Boy band Seventeen eyes Billboard No. 1 with new EP ‘Attacca’

 After making an impressive debut on Billboard’s main albums chart with its previous album, K-pop boyband Seventeen now has a bigger ambition for its new songs: the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.

The 13-member group on Friday dropped the seven-track album, “Attacca,” fronted by main track “Rock with You,” a rock-based song with powerful synth and guitar sounds.

“After listening to our music, we thought ‘We made it!’” the group said in a press conference streamed online on Friday. “We want to reach the No. 1 position on Billboard with this album.”

Its previous six-track EP “Your Choice” finished 15th on Billboard 200 in the first week of its release in June. It marked the first time the K-pop act has made it on Billboard’s main singles or albums chart since its debut in 2015.

For the U.S. music market, the group’s latest and ninth mini album includes its first English-language song, “2 MINUS 1,” written and sung by its two U.S.-born members, Joshua and Vernon.

“We’ve just chosen a music style that can represent our message in a better way,” it said. “Next time, we hope to perform a fully English song with all 13 members.”

They said their new album talks about members’ constantly passionate love for a person as the title of the album “Attacca” refers to a musical term that directs continuous play without a pause at the end of a movement.

Before its official release on Friday, the new album posted more than 1.4 million pre-orders worldwide.

It is expected to become the fifth million seller for the act, following “Your Choice,” 2020 albums “Heng:garae” and “Semicolon” and its 2019 album “An Ode.”

“We know the record-breaking album sales are not from our efforts,” said leader S.COUPS. “We want to thank all of our staff members and our fans for supporting us.”

Seventeen will perform “Rock With You” on a U.S. music show, “MTV Fresh Out Live,” later in the day.

According to Pledis Entertainment, only 11 members of the 13-man group will participate in promotional events for the latest album, as two of its Chinese members, Jun and The8, will focus on their activities in China.