, but certainly one that sets a promising tone for the rest of the album. Their floaty voices take us in, playful synths come on, and the beat drops—all for an enjoyable ride. Lyrically, we’re dancing around everything that is good: the fleeting, ecstatic feeling that arrives when you meet someone that’s simply ’your person’. The real dream for Joshua and Jeonghan both? Escaping together, to a fantasy world.
Yet it’s the following few tracks—anchored by the album’s lead single, ‘12 o’clock’, that really cements the duo’s exuberant charm. Dreamscape is not a rock album, yet it’s certainly got the attitude of one. If you told us that this duo was going to switch things up with a disco anthem inflected by early ‘80s funk rock, we wouldn’t have believed you. But consider us jovial recipients of ‘12 o’clock’’s swanky sound and syncopated rhythms—made all the better by their maddeningly seductive vocals. What really shines through though, is how much fun you can tell they’re having with the song, and it’s bound to show when they finally hit their tour stage with it.
Beyond all the fun they’re having however, it’s also clear that both Joshua and Jeonghan are really pushing their personal boundaries, and experimenting in their own ways. Like the message of the album itself, they’re at a crossroads, teetering on the brink of lofty aspirations, and unfamiliar fantasies, but they’re not shying away from it at all. Instead, the message is clear: they’re telling us to dream big and make your moves—just like they have with Dreamscape.
Notably, it’s the other rock-inflected tracks as well as the members’ solo tracks that demonstrates this best. Most prominently, in the audacious clapback that is Joshua’s solo track. At first listen, ‘Not personal’ is a sensual mirage. Beyond the fuzzy bassline and the raw, emotional texture of the song, it’s Joshua’s high vocal tone—the sort you might typically hear whilst moshing it out in an underground pub—that truly knows its worth.
And he’s not the only one. Whilst the duo’s ending anthem ‘No looking back’ takes on a rawer, attitudinal mood that almost feels like it could soundtrack the nostalgic ending of a coming-of-age film, Jeonghan’s raspier, grungier tone is not lost on us either. Meanwhile, the lilting, electro sounds of his solo ‘Coloring’ feels like a mystifying juxtaposition to the jealousy-fuelled message of the song—as if he were deliberately toeing the line where attraction and possession meet.
There is however, something entirely singular to be said about ‘One plus one’. A soulful, jazzy tune paired to melodic vocals that instantly fall easy on the ears, it’s the plain yet impactful message of the song that feels most discernable here. It’s a simple message of love; one plus one, is indeed, two. Two is better than one. But the same applies for lovers, friends, and in their case, the duo that they are. As best friends who decided to form a unit and return together—following Jeonghan’s two-year long military service—this song might just hold that much more weight, as we join them on the rest of the wondrous ride that is Dreamscape.
The witching hour beckons—and if it’s Jeonghan and Joshua calling, we’ll gladly follow them in.
