SF9 return for their yearly comeback with 14th mini album [FANTASY] and title song Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
Wait this is the second SF9 comeback in the same year? FNC are you okay? Okay I randomly stumbled over the comeback announcement for this comeback so there is still something going wrong at that company but I will always take two comebacks mid enlistment era by one of my favorite groups ever! I am so happy to get to see the boys up and dancing having a good time and it made my first real work day so much more enjoyable today. This is also why this review is insanely late for our standard I came home around half an hour ago. So let’s review.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy does exactly what it was made to do and that makes me happy and worry less despite the lyrics being a bit more on the heavy side. Don’t Worry, Be Happy is a ton of fun and is easy on the ear. It is upbeat, it has a certain groove and catchiness to it. It is simply just a ton of fun and I am enjoying it a lot even after a couple of listens and let me tell you that the song hit hard while I was folding name tags at work. SF9 have decreased in number drastically due to half of them serving their country but that doesn’t mean the musical quality is suffering as well as us waiting army wives (jokes). Don’t Worry, Be Happy has amazing vocals and a great melody. It really is the perfect late summer bop.
As for the mini album I have to second Una’s opinion Cruel Summer is a bop, another song that really stood out to me though was Melodrama for how catchy it was and how it sounded so much like the classic SF9 we know so well. Groovy, catchy and r&b inspired. Overall this is a really solid mini and an even better surprise for SF9 enjoyers. I loved these boys and they are looking scrumptious in this music video. Now I just keep waiting for my baby JaeyOOOOoOOOon to return to me.
I can’t believe we’re getting two SF9 comebacks in one year – FNC has really been one of the worst companies management-wise and I am so angry on their groups’ and bands’ behalf because all of them deserve so much better considering how much quality music they have put out so far. SF9’s Bibora has been one of my biggest 2024 obsessions and a song I wish got a lot more appreciation than it did because it was just fantastic and probably one of the strongest boy group releases of the year for me. I’m so happy to see them come back with a summer album (although in a smaller formation) and I’m so ready to dive into it and the new title track Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
The pre-release promotions for this new album have been so fun – whoever is in charge of SF9’s social media has been doing a fantastic job. Don’t Worry, Be Happy is, as expected, an upbeat and fun song although the lyrics are a lot sadder than I expected? I don’t know why but I didn’t expect the song to be about letting go and getting over goodbyes but SF9 do it in such a smooth and gentle way – the song is just the right amount of upbeat to be a summer release but also has this specific SF9 nostalgia to it that they always deliver perfectly. It also wouldn’t be an SF9 song if it wasn’t melodic and overflowing with fantastic vocals which I’m grateful for. The main hook is catchy and easy to remember, and the whole atmosphere of the song is positive despite the lyrics being more about fake-it-till-you-make-it type of happiness which is honestly more than relatable. The music video is also so pretty and I love the refreshing summer sets they’ve chosen for this. I love SF9 and I’m always biased when it comes to them but I really do wish they got a lot more appreciation because they deserve it.
SF9 members are always majorly involved in the production of their albums and I think that really brings another quality layer to their music. This new mini album is fantastic – it offers some groovy tracks but also some songs that could’ve been the title track easily. On the first listen, I have to say that I really enjoyed all the b-sides. Just is more on the ballad, laid-back side of things, while My Fantasia and Melodrama (despite the name) are more on the summery, groovy side which I’m loving. However, my current favourite has to be Cruel Love which, honestly, could’ve been the title track just as well. It’s so well-produced and structured, and in many ways, it reminds me of older SF9 songs which got me into them in the first place. The chorus is so addicting and has this sort of mysterious, dark atmosphere to it that I’m really enjoying. Completed with fantastic vocals and a catchy hook, Cruel Love deserves a video of its own because it’s title track material.
Another great SF9 comeback that the two of us won’t be sleeping on!