Music Reviews

New BTS album is a warm hug at the end of a tiring day

Official photo from the BTS website.

Dhaka, BANGLADESH – As the world enters a second year of lockdown, people are scrambling to find hope in the bleakest of places.

With its new album BE, the wildly popular boy band BTS made sure that fans get their regular dose of hope from their music. 

The year 2020 was an eventful one for the Grammy-nominated, world-famous band from South Korea.

While everyone on the planet was isolated, physically distanced from their loved ones and struggling to stay hopeful about the future, the band came in like a ray of sunshine and saved everyone with their music.

No concerts? The band didn’t care and went on to release two albums in one year, all of which dominated Billboards and top charts. 

BE centers on the shared struggle amidst the pandemic. The whole album is a musical elixir meant to revive one’s soul with tracks like “Fly to my room,” “Blue & Grey” and “Life Goes On.” 

“Life goes on,” as the name alludes, gives a special vibe. When you feel like the world has come to a halt, this song feels like a warm hug from an old friend. It says it’ll all be okay with lyrics like, “One day, the world stopped / without any warning / Spring didn’t know it had to wait / Showed up not even a minute late.”

The beautiful chorus singing “Life goes on” gives a meaning that life won’t stop here, and there’s a way out, even when one feels like there isn’t any.

The track “Fly to my Room” is a personal favorite. It paints the picture of what being stuck in our rooms this quarantine has been like, away from our loved ones- in the comfort of our own thoughts.

“This room is too small / Yes, to fill my dreams with/ Land on top of the bed/ This is the safest place/ Somehow it just only takes in/ Happiness and sadness, all emotions” suggests that this comfort of our bed and our own space is all we need to keep us from feeling hopeless. 

The band hasn’t shied away from being authentic and revealing their vulnerability in their songs and “Blue and Grey” is a testament to that.

Suga raps the lyrics, “I really don’t know what went wrong/ I grew up with a blue question mark in my mind/ Maybe that’s why I’ve been fighting for my life/ But looking behind, I’m standing hеre dazed /The powеrful shadow swallows me/ The question mark is still blue/ Is it anxiety or depression?”

BTS poured their hearts into the whole song, which makes you feel like you are not alone in feeling lost.

At 3 a.m. when you feel lost and that random burst of sadness hits you, the guitar strums and their soft voices singing, “I just wanna be happier/ Please feel the warmth in my hands/ They’re cold, that’s why I need more of you,” you don’t feel alone anymore.

The warmth of their voices makes you feel like you are not alone anymore and maybe that’s what we needed in 2020. 

BE also features more upbeat songs like “Dynamite,” “Stay,” “Dis-ease,” and “Telepathy,” which have maintained their rightful spots at the top of the charts.

The lyrical genius of the members who produce, compose and write most of their songs show why they are now the world’s biggest boy band.

Usraat Fahmidah is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.

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