BTOB Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary with Full Group Comeback
Newer K-Pop fans may be unfamiliar with the boys of BTOB, but make no mistake on their significant impact on the K-Pop world as a whole. In the last few years, we’ve seen some trouble for the group, and everyone’s dreaded moment, the military enlistment time. Maknae Sungjae enlisted early, and as a result, our period of waiting for the full group return shortened. In time for their ten year anniversary, all the members have come back to start their career post-military in a new era.
The Title
BTOB is a group known for two things: insane personalities off stage and dominating the vocal space on stage. While the group has diverged from it in title tracks in the past, they tend to gravitate toward ballads due to their vocal prowess. This latest title track “The Song” is a ballad co-written by member Hyunsik and seems to reflect their time in the industry and their relationship with their fans, Melodies. It’s a heartfelt love letter to their fans, delivered by their gorgeous vocal talent. Even if you’re not a fan of BTOB, it’s hard to deny how moving this track is and just how stunning their vocals really are. The raps of Minhyuk and Peniel seamlessly fit into the track as well, which isn’t an easy feat with this type of song.
The music video is simple and fitting of the feel of the track, with subdued, earthy tones making up most of the color palette used. The feeling of a cold atmosphere is presented with snowy scenery and the outfits that often have the boys dressed in sweaters, as if to convey the warmth of their words even more. While a lot of the videography is subdued and there is no choreography, their expressions are soft to convey the sincerity in their words. As the song climaxes, they gather together to prove their strength as a unit. It may not be an exciting, bright K-Pop music video we seem to be getting left and right, but the change of pace is refreshing and brings a sense of peace at the return of the veteran group.
The Album
The comeback features the new full-length album Be Together, a 13 track album complete with intro and outro. “Intro : 발자취” is a very simple, instrumental opener which conveys somewhat of a heavy feeling, foreshadowing the depth of the title track that follows. The first B-side “Blooming Day” definitely has ballad influence, but the song itself also has a more free flowing acoustic feel that makes it a bit more upbeat than “The Song.” “Be Together” reverts back to the slow tempo, sentimental sound of the title, where the vocal lines certainly elicit goosebumps. The album so far maintains the message of togetherness and a melancholy reflection on the past.
We get a bit of an upbeat shift with “My Way,” a simple but catchy pop-influenced track that gives us a taste of a different genre with BTOB’s vocals. While it’s true they mastered the ballad, it is refreshing to have different genres within the album as well. “Whiskey” gives us even more of this, the melody more eccentric than anything thus far on the album. This seems more like the typical popular K-Pop song sound. “Interlude : Re” returns us back to the simple piano melody, an instrumental break to separate the first and second half of the album.
Ready for more ballads? “Lonely” is definitely one, but the lyrics of the song seem to be a bit more depressing rather than sentimental like in past tracks. “춤 (Dance With Me)” switches up the feeling with an acoustic pop melody. Minhyuk’s rap really stands out here, which is saying something considering the group lost their main rapper Ilhoon, who often took center stage in raps of their songs. Minhyuk has a chance to shine and show his talents on this type of track.
“Higher” keeps the energy going, opening with Peniel rapping over a refreshing hard rock-influenced beat. This is totally different from the previous tracks and makes the listener excited to have such a shift in sound. If the ballad stuff isn’t your style, you’ll definitely be captured by “Higher” and the energy in the track. “Thank You” slows the tempo back down, but the song has a retro, jazzy feel that is rather addicting. The group’s vocals blend well with this type of melody.
The final full track “It’s All Good” has a melody reminiscent of early 2000s pop rock. It’s a good blend of their ballad style with a more pop sound, and a nice way to round out the album. “Outro : Encore” closes out the album with a heartfelt and strong vocal track.
If ballads are not your style, it may be difficult to get into this album. I personally am not a huge fan of ballads, but there is something about BTOB and their unbelievable vocals that make their music so undeniably alluring. Even with an adverse feeling toward ballads, this album is enchanting and there’s no denying just how talented these boys are. Ten years in this industry isn’t an easy thing.