“BE”: An Album Review On A Much Needed Hug From BTS
By: Reyah Jo
Tags: Be, Album Review, Bts, Music, Pop

THE ALBUM REVIEW

I’ll start with the obvious.

BE is nostalgic. It’s wholesome.

“Life Goes On” opens the album allowing listeners to comfortably reflect on a “stolen year” and wonder when the days will get better. The lyrics acknowledge that time still kept going despite everything being “paused” and the members look towards the future with hope. The transition to “Fly to My Room” from “Life Goes On” triggers the image of walking into another room of your home. Obviously, it’s your bedroom (or a space you call yours) because that’s what makes sense. Jimin, Taehyung, SUGA, and J-Hope form a unit to take the concept of extreme cabin fever and find solace in it. While you explore, a light and smooth instrumental arrangement fill the space with a feathery organ and a choir echoing in the background. Although the song is fun in sound, a quick dive into the lyrics prepares the listener to face the reality of the situation — like a punch to the gut. Thus, the “trashcan of emotions” is tipped over in “Blue & Grey” where Bangtan share their gloominess and anxieties of recent.

What makes the first half of the album’s somber intimacy so beautiful is that it is so honest and doesn’t sugarcoat or push an overly optimistic narrative. They use a lot of sound imagery and metaphors to amplify the hard truths, seamlessly weaving the devices into the composition to enhance the narrative. Even through the smallest of details much like the adlib in J-Hope’s verse in “Fly to My Room” and the inhales and exhales that begin and end “Blue & Grey”. Bangtan are never shy from discussing mental health but there’s something different about the rawness of the progression of these three tracks. Simply, it’s touching being given the privilege to hear the members share their hardships this way.

There’s something some ARMYs on Twitter say to remind people who over analyze and worry over hardships Bangtan share with us: “They’ll share it [the truth] when they’ve gotten over it.” Beautifully — at the 3:18 mark in “Blue & Grey” — Jin sings about how when he’s smiling in the distant future, he’ll tell us about the hard times. Then you sit during the cinematic instrumentals that serve as the bridge and come to the realization that this (the moment you are listening to the track) could be that distant future. Suddenly this cold and weary track is transformed with warmth. Though, this present may not be the ideal future prayed for and perhaps the members may not even be smiling just yet but the song ends with a soft “goodnight” so it can be assumed they are at some kind of peace.

Where “Blue & Grey” questioned if it was greedy to hope for better days (no song pun intended), we transition into “Skit” where the members question the reality of the success of “Dynamite” on the charts. “Skit” marks the midpoint of the album featuring the members candidly sitting down and filling the four minute track with contagious laughter and gratitude. As always they thank their ARMY, the only people outside of themselves to proudly walk with them on this journey. The track fades as RM asks J-Hope if this [the elation of being on top] is what happiness feels like . For them, I’d like to think that it is.

It’s worth highlighting the importance of the sequencing of this album here.

After “Skit”, next is the fun and dreamy “Telepathy” which excitedly proclaims how happy BTS are when they meet ARMY and reiterates that the distance is temporary. Then, the brassy anti-but-not-anti-work anthem “Dis-Ease” two steps its way into the conversation.

Highlighting “Dis-Ease” for a moment, note that it’s one of the catchiest songs off the whole album — it’s loop worthy. One minute you’re doing the harlem shake (not the challenge) to the chorus and then — after reading the lyrics — you’re shooting a middle finger to the sky. Besides the finale, the main charm of the song lies within the lyrics which allude to how toxic the concept of pandemic productivity has been. Sequencing it after a song dedicated to their fans who they can only see if they work and sequencing it before a song about how they’re still connected even when they aren’t working . . . it’s genius. It’s genius.

“I’m ill, yeah I’m work itself” has the kind of impact as microphone feedback — it’s loud and gets your attention only it doesn’t worsen your hearing and the triple entendre makes you feel a little stupid in your literacy capabilities. This line alone encapsulates the tone of this song so well that if it were the only line in the song it would still make sense.

Anyways, I’ll be brief: BTS are number one. Comeback after comeback it’s been nothing but up on this rollercoaster. With everyone having eyes on them here since their U.S. debut back in 2018, there’s no doubt that there was pressure put on the members to try and live up to the expectations and hype of the previous album. Simultaneously, there’s no doubt there was pressure to be doing something. RM asks frustratedly, “How much money do you have to make to be happy?”

The frustrations of not being able to rest, of feeling inclined to work when you could be resting, the guiltiness of feeling uneasy about doing either and the subtle anger directed towards those who expect results during this time all coexist on this track. The instrumentals disguise those emotions with scratching and bouncy rhythms — embodying unease. Then, with a funky brass arrangement to put a pep in your two step, the finale is anthem-esque. It builds up at the bridge before turning the final chorus into a mantra to get through the work day. It’s manic but so good.

This album takes more than a handful of listens to really appreciate it to its fullest. Even though it’s been a month, there’s still more to take in. Like with “Stay”, the futuristic polyamorous lovechild of Zedd’s “Stay The Night” and the groups “So What” and “Euphoria”. Similar to “So What”, first listen you feel like that viral Jay-Z gif. So, it’s a good thing it’s the middle child at the end of the record. After a quick lyric analysis, you’ll realize “Stay” is poetic in a way.

Moving past the oonts-oonts bits, the song is a perfect reflection on how universal the hope to meet again is. Hands clasped, the members hope for the current situation to pass on so that they can meet the ones they have been missing. The consistency in showing love and gratitude for ARMYs featured within this album doesn’t make it entirely insular but rather more endearing because not many artists treat their fans as equals nor do it as openly as Bangtan do. In addition, this consistency strengthens the desire for the aforementioned distant future. You’ll find through various interpretations, a lot of the themes featured on the album are not exclusive to the world of BTS and ARMY. “Stay” and “Telepathy” can easily be about any person, place, or thing that makes you happiest — what helps you get through these hard times.

A gentle reminder: at the end of the day, BTS and ARMY are also humans who feel and think like humans. Their human expression is no different, purple blooded or not.

That’s why it’s important to note that BE isn’t intended to be flashy despite having the colorful and explosive “Dynamite’’ closing out the record. It’s inclusion is meant to end things on a high note, with open ended optimism that lessens the weight of dread towards the uncertain future. This project wouldn’t fit in the Bangtan Universe. BE is the rollercoaster of life. Just like riding a rollercoaster, you go through the ups and downs and twists and turns emotionally all while feeling that adrenaline rush of enduring — of being. “Dynamite” is where you leave with a smile on your as you head for the next ride.

Through a warm embrace, “BE” comforted BTS, ARMY and anyone willing to listen. Though it’s their shortest album, everything from the sequencing to the production seems purposeful in adding to their motifs; everything is temporary just like the echoes in the forest and although it’s been difficult to endure this chapter of life, BTS hold space and remind us that everything we’ve felt is valid — to carry on with our heads held high and hope within our hearts. While many expected different, BTS’ approach with BE offers a form of healing hard to describe with words. It acts as its own “pause” for the members after a fast paced year and a moment for listeners to finally take the time to reflect on how they’re really doing. There is no set answer to the grand questions asked throughout this record — throughout the year — because there’s no gain in seeking them. Much like the pandemic that plagues 2020, BE was unplanned, emotional, and cathartic to the end.