Review: BTS – ‘Map of the Soul: 7’

The Korean band have released the continuation of their Map of the Soul series, where we are met with an array of different melodies and styles, emotional ballads to explosive rap tracks and upbeat, colourful songs that will make you realize BTS is really much more than just a boy band.

BTS has been steadily rising in fame for years now, with their music reaching wider audiences and gaining more recognition all over the world. They are a phenomenon, an outlier on the prominently English musical scene. As a K-pop band, they conquered the charts with Korean lyrics and experimental sounds, without trying to fit in with any fully English songs or stereotypical concepts.

Map of the Soul: 7 is their first full-length album since the record-breaking Love Yourself: Tear from 2018, and it might be one of their best bodies of work yet with different styles all blending together seamlessly and each of the member’s getting to shine in their own ways. It’s an album that doesn’t get boring, and what makes it even better is the knowledge of how closely the band worked on it with writing and producing credits on every song.

The album’s title ties to the number of members as well the number of years they’ve spent together as a band. It’s a piece of work that came straight from their hearts and that will let you in on their personal feelings throughout the years. It also continues the series that connects to Carl Jung’s theory – not your ordinary concept then.

The first taste of what’s to come came in January with the release of the trailer featuring Shadow where Suga raps about gaining fame and the consecutive fighting against one’s darkness. It amazes with the changing flow and emotional value of it. The first official single Black Swan continued with the darker theme and explored losing passion for one’s craft. It’s a flowing, bittersweet track but it does end on a positive note “Nothing can devour me now/ I shout out with ferocity”. With the release of the second trailer, Ego fans started to wonder how the album is really going to sound like, considering the bright and cheerful track by J-hope with a sample from their Intro: 2 Cool 4 Skool, varies completely from the previous two releases with cheerful trumpets making you want to get up and dance.

7 begins with a few tracks already known from last year’s EP MOTS: Persona, including the single Boy with Luv featuring Halsey. The cheerful pop tune is arguably one of their biggest hits and it’s still going strong even months after its release. There is also Make it Right – a chill ballad that was co-written by Ed Sheeran or Dionysus – an explosive song with a heavy beat after, which you can’t help but want to catch your breath.

The title track ON is a nod to one of their earlier singles N.O and it features intense drums as well as Jungkook’s powerful falsetto at the bridge. The song pays homage to the group’s 7 years as they proclaim “Can’t hold me down ‘cuz you know I’m a fighter”. In “Louder than bombs”, which is a mesmerizing and rich track co-written by singer Troye Sivan, the group continues to talk about their hardships as well as creating something from the pain.

Jin’s solo song Moon is a sincere letter to fans, while Filter performed by Jimin is a seductive, Latin inspired track that oozes confidence “Get cuter the more you look, to the point of going crazy/ Surpasses preferences and standards”. In Inner Child, V sings to his younger self about the challenges he faced and in melancholy My Time Jungkook reflects on his growing up with BTS from a young teenager to an adult “24, it feels like I’ve become an adult faster than anybody else”.

In an upbeat duet Friends, Jimin and V sing about their friendship and being each other’s soulmates while in Respect, RM and Suga rap about people’s hypocrisy. The two, along with J-hope express their anger at all the hate and malice they’ve received in an impassioned track UGH!.

The vocal line’s soft ballad 00:00 (Zero o’clock) expresses the group’s wishes for everyone to persevere through tough times and be happy, whereas We are Bulletproof: the Eternal is a special acknowledgement to one of their first songs as well as the group’s name. It’s a powerful, emotional song where the members talk about pain and happiness and their identity, while also expressing the affection towards their fans “We were only 7, but we have you all now”.

BTS made the long wait more than worth it. Map of the Soul: 7 brought much more than what was expected, and the band’s continuous experimentations, as well as deeply personal and genuine messages they include in their tracks, are what gives them so much love from their fans. So, even if you’ve never listened to them before, 7 is certainly worth giving a chance to

Words: Ola Jablonska