SEVENTEEN Weaves Dark Chaos in Teaser for New Album 'Happy Burstday: Dare or Death'
- KD Rossly
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
Known for mastering every genre known to the music industry, SEVENTEEN has taken a turn for the dark and dangerous in a brand new teaser for their 5th studio album, "Happy Burstday." FACT: SEVENTEEN's #HappyBurstDay teaser is hot...mostly because everything is on fire.
Set to drop on SEVENTEEN's 10-year debut anniversary on May 26, 2025, "Happy Burstday" is already setting the Carat-dom ablaze. It's all thanks to the teaser clips that were released on April 27; a welcome ambush, truly. Depending on your time zone, you may have been jolted awake, greeted by the videos in the morning, or pleasantly shocked right in the middle of your lunch break. No matter where you are in the world, the odds are high that the "Happy Burstday: Dare or Death" teaser videos found you, haunted you, and now live in your head.
Dancing with the Devil, Looking Like an Angel
The cinematic energy that the videos radiated gave rise to overtones of darkness and danger (with a side of why-is-everything-on-fire?). This essence was further embodied by artistic transitions from one member to another, each one looking more ominous (and on high-alert) than the previous. From Wonwoo overlooking the city on a rooftop and Seungkwan smiling while bursting into flames to Joshua being flanked by two sinister-looking characters in an elevator (you guessed it, one of them combusted too), all signs point toward a 5th studio album worth waiting for.
Evidently signaling chaos multiplied by 100, one of the scene stealers appeared to be The8 and Jun's profoundly terrifying dance with the devil on a nighttime-darkened rooftop.
Possibly teasing an interactive element (and the power of choice), the end of the "Dare or Death" video depicted the words, "Choose for yourself" and "Challenge or Settle." The audacious statements were strategically placed in between two suggested videos titled "Dare" and "Death."
And spoiler alert: one of the videos ends in fire with the words, "Face the Challenge, Burn Anew", whereas the other one concludes in (GASP) a pile of missing persons posters, and of course...they're also on fire. The video caps off with yet another one-liner: "Without Challenge, There Is No New Beginning." In short, one option ends in fire and the other ends in SEVENTEEN mysteriously going missing, last seen on a rooftop. While neither of those options seem ideal, there is no denying that the fandom was served an epic cliffhanger, and may be clutching their light sticks until the full album launches next month.
Happy Burstday: SEVENTEEN's Inferno Era?
Is "Happy Burstday" a nod toward SEVENTEEN exploring the art of alternate outcomes? Alternate universes? Challenging the devil to a dance battle? Just setting things on fire? Only time will tell. For now, all we can do is mark our calendars for May 26, 2025, and hope that the next time they shock us with a very convincing devil character, it would come with a jump scare warning.
What do you think, CARATs? Do you dare to choose for yourself?
SCREEN CAPTURES FROM PLEDIS ENTERTAINMENT, HYBE
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