Throughout their career, GOT7 has been mostly a miss for me. With this newest inclusion, they have ten title tracks to their name, but I only really liked one of them ("If You Do"). "Hard Carry" and debut track "Girls Girls Girls" were alright but never fully lived up to the hype surrounding their name and label. What they do have going for them is intricate and expressive choreography, so we'll see if that trend continues in "You Are."
"You Are" shows a lighter side to GOT7 while still keeping their dance-friendly (or is it dance-heavy?) atmosphere. It's like they toned down the hype dials from past hits. In this way, "You Are" reminds me of BTS' "Save Me," though frankly the former is nowhere near as good as the latter. That being said, the instrumental is quality and the work of the vocalists like Jr. and Youngjae make the verses really smooth. Then there's the chorus which is powerful and uplifting, something which is also reflected in the lyrics. It does feel a little jarring compared to the main verses (mainly due to the long notes) but overall makes for a good combination. Unfortunately, what could've been a solid GOT7 release was instead ruined by an uncharacteristic mistake.
The usual steady performance of the rapping line really dropped the ball in this song. Their quick lines in each verse did nothing but interrupt the smooth pace of the vocals. It felt as if they were injected into the song for no reason besides giving the rappers parts. Each of them also just sounded...off. I'm not sure if this was because of the lyrics themselves or what but the rhythm didn't seem to mesh together at all. As a direct result, the verses and bridge could've been a lot better had it not been for the rap bursts. Traditionally, GOT7 has been pretty good with their rap breaks ("If You Do"), even in songs that weren't very good ("Just Right"). So this was an unwelcome surprise.
As usual, I'm not gonna pretend like I know how to dance, or how to speak dancer tongue. Nonetheless, this is another sharp choreography we're getting from GOT7. The dance practice video shows the whole dance in its unobstructed glory. You can really see the strength of odd numbers shine as they play around with a plethora of formations. Seems like that diagonal pattern from "Hard Carry" made its way to this song, too. They even throw in that part during the bridge where they're lying on the ground / each other, which I'm sure is a huge hit with the fangirls. I doubt this will become my favorite GOT7 choreography, but it certainly won't be the worst either.
Ayy, a MV shot in Hong Kong! That earns GOT7 some bonus points from me. Gotta love that Victoria Harbor skyline. Anyways, it's really nothing out of the ordinary, location aside. There's no plot to see or drama to watch, it's just the GOT7 boys soaking in the sights. I will say this: the chorus talks about a beautiful clear sky and the video provides that in the background while they're dancing so that's cool. One would be surprised how many times an "obvious" MV item is absent... I should compile a list of Korean artists that have filmed music videos in Hong Kong. Davichi is the other obvious example, but I digress.
In terms of being a softer version of a typical GOT7 release, "You Are" definitely delivers that on multiple fronts. The vocals and background instrumental are classic GOT7 but also toned down and toned down well. Plus you have that scenic MV of the Hong Kong area. Those verses are really really good and arguably the best we've ever seen or heard from them to this point. However, the underlying problem are those brief and awkward rap parts that crop up like unwelcome house guests. It disrupts the flow of the song and that's a shame because the opening 30 seconds really got me going. That doesn't make "You Are" a bad song by any stretch, it's just not as good as it could be.
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