Play is the eighth Korean-language studio album (ninth overall) by South Korean boy band Super Junior, released on November 6, 2017, by SM Entertainment.

The album features seven members, marking the return of Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae and Siwon after their mandatory military service.

[5] South Korean boyband Super Junior released compilation albums to commemorate their tenth debut anniversary in two parts, Devil in July 2015,[6] and Magic in September 2015 through their label SM Entertainment.

[13][12] Super Junior underwent hiatus shortly after Magic's released due to most of their members were undergoing their mandatory military enlistment.

Super Junior's leader Leeteuk went on to become a prominent television host,[15] notably for presenting I Can See Your Voice,[16] Idol Star Athletics Championships,[17][18] and The Best Cooking Secrets.

[19] Heechul became a fixed cast member of the variety show Knowing Bros,[20] and released a chart-topping rock song "Sweet Dream" (2016) with Universe Cowards.

[43] While hosting the 2017 edition of Asia Song Festival on September 24, Leeteuk revealed that the band was in the final stage of their album's preparation and was in the process of filming a music video.

[44] At midnight of September 27, a photo containing the cryptic word "D-40" and "SJ Returns" was posted on Super Junior's social media accounts.

[51] The album primarily featured the vocals of seven active members of the band namely Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Siwon.

[68] News publication Ten Asia described the song as a result of the band "pursuing a more sophisticated style" yet still "showing some of their music colours".

[69][70] "Scene Stealer", which was originally titled "Party Over Here",[71] is a funky dance song with pleasant rap and bold bass rhythm.

[76][77] He further stated that the song deviates from Super Junior's usual musical style, and it is suitable to be listened to in autumn and winter.

[74] Other tracks in the album include "Good Day for a Good Day", which is an uptempo song with vintage rock guitar riff and boom up sound, and "Runaway", a bright uptempo song with funky rhythm, guitar riff and brass, which encourage the listeners to escape from their busy daily life.

[72][79] Super Junior launched a teaser of their web-reality show SJ Returns on streaming websites Naver TV and V Live on September 29, 2017.

The show, which started airing on October 9, 2017, documented the band's 120 days of preparatory period leading up to the release of Play.

[84][85][86] The first single from the album, "One More Chance" was released on October 30, 2017, with its accompanying music video on SM Town's YouTube channel.

[88] However, on October 31, 2017, Label SJ announced that Siwon will no longer participate in the album's promotion following an incident in which the CEO of a famous Korean restaurant died after being bitten by his family dog.

[79] Super Junior held a press conference at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas hotel on the same day to introduce their album.

[95] The single "Black Suit" and its music video, which was directed by Rigend Film,[57] was premiered in front of journalists,[96] before it was released on the evening of November 6, 2017.

[49] The band members play various roles in the music video; Leeteuk as the auction host, Heechul as an investor, Yesung as a courier, Shindong as a rich man, Eunhyuk as an appraiser, Siwon as a client agent, and Donghae as a bodyguard.

[99][100][101] In the same day, the band held a commemorative event entitled SuJu and Elf Play Again, at SM Theatre located at Coex Artium with around 500 fans.

[110] Super Junior become the guest host on Saturday Night Live 9 on November 11, in which the band members took part in sketches and acted in various roles.

[116] The products were sold out only in half an hour of broadcast, prompted them to fulfill another pledge where they filmed a music video for "One More Chance" at the set, directed by Shindong.

According to the music data provider Gaon, the album sold over 200,000 copies on its first week of release, making it their highest first week-sales number ever.

[124] A teaser image was released on March 27, 2018, alongside the announcement that four new tracks will be included in the album namely "Lo Siento", "Me & U", "Super Duper" and "Hug".

[125] Shortly after, Label SJ announced that Heechul would not promote the album due to his leg injury while Siwon would return to the band's line-up.