Review of BTS' New Album: BE

BTS’ new album, “BE,” gives listeners the simple pleasure of existing, even during such difficult times. Grammy-nominated South Korean boy band BTS released their newest album, “BE,” on Nov. 20, sharing their experiences in quarantine with the rest of the world.

Following the commercial success of their single “Dynamite,” BTS released an album that seeks to comfort their listeners. “BE” is especially unique because all seven members—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—took part in the recording, production, and promotion of the album.

“BE may be the most on-brand album BTS has ever made,” Jeff Benjamin for the Rolling Stone

“When you listen, you will know that we talk about how we keep our lives in the pandemic,” said Jimin about the album’s meaning on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”

The album opens with the lead single, “Life Goes On,” a soft electro ballad with an easy-going clave beat. The lyrics directly reference the pandemic and send a rather simplistic message of moving on in difficult times. However, BTS are never that shallow. The song captures the confusion of staying in the same place while the world moves on mercilessly in the lines “Time goes by on its own / Without a single apology” (when translated from Korean to English). The comforting message is highlighted in the pre-chorus, “Close your eyes for a moment / Hold my hand / To the future, let’s run away": a reminder that this pandemic is temporary, even if that date is unknown.

The second track on the album is “Fly To My Room” by Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, and V. It is a whimsical song that mixes percussive beats and keyboard chords to carry the light tone, despite its deep subject matter. The lyrics cover how the group tries to occupy themselves while quarantine, trying to create spontaneity in the familiar destination of their rooms and reflecting on how their travel plans this year were derailed.

The next track on the album is a slow guitar ballad called “Blue and Grey.” Originally meant to be on V’s first mixtape, the song was added to the album with the other members’ approval. The lyrics, “Oh this ground feels so heavier I am singing by myself,” reflect V’s depression and loneliness. While he has overcome those feelings now, he hopes that fans feel comforted by the song’s understanding message.

“’You’re depressed lately? Me too. We’re in the same boat. Wanna talk about how you’re feeling? You wanna feel better, right? I know, but sometimes it feels like you’re being washed away by a whirlpool of stress.’ I want listeners to hear me saying that to them,” said V for Weverse Magazine on “Blue and Grey.”

The fourth track of the album isn’t a song. “Skit” records BTS’ celebratory reactions to earning the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Dynamite.” Chris Deville, who wrote a review on “BE” for Stereogum, expressed his dissatisfaction with “Skit” and the latter half of the album.

“Maybe it’s more fun to hear the boys celebrate their No. 1 hit and banter about their success if you speak Korean, but I’m guessing it still stalls out the momentum either way,” Deville stated.

However, the significance of “Skit” goes deeper than just seven boys talking about a big win. BTS frequently did “skits” in their earlier albums, talking about their hopes and worries as idols. The last “skit” they did was in 2017, “Skit: Hesitation and Fear” in the album, “Love Yourself: Her.” These skits record BTS’ growth and personal thoughts regarding their success. “Skit” was added into the album to share with their fans BTS’ surprise and elation at “Dynamite’s” success.

“But yeah, that skit really captures how in awe and proud we were at the moment. So that’s really meaningful to us,” said Jungkook at the Global Press Conference for “BE.”

The recording not only provides an unfiltered look into the members’ personalities, but it is a divider between the darker, introspective first half of the album and the hopeful, upbeat second half of the album. “Skit” is exactly what one would expect from an album meant to represent BTS the most.

credit: BBC

The next song on the album is called “Telepathy” in English, and the group express their gratitude to their fanbase, ARMY, for their support. The funk-influenced tune references a 2017 B-side track called “Sea,” where they compared their success to an ocean and failure to a desert. Jungkook sings, “Let’s have fun remembering together / A small island in the middle of a blue sea,” encouraging ARMY to rejoice during such a successful time. Even if BTS are physically distant, the band and ARMY are still connected.

In the words of Suga, “It isn’t a BTS album if there isn’t a track criticizing society.” In "Dis-ease," BTS compare their work to an illness. The English title is a pun on the lack of ease they feel when they aren’t working. J-Hope raps, “My sin, the dog that bites myself who’s resting / Don’t do that, even when I shout, I’m still hung up on achievements.” The group touches on the idea of toxic productivity, especially during quarantine, where people feel the need to keep constantly working with all the free time they have. The instrumental itself is bright and lively until the end, where the music falls apart, like someone collapsing from exhaustion.

“But while the theme of “Dis-ease” itself isn’t very light, when it fuses with the beat, it feels as if the song is trying to get over itself and stay positive,” said J-Hope in an interview with Weverse Magazine.

The seventh track, “Stay” by Jin, RM, and Jungkook, is also dedicated to ARMY. Originally planned to be on Jungkook’s mixtape, the song solidifies the BTS’ confidence that they won’t lose the support of their fans. This EDM track is like a promise from BTS to ARMY that they will be reunited and dance to this song in concert, giving fans hope that the global pandemic will someday cease.

“We imagined we were performing for the fans while we made it, jumping up and down with them,” - Jungkook for Weverse Magazine when asked why a song with tragic lyrics was arranged in EDM.

Finally, “Dynamite” is the last song on the album. This 70’s disco funk song is BTS’ first all-English song. The lyrics are meant to be positive, but not insensitive to what’s going on in the world. Suga raps, “This is getting heavy / Can you hear the bass boom I’m ready,” but outside of those lyrics, the song doesn’t reference the pandemic or other global issues any further. This song is an escape from what is happening in the world. It makes perfect sense why BTS would end their album with this song, because it is made to cheer up listeners and wrap up BTS’ quarantine commentary.

“In just eight songs, BTS have accomplished the same genre-bending they usually do in the double that runtime,” stated Annabel Nugent for The Independent.

“BE” is an amazing album for listeners who want to get to know BTS for who they are now or take a break from the coronavirus pandemic that rages worldwide.

Overall, “BE” achieves BTS’ goal to create a comforting album for listeners while revealing new aspects of themselves to their fans. Although not exactly experimental, it introduces a new era of BTS’ music.