On February 21, 2020, a popular South Korean Boy Group of the name BTS (방탄소년단) released their 11th studio album, Map of the Soul:7. The repackaged album includes 20 tracks, 5 of which were included in their previous album Map of the Soul: Persona. They feature some of the most well-known artists such as Sia and Halsey. They also included two songs with lyrics co-written by Ed Sheeran and Troye Sivan. BTS is known to be very involved in their music whether it’s producing or writing. They also have a loyal team of talented producers and song writers who always take part in each of their albums.
The album includes an Intro, an Interlude and an Outro, which were distributed to each of the rapper of the group – RM, Suga, and J-Hope. The rest of the members – Jimin, Jungkook, Jin, and V– each received a solo track fitting to each of their individual tones. It’s difficult choosing a favorite track when the entire album has a variety of genres and messages that their audience can connect with. They continue to prove that they don’t have a specific sound and can fit into any genre they choose. They aren’t afraid to express their gratitude to their loyal fan base – Army– with their song We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal. Asking them why they continue to walk with them. A very meaningful song that had me shedding a few tears even before searching for the lyrics.
A track that I have a strong connection to is Black Swan. This track describes the feeling of someone losing the passion they once felt for their work. In this case, it would be the members losing their passion for music. With lyrics like “the heart no longer races when hearing the music play,” you can understand that all this success has affected their creative process. Even going as far as describing this loss as their “their first death.” Although I haven’t been in their position, I could understand the feeling of losing passion for something you thought you’d love forever. It’s the most painful feeling, but they continue to pull through it.
Overall this album was amazing! There’s nothing I didn’t like about it. I have no regrets purchasing this album and adding it to my collection. I most definitely will continue to support this group to the end. Stream Map Of The Soul: 7 on Spotify!
The Review 