Palmer reacts very professionally to Map of the Soul: 7
Don't talk to me, I am Feeling
Big Hit Entertainment
Hello, and welcome to a very special blog issue of maybe if you stanned. I made the decision this week to split off my BTS thoughts into a totally separate post from the main newsletter, partially because I wanted to go a bit long here and also because I was backlogged on releases and the newsletter itself was almost 2000 words in and of itself and I still hadn’t even touched on Map of the Soul: 7.
I finally got the chance to go long on BTS over at Thrillist, but this is the first thing I’ve written about Map of the Soul: 7 itself. Here’s a rundown of some of my reactions after spending a few days with the album., substantiated with screengrabs I snagged during the boys’ comeback Vlive on Thursday night. We’re keeping things free-wheeling over here, but if you want something more closely resembling a review, scroll on down to the bottom “Overall…” section.
Oh, so that’s what a Kinetic Manifesto Film is
me trying to puzzle this out before the video dropped | V Live
For BTS, whose music video storytelling is arguably the bedrock of their success, seeing a music video that’s not thoroughly steeped in concept is a bit of a shock. Even for videos that exist mostly outside of the group’s The Most Beautiful Moment in Life storyline like “Idol” or even “Boy With Luv,” there’s still a healthy dose of concept and almost over-the-top style. The official music video for title track “ON” (actually titled a “Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima”) is almost entirely the opposite, focusing solely on performance and sentiment above all else.
To keep it brief, it’s fucking stunning. With a group of backup performers comprised of Drum Corps International group The Blue Devils and dance crew The Lab, the video is beautifully shot, with close-ups of the members interspersing mostly wide shots both from drones and shot at ground level. Shot in stark daylight and with a focus on performance itself, it’s incredibly effective. Like, of course I want the other music video that’s set to be released this week, but… this is more than enough.
I… I love “ON”
I don’t really need to caption this, do I | V Live
Okay. Here is a thing that I must admit to the world: it took me a long while to warm up fully to “Boy With Luv.” I truly think that was just my personal taste at play, but from the first 30 second snippet of the song we heard (that technically did not break TikTok), “ON” has been that bitch for me. From regimented drum beats courtesy of the UCLA marching band to that choppy, vocal pattern to the opening organ chord, I’m obsessed with it.
There’s also Jungkook’s whole ass bridge to contend with. My god. You ever just give your main vocalist 30 whole seconds to softly vocalize and then absolutely wail? I think I ascended the first time I heard it.
Overall though, I see why the Kinetic Manifesto Film came out prior to the MV that we’re getting this week. The kind of stark, no-nonsense visual nature perfectly captures what’s going on in this song — it’s relentless, regimented, but empathetic, and stripping the visual down really fits the nature of the song itself.
I’m a slut for nostalgic callbacks
uwu | V Live
When I listen to K-pop albums, I usually spend a solid amount of time (typically 2-3 days) just taking in the music before diving into lyric translations. That’s borne out of personal preference more than anything else — I wanna listen and get to know the music before I emotionally wreck myself in most cases. However, there was one moment that actually made me tear up while listening — RM’s “Ayo Suga” adlib at the beginning of “Respect,” a duet track between RM and Suga.
We’ve heard this adlib before, perhaps most saliently in “Moving On,” a b-side from The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1. “Moving On” is actually one of my favorite BTS tracks, speaking to the complex set of emotions that arise from physically moving living spaces — in this case, BTS moving to a new dorm. In “Moving On,” RM reminisces raps, “Ayo Suga / I remember how we came here three years ago / when you and I used to fight all the time… back then I thought this was a big place / but my ambition grew too big.”
Anyways, hearing “Ayo Suga” on a Namgi duet track in the year of our lord 2020 was almost too much for me. That’s all.
“Persona,” “Shadow,” and “Ego” are the holy trinity of signpost tracks
me astral projecting thinking about the BTS musical canon | V Live
BTS has always had killer intros to their albums. It’s been customary since early albums like O!RUL8,2? to throw one of the members — typically RM or Suga, and later J-Hope and members of the vocal line — onto an intro and just let ‘em rip. However, “Persona,” “Shadow,” and “Ego” (the intro, interlude, and outro, respectively), are the holy trinity of bookend tracks, sandwiching BTS’ newest songs between heady rap tracks that pay homage to the group’s musical history.
“Intro: Persona” was (in my humble opinion, but reminder that I am RM-biased) the standout track from Map of the Soul: Persona, calling back to “Intro: Skool Luv Affair” with a sample that suddenly pitches up into something bombastic and confrontational and full of spirit. Suga’s “Interlude: Shadow” bridges the gap between Persona and 7, harkening back to the moody sensibilities of “Intro: O!RUL8,2?” while grappling with fear of success. J-Hope’s self-assured “Outro: Ego” reaches back into the depths of the BTS canon, sampling “Intro: 2 Cool 4 Skool” while reflecting on his journey as an artist. Sampling your old tracks to form the backbone of your newest album is a flex that I’m extremely here for.
I’ve had Jin’s “Moon” on repeat all weekend
Jin voice: JIN! | V Live
I think if I had to pick an early standout track from this album, it would have to be “Moon.” Over time, I think Jin’s voice has grown to be my favorite in BTS — he had me at “Epiphany” for sure, but “Moon” is a pop triumph with a killer pre-chorus and a refrain that puts Jin’s upper range to work. It’s also a track dedicated to ARMY.
“Moon” reads like a quintessential, mildly self-deprecating love song, as Jin compares himself to the object of his affection, singing, “You are my planet / I’m just a moon to you / Your little star that lights up your heart / You are my Earth / And all I see is you / Just staring at you like this way.” Even setting the lyrics aside, “Moon” is blindingly full of affection, and the anthemic bridge kind of makes me want to like, climb a mountain to prove my love.
Vmin said “Vmin rights”
Would you believe me if I said that this was the best Vmin screengrab I got during this entire special | V live
“Friends” is another one of my favorite tracks off of the album. A duet between Taehyung and Jimin, it’s a retrospective on their friendship, with callbacks to inside references like Jimin’s tiny pinky or a “dumpling incident.” Breezy and lighthearted, it’s also painstakingly sweet with the repeated line “You are my soulmate” breaking through towards the end. It’s painfully earnest and moving and yeah, makes you think a bit more about how much you love your friends and how grateful you are to have them in your life.
Unit songs stay winning!
checking some very important vibes | V Live
Gonna level — listening to “UGH!” kind of makes me feel like I’m just a little bit over caffeinated, with my heart rate moving a couple of beats quicker than my brain can think so the only thing I can cohesively feel is “ahhhhhHHHHHHHhhhHHHHHHH!” I don’t know if it’s the fact that there’s a hi-hat just going for straight sixteenth notes for the majority of the or the fact that the BPM is at a perfect tempo for me to just start fervently bobbing my head, but it’s just all a little much for my frail little bird brain to handle in the moment. Anyways, BTS rap line said “[gun noise] fuck the haters!”
“00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” is the polar opposite: an introspective track from the vocal line about the most still moment of the day, when everything finally stops and you’re able to just breathe. The way the instrumental strips down to just a synth pad and guitar chords in the pre-chorus makes my heart melt, and even if you haven’t looked up the translated lyrics yet, the English “Are you gonna be happy?” during the refrain and the timbre of Jungkook, Jin, Jimin, and V’s voices is sure to make you melt just a little bit.
Overall…
Serious Thoughts time | V Live
Obviously, I think Map of the Soul: 7 was great, even if this wasn’t a particularly critical review — or even a review at all. That being said, I think this is the strongest album the group has put out since 2016’s Wings (I love you, Love Yourself era), speaking to where BTS is and where they’ve come from without getting too tropey. There’s something about 7 that feels a bit more stripped down than more recent releases, particularly in the new tracks. I think a lot of that is due to the varied instrumentation — while Persona was strongly electronic, there’s a lot more room on 7 for predominantly acoustic tracks like Jimin’s “Filter” or V’s “Inner Child.”
In totality, 7 feels so genuine and earnest, speaking to BTS’ journey as artists almost seven full years after their debut and capturing the realities of their current life. At the risk of sounding like a shitposter, the album is for the fans — those of us who are deeply invested in BTS as individuals, who will be moved by a track about Taehyung and Jimin’s friendship, or thematic conclusions like “We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal,” or straight-up diss tracks like “UGH!”
If Map of the Soul: Persona was the album that massively grew BTS’ fanbase, Map of the Soul: 7 is the album that rewarded them, letting fans of the group into some of their deepest thoughts, anxieties, and hopes for the future. Ultimately, the album is a broad tapestry of sentiment rather than a focused deep dive; it’s deliberately self-referential but never crosses the line to wallowing in nostalgia. BTS is a mélange of personalities, backgrounds, and experiences, and 7 is a not-always-cohesive journey across genre and theme, and that’s perfectly fine. What really matters to fans of the group is that it feels so painfully like BTS.
Ultimately, it’s impossible to separate BTS’ music from BTS, the phenomenon, and BTS, the people, and BTS’ fanbase. While music critics may not view Map of the Soul: 7 as an objective pop triumph, it’s without a doubt an affective one, leveraging BTS’ attachments not only with each other but the feans that have supported them over the past seven years. Regardless, it’s already one of the most notable albums of the new decade, and even though we’re only a few months into 2020, I’m confident that it will maintain that status over the years to come.