Alright, the moment we’ve all been waiting for the past couple of months has finally happened, BTS released their new album ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7’.
And to be honest after a hard week, this was everything I needed. And more, definitely more. So Let’s dive right in!
Before we start, let me just remind you, I’m an ARMY so if the fangirling is too strong, #sorrynotsorry.
‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7’
We start with ‘Intro : Persona’. Namjoon’s song is aging like fine wine and it keeps getting better every time I listen to it. Quick reminder that this was dropped in March, so it’s been out for a while.
Then we get right into ‘Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)’ and I love this song so much. It’s cute, it’s fun and Halsey is one of my favorite performers. The M.E.A.L. Team is even going to her concert here in Dublin next month. When I went to the concert in Paris last year, she even came to perform the song. So I was shook because I saw her live for the first time while I was already shook from seeing BTS in real life. Needless to say there were a lot of emotions that evening.
After that we get the tracks, ‘Make It Right’, ‘Jamais Vu’, and ‘Dionysus’. Those were all previous releases and if I don’t want to write an entire novel about ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7’ then I have to keep it short about these. Though if you want to read us rant about the choreo for ‘Dionysus’, click here.
‘Interlude : Shadow’ is the sixth song on the release. It’s an extended version of the original shown in the MV. I feel like Yoongi upped the intensity in the extended version. It’s his signature fast rapping and it gives me the mental image of someone about to drown and is trying very hard to reach out to someone, anyone.
Up next is ‘Black Swan’, the song that was previously released as a single. The lyrics still resound, they’ve lingered in my mind since the first time I read them. Click here to read the translation, or turn on the CC on the video.
With ‘Filter’ we enter into unknown territory. This is a Jimin solo and dear god I love his vocals so much. The Latin inspired instrumentals in the background fit him so well. It’s a super fun song to listen to, though the lyrics are kind of bittersweet.
Jungkook’s solo ‘My Time’ is next. When you see the translated lyrics and you see he talks about becoming an adult way faster than anyone else, maybe a little too early. I can’t help but be reminded of the young Jungkook with his big bambi eyes (that he still has) and his shy demeanor. It kind of breaks my heart.
‘Louder than bombs’ is a song that I was really looking forward to because Troye Sivan helped write the lyrics. It’s also one of the first new songs with all of the members. ‘Louder than bombs’ gave me chills when I finally heard it. It’s absolutely enchanting. It feels like THE song to listen to when you’re alone in your room, with the lights dimmed and your good headphones on. It’s all encompassing.
Then we get ‘ON’. To tell you guys that I wasn’t ready would be an understatement. That MV and the song is a masterpiece. What a HYPE song!! Sometimes we gotta push through the pain to reach greatness. Jungkook’s bridge had me in actual tears. It’s brilliant. Also just a small side note but damn they all look good.
The rapline is delivering the fire in ‘UGH!’. I love it when they go all out in their diss tracks. This feels like a brand new cypher. Where ‘DDaeng’ was an execution in control and focus, this one is just full on limitless fire, an oil spill of anger.
There’s a complete, total emotional whiplash with ‘00:00 (Zero O’Clock)’ which is the vocal unit’s feature. ‘UGH!’ let us burn the fire high and ‘00:00’ helps us heal the burns. If comfort could be a song, it’d be this one.
‘Inner Child’ is up next. V’s solo track has probably many ARMYs in tears. It’s a break from his earlier solo songs. The diversity has me surprised no matter how many songs he releases. This is a lot softer, a little reminiscent of the feeling I got when I listened to ‘Winter Bear’. Somehow this is a lot more uplifting. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest at the end.
With ‘Friends’ we get the iconic V + Jimin song none of us realized we needed in our lives. What a fun, light-hearted song. It definitely brings some sunshine on an oeuvre that is all rather tinged with sadness when I think about it. Also the whispering with the little pop sound, is ADORABLE. If you have a best friend, send that song to them to tell them ‘You are my soulmate’.
We’ve got five songs left on ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7’ by BTS.
‘Moon’ is Jin’s solo feature. One of the songwriters is Daniel Caesar and if you don’t know that man, go look him up because his own work is brilliant. Jin himself also was part of the team writing the song. His voice here is incredible. If you haven’t cried yet, read the lyrics. Apparently he was inspired by his love for ARMY. I pray to God I can see this live.
We have an iconic duo here with Yoongi and Namjoon in the song ‘Respect’. This song took me places when I listened to it. It’s fun and funky and there are a lot of old-school elements. I usually am not a fan of autotune but here I don’t mind it one bit. The lyrics talk about respect (obviously) and what it means. Honestly this song is bonkers and has a lot of chaotic energy, but I am HERE for it!
We’re going back to soft hours with another OT7 song ‘We are Bulletproof : the Eternal’. It’s such a soft continuation of their ‘Bulletproof’ series. ‘We are forever Bulletproof’ reminds me of the memes I’ve seen online, ‘We’re in this bangtansonyeondan shit for life’.
Then we have the song ‘Outro : Ego’ which was such an unexpected bop by j-hope. I’d been totally expecting a song that was rife with pain and hard hitting lyrics but I should have known better since it’s by our resident sunshine.
The last track on ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7’ by BTS is ‘ON (feat. Sia)’. I have to be honest, I’m a little bit disappointed by the collab. She doesn’t have that many lines and the way they added her vocals to the chorus sounds a little bit off. I don’t know, maybe it’ll grow on me.
Overall
I’ll keep it short in this little outro since this article is way longer than I expected it to be. I am in love with the album. I’m in awe of the talent and the lyrics that we got and I’m sure that many ARMYs will feel the same.
Here’s the album link.
