It’s obvious that their dedication to the group and their fans, collectively known as Shawol – or Shinee World – keeps them coming back for more, well over a decade since their musical journey began in 2008. 

Everyone else protests the teasing by the youngest member. “What are you even saying?” exclaimed Key.

Shinee’s latest album, their seventh and their first since “The Story of Light” series in 2018, is a bridge connecting their past and present. Many songs recall earlier releases, and some are direct sequels to older tunes, while other tracks show the group trying something new. 

According to Minho, no overall theme connects the music of “Don’t Call Me” as an album; they just were including the music that felt right to them. “Some songs are quintessential Shinee songs, but there are also other songs that are things we’ve never tried before. They fit today’s genres and musical mood.” 

Added Key: “I think our approach to this album was putting as many good songs on it and presenting it as this overall gift package to our fans that have been waiting for us for a long time.

“Obviously the situation with the world is out of our hands, but we know that music and video content from your favourite artists can make our fans feel better, so we were thinking about that while we were preparing the album.”

As a group known for exploring new musical styles and leading genre trends in the world of K-pop, it’s very typical of Shinee to mix something old with something new. 

“Once we were talking about the album’s concept, we agreed on coming back together and making a huge impact by showing a strong performance to our fans and making a big impression,” said Taemin. “Don’t Call Me is a good song for that. Also, the bass line is hip-hop, which is something Shinee’s never done before for a title track, and so it was something new and cool for us to try out.”

“I know that Shinee are known for being experimental and trying new things for every release, but we tried to take out the emphasis on that for this album,” revealed Key. “We wanted to pick a single that was best for this particular comeback, a song that we all felt comfortable with and a concept that would show that we’ve put a lot of thought into it.

“It wasn’t necessarily that we were doing it to try something new, but something specifically for this comeback as it’s the first time we’ve come together as a group in several years.”

Some songs on “Don’t Call Me”, such as Marry You, which the group performed earlier this year in the lead-up to announcing the album, tie directly into the sonic legacies of earlier releases. Taemin confirms that it’s the last of a trilogy along with their debut single Replay and Love Sick off their 2015 album “Odd”. 

Unintentional connections also appear on the album. The sweet pop ballad Kind is a song that, according to promotional materials, is meant to “describe the person who was by your side during hard times by comparing them to correct answers, filling in the blanks on a page”.

“The song is very open, and can be interpreted in many different ways,” said Key. “It could be about our relationship with our fans, for loved ones, for anyone. But I think the most important thing about this track is that we wanted to express our thankfulness for those we care about.”

Taemin adds: “Because our career has been so long and we have so many albums under our belt, rather than things being one-dimensional, I think you can see all of it being connected.

“On this album there are a lot of different colours, which is what you expect from Shinee, but it’s also a connected stream of content, with each member and style coming together at the end. You can see the connection between previous releases and now. And it will continue as our career does.” 

‘It’s Cravity’s turn’: K-pop rookies are ready for a big year

In a way, by attempting to move away from their past and trying out newer, trendier genres than earlier releases and putting those tracks alongside songs that recall earlier Shinee tunes, Shinee have become the best version of themselves.

And what does the future hold for Shinee? Their plan is to keep doing what they’re doing at the present, and to stay active by promoting and releasing music. 

“I think there will be another turning point for us in the future, where we kind of get rid of our image of youthfulness and freshness, and gravitate towards a more masculine concept and experiment with something new,” said Taemin. “We’ll definitely be trying new things.” 

Taemin admits that he wants to hold more concerts, both as Shinee and as a soloist. Key adds wryly that “SM doesn’t know his plan”, so it’s unclear whether plans are in the works or Taemin’s excitement about performing is getting the better of him. 

Even so, Key wants people to know that the group are having a good time doing what they’re doing. “We’re having fun. We’re enjoying right now.”