I have been waiting for this for months. BTS Love Yourself: Tear has been released. I have listened to it, and I am ready to share it with you all. Honestly, I am so proud of them for becoming a global phenomenon, touching the hearts of everyone around the globe, while still writing music that means something.Writing music that means something is why I continue, and will probably always continue to listen to BTS. I also cannot wait for their BBMAs performance.
You will also know from my previous posts, such as my post on the first part Love Yourself: Her and on my 10 K-Pop Albums Worth Buying, that I really am a big fan of BTS. You may not know that based off of how often I post about EXO, SHINee, GOT7, etc., but I truly am a big fan. There are a lot of albums to share in my collection, and there will be a day where you will see a ton of posts about BTS in a short period of time. I just have to go one shelf at a time.
I pre-ordered a copy (more like 4) off of Choice Music. You can get one album here for $16.99 plus shipping or the whole set here for $68.99 plus shipping. You can also get it off of Amazon for $22.99 with free shipping here.
Enough about that. I’m ready to talk about my thoughts on the album. Let’s go, K-Nuggets!
1. Intro: Singularity (feat. V):
This song was pre-released as a teaser to the album. I must say, I think this is a really great introduction into the album. It eases your ear into what is to come. The instrumentation is simple, legato, and down tempo. This simple instrumentation really contrasts with V’s baritone voice, and helps his vocals pop. Honestly, I love the simplicity of the track. It gives it a sexy, yet also slightly mysterious vibe. Also, if you listen to this song on stereo, you can really hear how they play with the audio and make that “surround sound experience”. There are some pieces of the track that you will only hear in one ear, and it’s really refreshing to have the audio played with that way.
2. Fake Love:
Moving into the title track of the album, this song is different from anything I think I’ve heard from BTS. They mix a rock feel with hip hop sound, which I didn’t think was possible to do. On top of that, it sounds really cohesive. This is a type of sound that could fall flat very quickly. I also really love the intervals used by the vocalists. The octave jumps that they use in the chorus are challenging to hit cleanly, and they manage to do it every time, and with proper breath support. I also love how the track plays with staccato and legato to really get across the feel of a relationship that has just fallen apart. Really well done, guys. This is in my playlist.
3. 전하지 못한 진심 (Sincerity that Couldn’t be Delivered) (Feat. Steve Aoki):
I love how there is a jump in instrumentation from the previous song to this one. They have returned to very simple instrumentation, as the main instrument through the majority of this song is just piano chords. This brings out the vocals and the lyrics and just the feeling of longing, despite knowing that they shouldn’t want the other person. The vocalists do an excellent job of playing with dynamics and sliding notes to get that feeling across. When Steve comes in to add instrumentation about halfway through the track, it doesn’t subtract from the message that the vocalists are trying to get across. If anything, it is reinforcing it. To be honest, this song makes me so emotional that it might have quickly become my favorite track on the album.
4. 134340:
Can we talk about how much I love the jazz flute in this song? As a style of the flute that I don’t get to hear very often in songs, I really love it. It is different, and it plays off of the rap verses very well. I love how smooth this song is. Additionally, so far in this album, the group has done an excellent job of creating contrast between the tracks on the album. The vocalists build some beautiful vocals on the track too. The chords that they chose, because they are jazz chords, in regards to vocals, they are hard to maintain without sliding into another part. So really well done guys.
5. 낙원 (Paradise):
We finally got a track that moves a bit more into R&B (although not 100%). I really like this song! It made it into my playlist. It starts with a vocal descant, some chords and a snap, which quickly drops into a stronger beat being added. My favorite part is definitely the mixing on this song. You can clearly hear every part without one part overpowering any other part. They dropped out instrumentation at all of the appropriate verses to highlight the vocals. On top of all of that, they really play with the difference between harmonies and unison for the vocals to draw attention to the important lyrics. It made it into my playlist
6. Love Maze:
This track is really interesting. The instrumentation of it doesn’t really sit in one genre, as you can hear rock guitars, a synth sound, as well as a more of a trap beat to it. The genre of this song is just going to be BTS. As I listen through this album, I am truly impressed with BTS’s musical ability. They are able to combine instruments that you normally wouldn’t think to put together in a way that works. Their track mixing skills are really being shown off on this track too. It is very easy for the kick drum to drown out other pieces of a track, and they managed to fit it in with a muffled sound that plays off of everything else.
7. Magic Shop:
As a nice contrast to the past 2 tracks, this song is much more down tempo. I love how the track starts with just a guitar and V, and then progresses into being a 100% electronic track by the chorus. This drops back out again during the rap verses so that you can really listen to the lyrics. It really has the movement that a track should have to keep your interest. There is one note that Jin is singing though where it sounds like he is pushing his voice, right before the second chorus, It sounds like he is right on the edge of his vocal range, or he doesn’t have proper breath support, as it is another octave jump, which are really hard to hit head on. To make it easier, you should change the note to more of a crescendo. It makes it easier.
8. Airplane (pt. 2):
This track is the part 2 to the track on Hope World. Y’all can read my post on that here. I really like the mix of the trap beat with the salsa rhythm on this track. The instrumentation reminds me of “Carmen” by Stromae, which was re-appropriated from the 4 act opera. Both artists did totally different things with the instrumentation though. Yet again, big fan of this track. I love the sound of it.
9. Anpanman:
Okay, we have a full on 90’s hip hop/ island sound on this track. I totally love it. It’s reggae, but still hip hop. This is another track on the album where I am baffled about how well they have managed to blend instrumentation styles that typically one would not think to put together. I will not talk about how well the track is mixed, as I think by this point we know that is implied. At this point in the album, I am honestly at a loss for words about how well they have managed to mix unlike things and make a cohesive sound. I’m now pondering asking BTS to try and mix oil and water. I think they could figure out how to do it.
10. So What:
I totally love this track. It is 100% a dance track. I think it is the perfect almost end to the album. The track basically says “I can do what I want, and it shouldn’t matter to you”. It reminds us all that we need to let go of what other people think, what they want us to be, and just be ourselves. This is not an innovative track on the album, but it’s the message of the song that gets me here. I think it is something that we should all pay attention to and reflect on.
11. Outro: Tear:
This Outro… such a contrast to the previous song. It has more of an ominous feel to it. I’m happy that there is a track that goes through and takes a moment to appreciate each member of the group separately. This song really highlights the rappers, as BTS’s rappers are all extremely solid. I’m very happy to hear them have a hard hitting rap song. The album didn’t have one up to this point. So it is fun to listen to.
K-CPoints: 543/5
After listening to the album completely through about 10 times, this is everything I wanted it to be and more. What I like about it is that it is different from what they have previously done. They’re mashing genres together in a way that still sounds cohesive. They’ve got a bit of jazz, rock, reggae, groove and their usual hip hop flare all in here, and it really works for them. What I also like about the album is that it is a great contrast to their previous album, Love Yourself: Her. What I’m excited for now is the third part. We’ve got the LOVE versions and the YOUR versions, so now we just need SELF.
My prediction for the third part of this series? Since Her was all about the “ignorance is bliss” stage of life, Tear is all about that part when you realize that not everything is as it seems and trying to deal with it, the third part will have to be about everything coming full circle. It will be the part where you come out stronger in the end because “the more you know”. I’m going to listen to both albums in this series back to back, and see if I can determine what we can expect from the next part with more clarity.
Should you buy a copy of this album? Yes. Absolutely. It is a really good album that really plays with genre. It makes your brain have to think. Should you buy all four versions? Only one is necessary, but I never regret buying all 4 versions of BTS. I also have the money set aside to do so. Should you stream the album? Absolutely, and I’m already psyching myself up for their next release.
What is your favorite song on BTS’s new album? Let me know in the comments below, K-Nuggets!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
