Song Review:: Donghae (Super Junior): ALIVE: HAErise

• Release date: 2026 April 20

• Album tracklist: ALIVE (SKIT), EAST COAST, Good Day (feat. Jay Park & 1iL), HAErise, RACE, HELP, ROCKET, Goodbye (feat. Tablo), TOO LATE, FLOWER, TO YOU (SKIT), HBD, BEAUTIFUL

• Album runtime: 36 minutes

 I'm going to stick with the second gen for a minute because I just want to settle before I get back to the younger groups who will have so many struggles and so many successes ahead of them. Congrats on the first album, Donghae!

There's an interestingly modern version of traditional music at the beginning there. Actually, you want to know what this instrumental kind of reminds me a little bit of in some very specific spots? PTT by LOONA, though it doesn't get nearly as dramatic as that. It's a pretty steady instrumental with a few soft spots to add a bit of a different texture, but I'm not really feeling a strong climactic moment, which is a shame. The vibes are there, though. 

We get a little bit of everything from here, which I love on principle because that allows him to show off the expected versatility of a twenty-year idol. I was initially surprised by the amount of rapping, but then I don't know Super Junior's songs well enough to say whether this is a new display of ability or if he regularly raps and sings. But I'd also like to point out that there is a very different texture to his voice between when he's rapping and when he's singing, and even though we're not getting the three things I look for, that's satisfying enough that I'm okay with the song. I also love how he says "Congratulations." It's adorable. 

I just have to say that RACE? Yeah, that's been added to a few playlists.

Like I said. The vibes are here for this song. In fact, the vibes are so strongly here for this song that the buildings are vibing with it. That does mean it's largely a vibes and visuals music video, but there is a sprinkling of a storyline in there.