On November 20, BTS released their long-awaited album, BE, a 7-song album that the boys created over quarantine because their world tour was postponed due to COVID-19. The boys had full creative control over this album, from the album jacket to the songs to the music video, which was directed by the member, Jungkook. The album features their summer single, “Dynamite”, the group’s first fully English song. Besides this, the other six songs were written and produced by the members themselves. I was beyond excited for the album, especially knowing they described it as the most BTS-esque album yet. I’m not going to rank the songs, because it pains me to even consider that any of them are better than the other, so I’ll review each song in order of the tracklist.
- Life Goes On
-
Even just the title comforts me. Similar to “Spring Day”, “Life Goes On” reaches out and wraps you in a well-needed hug. The music video brought me to tears, too (thank you, Jungkook) because it reminded me of how much I miss these boys. The soft guitar and melodies bring a smile to my face whenever I hear it; it’s been a while since BTS had a soft-like song as their title track. I don’t know how many times I’ve accidentally started singing, “Like an echo in the forest…”. This song simply reminds me of cuddling in bed after a long day.
- Fly to My Room
-
I don’t know how to even describe this subunit song, sung by V, Jimin, SUGA, and J-Hope. But, I can say this: the final chorus hits differently. It really does. V and Jimin did a very good job in matching their voices to fit the song, considering their natural voices are in such different keys. My one confession about “Fly to My Room” is that I wish SUGA and J-Hope had longer parts in it. They definitely deserved more than just a few rap verses after the second chorus. I especially like J-Hope’s rap (I love when he sings a bit when he raps)!
- Blue and Grey
-
It’s been a while since BTS has delivered a soft, sorrowful ballad; the wait was worth it because this song made me cry within the first 30 seconds. First, whoever decided to have V start the song off needs a raise. Second, I should have expected a song with this title would be sad. A reason why BTS has so many fans is because of the rawness of their lyrics, and “Blue and Grey” is so full of emotion that you have to break down each lyric piece by piece. The line, “I just wanna be happier” in the chorus with a heart beating softly in the background is probably what hurts the most, I won’t lie.
- Telepathy
-
To go from “Blue and Grey” to “Telepathy” has to be a crime. How did BTS expect me to go from crying to a dance party this quickly? “Telepathy” took me off-guard but in the best way possible. Some people say autotune is used to cover up bad vocals instead of using it as a creative take (which I can understand sometimes), but the autotune used here was such an amazing idea. SUGA’s opening verse sets the upbeat, funky tone of the song that continues until its very end. It sounds so different from anything they’ve released, but also like they would sit with “134340” and “Paradise.” Anything that is “SUGA prod.” is a masterpiece.
- Dis-ease
-
BTS hasn’t gone off this hard since “Dionysus.” The old-school hip hop combined with the phenomenal vocals created one of my new all-time favorite BTS songs. It seems like a combination of the vibes from their album “Dark and Wild” combined with their newfound boldness. And still, behind the amazing upbeat sound, BTS share their fears and frustration from the pandemic and how it made them feel uncertain of their future. My favorite part of the song is the insane bridge which has already gone viral in some TikToks. Jimin wrote it in only about four to five minutes, which is beyond impressive. The bridge, plus Jin’s highnote in the last chorus, make the song easily my favorite on the whole album.
- Stay
-
I was so surprised to get a Jin, Jungkook, and RM subunit song — I was even more surprised to hear that it was an EDM track. Still, it feels familiar too. It reminds me of the early 2010s when EDM-pop music was very popular on the radio, although “Stay” brings much more outstanding vocals, whereas RM’s raps gives the song its authenticity. I can imagine myself dancing to this song alone in my room, while driving, at a concert, quite literally anywhere. I hope I get to see them perform it soon!
- Dynamite
-
I’ve heard this song maybe a million times (and had it as my alarm for a while), but it still gets better each time. I think it fit well with the album, as “Dynamite” was another song born from the pandemic and that’s what BE was: a collection of songs that reflected their feelings during these past rough months.
Listening to this album was the highlight of my month. BTS never fails to make me feel at ease, even when their songs have me thinking about some new feeling or problem that I had never even thought of before. That’s their impact. I hope you give it a listen, even if you’re a bit confused as to how you can enjoy music that is in a language you don’t speak. Just give it a try, even by starting off with “Dis-ease.”
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, and read our latest Tweets!