The Story of 7: BTS’s Triumphant Return
After the longest wait ARMY has endured between comebacks, BTS has finally returned with their latest album, MAP OF THE SOUL : 7. Consisting of 14 new tracks amongst other previously released songs, the album is a well-rounded work that shows BTS at their strongest both as individuals and as seven.
We ON
Just when you think BTS has dipped their toes in every genre, they find ways to surprise you. Complete with a church organ intro, gospel choir vocals, and an entire drumline, “ON” is a war song. Sounding like the older, more confident sibling of 2017’s “Not Today” in both sound and message, “ON” features bass-heavy rap verses set against light vocal choruses. Though the “hey na na na” in the chorus is sure to get stuck in your head, it’s the unexpected builds in this song that make the track, notably Jungkook’s acapella bridge. Even better, the final beat drop does not come in where one would expect, instead opting for a fantastic build full of jaw-dropping adlibs that have been absent since Love Yourself Tear’s “The Truth Untold.” In conjunction with the choral and gang vocals in the end, the vocal effects in this song are positively goosebump-inducing. This song is going to be everywhere.
The video, which is not yet the official music video for the track (set for release on February 28), is performance-based and features members of the Blue Devils Drum Corps amongst a diverse group of background dancers. Donning black and white, BTS spearhead this visual attack with some of their most powerful choreography yet. If the performance video is this good, the official video released later this week is sure to be unbelievable.
The Journey of Seven
The album opens with several select tracks off of last April’s MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA before shifting into darker territory with “Interlude : Shadow,” a rap track that offers fans a much needed dose of SUGA. Although the song serves as the interlude to RM’s “Persona” intro, “Shadow” is the song that undoubtedly sets the tone of the repackaged album. Full of raw emotion about his life as an artist, the lyrical content of “Shadow” can be a hard pill for some fans to swallow, though thanks to the rapper’s emotionally-charged delivery, it’s the kind of song that you don’t need translations to feel. “Shadow” is equal parts sad, angry, and mysterious and features electric guitars and samples from the intro on the group’s second mini-album O!RUL8,2? The inconspicuous, steady build throughout the song explodes into a cacophonic breakdown at the end that makes it feel like SUGA has been waiting years to release this track. Thank God he did.
The transition from “Shadow” into the pre-released track “Black Swan” is the single greatest thing BTS has done in the last year. Perhaps it’s the sheer difference between these two tracks and PERSONA’s overall positive vibes, but this two-song segment on the album really makes you pause, take a step back, and admire BTS as versatile artists. “Black Swan” alone is breathtaking; the emo hip-hop track is so simplistic in its production but it's this simplicity that makes it so particularly striking. After all, less is almost always more.
The first of the solo tracks is Jimin’s “Filter,” a flirty, Latin-inspired track full of breathy vocals and enough pop acoustics to satisfy any Shawn Mendes fan. In the song, Jimin uses the metaphor of a camera lens filter to say that he’ll cater to your every need. In all honesty, this is the last genre I expected to hear on a BTS album but the tone fits Jimin so well that it just seems like a no-brainer. Jungkook is up next with “My Time,” an autobiographical take on his life growing up as an idol. The song is much more beat-heavy than his previously released melodic solos, with less focus on vocals and instead featuring the return of rapper Jungkook. Truth be told, the lyrics and music seem kind of at odds with each other, so the song is probably more enjoyable to native Korean speakers. Because of this, “My Time” is admittedly not my favorite on the tracklist, though if BTS chooses to perform their solos on their upcoming tour, I feel as though my opinion may change. “Louder than bombs,” a track co-produced by Troye Sivan, is next and is anything but what I expected it to sound like. Instead of spitting raps and pounding beats, “Louder than bombs” has choral falsettos set over heavy pulsating bass. The song is a solemn promise from the group that they will continue to keep singing, even in tough times, which transitions perfectly into the declarative “ON.”
BTS’s own holy grail—their rap line—makes its triumphant return with “UGH!” a song with a traditional influence similar to their unofficial release “Ddaeng.” The track is full of RM, SUGA, and J-Hope’s token hard-hitting raps that harken back to their famous “Cypher” series. It’s widely accepted that BTS has one of—if not the most—proficient rap lines in K-Pop, and it’s this flavor that was missing from 2019’s PERSONA. The inclusion of “UGH!” on this album is the sweetest relief, 2 Cool 4 Skool-esque gunshots included. The vocal line gets its own time to shine with “00:00,” a track that sounds like a plain though good pop song at first listen. It’s the message in this track, however, that truly pulls at the heartstrings: though days may be hard, there will always be a tomorrow when the clock resets at midnight. With the added repetitive lines of “You gonna be happy,” this is a song that will undoubtedly become very important to many people (myself included—I’ve already cried to this song more than I’d like to admit and should they perform it on tour, I know I will unabashedly be sobbing from the crowd).
Following “00:00” is V’s solo “Inner Child,” a message to his younger self that sounds like something out of a movie. After songs like “Stigma” and “Singularity,” “Inner Child” is not the solo I expected from V; it is, however, the exact song I expected from Kim Taehyung, and yet, so much more. In the song, V reassures his inexperienced, wide-eyed younger self that he will grow into a self-assured, confident man who has worked hard to achieve his dreams. In an album full of spectacular songs, this song stands out above the rest. As much as BTS’s growth is impressive as a group, V’s personal growth as an artist is inspiring. The Taehyung of the past would be in awe. Eternal buddies Jimin and V then team up for “Friends,” a.k.a. the duet ARMY has been waiting for. “Friends” is a lighthearted and playful, yet incredibly intimate song full of inside jokes between the two members. As anyone who’s had a long-time best friend can attest, this song flawlessly encapsulates what it means to have found your soulmate. On top of being the perfect sequel to their pre-debut song “95 Graduation,” “Friends” also features the return of rapper V.
After two self-reflective solos in “Awake” and “Epiphany,” “Moon” is Jin’s love letter to ARMY. The classic pop track likens the singer’s feelings towards his fans to the relationship between the moon and the earth in the way that ARMY is the reason that he can shine so brightly. Though not one of the most memorable songs on the album, “Moon” certainly does show Jin’s ever growing vocal strength and will certainly be emotional live. RM and SUGA pair up for “Respect,” a track that’s full of the old school hip-hop feel that shaped much of their early careers. In a sub-unit comprised of perhaps the two most introspective members of BTS and undoubtedly two of the hardest hitting rappers in K-Pop, “Respect” is surprisingly uplifting. RM’s “Ayo SUGA!” (a callback to their 2015 track “Move”) and the back-and-forth at the end will have you sighing in nostalgia as if their long-time friendship was your own.
With “We are Bulletproof: the Eternal,” fans had no idea what to expect as the previous installments of “We are Bulletproof” are some of BTS’s heaviest hip-hop tracks. This track, however, is instead reminiscent of Love Yourself Her’s hidden track “Sea,” but whereas “Sea” felt full of despair, “We are Bulletproof: the Eternal” is full of hope. If “Sea” was the journey, “We are Bulletproof: the Eternal” is the destination. With beautiful verses and soft guitar and synths set against an anthemic, vocal-heavy chorus, together with their fans, BTS is truly bulletproof. If this isn’t the closer on their MAP OF THE SOUL tour, I’ll be shocked. The album closes with J-Hope’s “Outro : Ego” whose sample from the group’s debut intro on 2 Cool 4 Skool strikes particularly hard after “We are Bulletproof: the Eternal.” For an album that starts brightly with PERSONA’s tracks only to flow into murkier waters with songs like “Black Swan” and autobiographical solos and sub-units, “Outro : Ego” feels just like the uplifting final credits song we needed in the MAP OF THE SOUL movie.
Available as a digital release only is a version of “ON” that features SIA. Though not utilized as greatly as she could have been—I can’t be the only one imagining what SIA’s otherworldly vocals would’ve sounded like against Jungkook’s in the bridge—the singer’s added vocals in the chorus add an enjoyable new layer to an already phenomenal song.
MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 is everything I needed from BTS. In this comprehensive album, they both pay tribute to and expand upon what has made them successful as artists. After not enjoying MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA as much as I would’ve liked, I went into this album desperately trying to keep my hopes from getting too high. Instead, I was met with a record that tells the story of the same seven men I’ve come to know and love over the years in a more compelling and honest way than I could’ve imagined.