LE SSERAFIM have spent the past four years building their identity around confidence, intensity, and sharp-edged ambition. With PUREFLOW Pt. 1, released on May 22, the group finally cracks that armor open, delivering their most emotionally layered project yet while experimenting with some of the strongest production choices of their career.
Across 11 tracks, the quintet moves between explosive club-pop and surprisingly intimate songwriting, creating an album that feels far more dynamic than its rollout initially suggested. While pre-release singles “Celebration” and “BOOMPALA” dominated the promotional campaign with maximalist energy, the real emotional core of PUREFLOW Pt. 1 lives deeper in the tracklist.
The project arrives at a pivotal moment for LE SSERAFIM. Their first full-length album Unforgiven debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in 2023, while 2025 EP Hot pushed them back into the chart’s top 10 at No. 9. Collaboration single “Spaghetti” featuring BTS member J-Hope also became a breakthrough crossover hit, reaching No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Commercially, the group has already proven itself. PUREFLOW Pt. 1 feels more interested in artistic identity.
That evolution becomes immediately clear through the album’s concept. The title itself subtly rearranges into “POWERFUL.”
Musically, the album splits into two contrasting experiences. On one side sits the hyper-kinetic festival material: “BOOMPALA,” “Celebration,” and “iffy iffy” lean heavily into pounding basslines, chant-ready hooks, and choreography-first structures.
The second half of the album tells a different story entirely. Tracks like “Need Your Company,” “Saki,” and “Sonder” slow the momentum down and allow the members’ vocals to breathe. Atmospheric synths, late-2000s pop-rock textures, and dream-pop production choices create space for emotional nuance that has often been secondary in the group’s louder releases.
Scroll down for our full ranking of the album’s best songs.
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