Unforgiven (Le Sserafim album)

Unforgiven
Digital and "Vol.3 Bloody Rose" version cover
Studio album by Le Sserafim
Released	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)
Genre	Experimental pop[1]
Length	37:50
Language	Korean
Label	Source YG Plus Geffen
Producer	"Hitman" Bang 13 Huh Yunjin Jukjae Hiss Noise
Le Sserafim chronology
Antifragile (2022) Unforgiven (2023) Easy (2024)
Singles from Unforgiven
"Unforgiven" Released: May 1, 2023 "Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard's Wife" Released: May 23, 2023

Unforgiven is the first studio album by South Korean girl group Le Sserafim, released by Source Music on May 1, 2023. It contains 13 tracks, including the singles "Unforgiven" and "Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard's Wife".

The album debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart and was certified million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling 1,000,000 units. In the United States, it debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's first top-ten album. It was awarded the Best Album Bonsang at the 38th Golden Disc Awards.

On March 16, 2023, Source Music reported that Le Sserafim would be releasing an album in early May.^[2] On April 3, it was confirmed that the group's first studio album would be titled Unforgiven and released on May 1.^[3] A day later, the promotional schedule was released.^[4] On April 10, the album teaser video was released.^[5] On April 17, the track sampler video was released.^[6] A day later, the track listing was released with "Unforgiven" announced as the lead single.^[7] On April 24, the highlight medley teaser video was released.^[8] The music video teasers for "Unforgiven" was released on April 28 and 30.^[9][10] The album was released alongside the music video for "Unforgiven" on May 1.^[11]

Unforgiven consists of 13 tracks, with the first six tracks having previously been released as part of Fearless and Antifragile, respectively.^[7] The seventh track, "Burn the Bridge", was described^{[by whom?]} as a song that "announces the start of Le Sserafim's new journey" with lyrics "based on the members' own writings or what they [had] said in interviews [previously], adding sincerity to the message they wanted to convey". The eighth track and lead single, "Unforgiven", was described^{[by whom?]} as a hip hop song characterized by "funk guitar rhythms" played by American musician Nile Rodgers; it samples "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", a theme song used in the film of the same name. Rodgers stated he was excited to work on the song due to the new types of chord changes it included.^[12] The ninth track, "No-Return (Into the Unknown)", was described^{[by whom?]} as a song with lyrics that "expressed the excitement ahead of the adventure". The tenth track, "Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard's Wife", was described^{[by whom?]} as a song with lyrics that contains the meaning "you can move on to the next level only when you break the taboo". The eleventh track, "Fearnot (Between You, Me and the Lamppost)", was described^{[by whom?]} as a song with lyrics written by all of the members for their "fandom and singing just for them". The twelfth track, "Flash Forward", was described^{[by whom?]} as a social media pop song with lyrics about "risking everything without hesitation even if the ending is obvious". The thirteenth and final track, "Fire in the Belly", was described^{[by whom?]} as a song with lyrics about "burning the passion in [your] heart by showing the ambition to becoming the winner of an adventure".^[13]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
IZM	[15]

Unforgiven was met with positive reviews from critics. Cristina Jaleru of AP News called the album "an absolute firecracker of a record" and praised it as being "a bold anthem of female empowerment."^[16] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic wrote that the album is "an ideal entry point into the world of Le Sserafim" and particularly commended the track "Fearnot (Between You, Me and the Lamppost)" for highlighting "the group's vocal harmony."^[17] Onome Uyovbievbo of Riff Magazine noted the album's "nonconventional tropes and experimental pop twists" and opined that "Le Sserafim is setting the example for a new generation of K-pop artists."^[18] Paste ranked the album number three in their list of The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023.^[19]

On April 11, 2023, media outlets reported that Unforgiven had sold over one million copies in pre-orders in less than one week.^[21] Pre-orders increased to 1,380,000 copies by April 28.^[22] In the United States, the album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 main album chart on 15 May 2023, marking the first time Le Sserafim entered the Top 10 of the chart since their debut.^[23]

Prior to the release of album, on May 1, 2023, Le Sserafim held a live event on YouTube to introduce the album and communicate with their fans.^[24]

Notes

• "Unforgiven" contains portions of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", the theme to the film of the same name, written by Ennio Morricone.
• "Fire in the Belly" and "Eve, Psyche, & The Bluebeard's Wife" are stylized in sentence case.
• "Fearnot (Between You, Me, and the Lamppost)" is stylized as "FEARNOT (Between you, me, and the lamppost)".
• "No-Return (Into the Unknown)" is stylized as "No-Return (Into the unknown)".
• "Fearless," "Antifragile," and "Unforgiven" are stylized in all caps.