"The future is here": First look at VICTON’s ‘Photocard Album’ draws mixed reactions

Boy group VICTON experienced a unique album design no one had ever tried in K-pop before, and online forums are now buzzing after getting the first look. The group released an only-photocard album and a regular physical album for their third single album, Chronograph, to contribute to a better environment by being environmentally conscious.

Verdict on the digital, photocard-only album is out, and netizens have varied opinions on the agency’s stance of doing something entirely out of the box. From people disliking the photocard option, wondering whether it would count as physical sales, to liking the group for its idea, safe to say the reactions are mixed.

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“This isn’t different from a digital release”: Netizens talk about VICTON’s ‘photocard album’

VICTON and agency IST Entertainment went a step ahead in its latest release and gave fans what they truly want from a K-pop album - the photocards. In a bid to control and reduce the wastage, too, the group released two versions of its Chronograph album - an ordinary physical album and a photocard "Platform" album.

For a limited period of time, fans had the option to choose the Platform album, which would contain only photocards, at a lower price than the ordinary albums. The news was received positively globally, with many K-pop stans speaking up about the group being environmentally-cautious.

Twitter user @heartminusat posted a first look at the group's photocard album version of Chronograph. The album looks like a greeting card, which, when opened, contains only the photocards with a simple how-to-use album guide.

Reactions to the album after the first look varied, with the majority skewing towards whether it could be considered for a physical album sale. Physical album sales are crucial while gauging a group’s popularity and success in the Korean music industry.

On one hand, netizens believed that it should be counted as a sale and expressed their excitement towards a refreshing way of creating albums. At the same time, on the other hand, some are skeptical of how it may affect multiple awards that consider physical sales key eligibility criteria.

Comments on the 'Platform' Album (Image via Pann Choa website)

Many also believe the photocard-only album is both cost-efficient and waste-efficient, as instances of fans throwing the albums into trash after taking out the photocards continue to make headlines.

However, a small chunk of people collect photobooks and other inclusions too, who praise the creativity but prefer a physical album with many things included.

Meanwhile, with the new album style, VICTON gained global attention, which fans believe will help the group grow more. The group is currently promoting as six members as Seung-woo enlisted in the military in June 2021.