T.O.P was the first BigBang member to enlist for his two-year service per South Korea's
mandatory military service requirement in February 2017. The remaining four members continued group promotions without him, holding several concerts in various countries until December. In 2018, members
G-Dragon,
Taeyang and
Daesung similarly began their military enlistment, thus putting group activities on a hiatus. The digital single "
Flower Road" was released in March 2018 as a gift and a farewell from the group to its fans ahead of a lengthy hiatus, as the band members complete their mandatory military service. The group's fifth member,
Seungri, was initially set to enlist on March 25, 2019. On March 11, however, Seungri announced his departure from the group as well as his retirement from the entertainment industry due to the controversy of his involvement in the
Burning Sun scandal. The rest of the band members were discharged from the military during the remainder of the year. In March 2020, despite reports suggesting otherwise, all four members renewed their contracts with
YG Entertainment and were preparing for a comeback, which was eventually delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. On March 21, 2022, local time, YG confirmed that the group would make their comeback with a new single on April 5, 2022; the title of the track "Still Life" was unveiled three days later. ==Critical reception==