[BE AWAKE]? How Can We Not in The Boyz's New Single “ROAR”?

A “ROAR” so powerful even Sleeping Beauty can’t stay asleep, but that’s The Boyz’s desire in their eighth mini-album [BE AWAKE]. The album is composed of six dance and ballad tracks, with a warning to be aware of other’s intentions, and was released on February 20, 2023. The title track “ROAR” was written and produced by Kenzie alongside SOULTRIII members DEEZ, SAAY, and YUNSU.

It’s lusty, dominant, and sexy, but overall, it’s formidable how addictive this track is. From the whistles to the clicks, “ROAR” keeps your ears perked just as much as the ever-changing scenes in the music video keep your eyes open. Though it’s easy to miss something even after watching the music video seven times ━ at least you’re not bored! Did he just slice the screen with his finger? Was that VFX word formed by blood? Just colored soda? Did we just see vampire fangs?

One thing that’s evident is The Boyz's “raw desire” for “forbidden” love, and an ambition so strong that you’d do anything to prevail. But the confusion between freedom and loneliness is what’s driving them. Now that they have all the power, they don’t know what they truly want. Is it to control the world with their power, or bring you to the dark side? While 11 fallen angels swooning over you sounds like a dream, it’s just a ploy to feel less lonely. However, there are so many assertive and irrational promises within the lyrics to “get what others don’t have” that it requires an animalistic drive to fulfill them.

The members refer to themselves as “bound like animals” in the lyrics. In many places, it’s deemed okay to lock an animal up (and it’s usually for all the wrong reasons) whereas a human being bound gives a sense of dominance. Likewise, animals are referred to as having a natural “unbridled instinct” to mate. This has been adopted by fan-culture to live a better reality than you are given, and The Boyz do a great job of taking fans into an alternate universe in “ROAR.”

People crave love as an “instinct” and “no other reason.” They want passion, but it’s thought better to receive false love than to admit someone’s actions are an excuse for their own advantage. Realistically, there’s not one person who would go to extremes for love and for someone else’s benefit ━ it’s really just a self-prescribed anecdote they’re using as an excuse to feel like a weight has been lifted. It’s only desired because it’s fake.

Do you believe in The Boyz's desire to love you? Or are they just luring you in with those body rolls?

*Translations from music video subtitles