Over the weekend, K-Pop group Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS) released their new album, “Love Yourself: Her.” With a simple but effective cover, the album contains eight songs and the Billboard Award acceptance speech, plus a hidden track called “Sea.” This new album is different from their previous albums by mixing in a ballad with hip hop. This album is the introduction to a new era of BTS of love and beauty. This album also includes a collaboration with The Chainsmokers.

The first song is “Intro: Serendipity,” an R&B ballad solo by Park Jimin. The music video for this song was dropped on September 4 as a comeback trailer. Serendipity was also written and produced by the leader of BTS, Kim Namjoon (Rap Monster). Jimin’s beautiful vocals are very prominent in this piece from his very soft whispers to the very strong high notes. The song also has light instruments in the background, which showcases Jimin’s voice even more. This song shows the beautiful effects of being in love and how it was fate that the two lovers are together. The lyrics describe the girl as an angel and how she is his penicillin. This means that the love between them is so strong that they are each other’s lives.

The next song in the album is “DNA,” the title track of the album. The song starts off with a little whistling medley and guitar riff that is repeated throughout the whole song. This song has a small amount of electronic dance music (EDM), greatly contrasting the parts with the acoustic guitar. Min Yoongi (Suga), Kim Namjoon and Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) contribute to the song with fast-paced raps. Kim Taehyung (V), with his deep voice, adds a beautiful bridge and slow part to the quick-paced song. The lyrics talk about how it is part of their DNA to meet their lover and that it was their destiny to find them. Translated lyrics include “Our encounter is a mathematical formula. The Law of Religion, the ways of the universe…” The meaningful lyrics and the exquisite voices contribute to making this a wicked title song.

“Best of Me” was the song that Chainsmokers helped write, specifically Andrew Taggart. His collaboration to the song adds an EDM feel that BTS songs typically do not have. This song was long-awaited after Chainsmokers and BTS talked many times during and after the Billboards. This song, similar to many Chainsmoker songs, started with a slow beat and grew into a fast-paced dance song. The lyrics in this song talk about how the partner is the best part of themselves and never wants to part with them. After all, they are the “Best of Me.”

“Dimple” is sung by the main vocalists of the group: V, Jeon Jungkook, Kim Seok Jin (Jin), and Jimin. “Dimple” is a very catchy and lively song with a dance beat and cheerful lyrics. With V’s low vocals, Jungkook’s vocals, and Jin’s high vocals, the soulful bridge and other verses give off an even deeper meaning. The lyrics of the song discuss how stunning their lover’s smile is, especially their dimples. They explain how the dimple is illegal by how the partner looks an angel when she smiles. In general, “Your existence alone is a crime.”

“Pied Piper” discusses one of the most sensitive topics of K-Pop: obsessive fans. They discuss how fans take a long time analyzing music videos, creating theories and looking at pictures. However, they do not discuss this in a negative way because they appreciate their fans and respect their opinions on music. For example, Rap Monster’s rap says, “Stop. Now stop watching and study for your test. Your parents and teachers hate me,”  but then later on in the song, the chorus says “You’re not being punished. Come here, I’m your paradise.” The song has a flute playing the background imitating the flute from the story tale, yet it does not overpower the dynamic beat.

The most vibrant song in the entire album is “Mic Drop.” The song starts off with a guitar riff and J-Hope rapping. The song then blends into a very high-beat song with raps and strong vocals. The song itself talks about haters from the beginning of their career and talks about how they went to Billboard and how they are now the proud owners of many prestigious awards. Their lyrics say, “Did you see my bag? Did you see my bag? My bag’s filled with trophies. How you think ’bout that” and “Bright lights, going forward. You thought I was gonna fail, but I’m fine, sorry.” This song was actually inspired by former President Obama’s speech where he dropped his mic at the end and walked off stage. Min Yoongi replicates President Obama’s mic drop at the end of the dance performance for this song.

The song “Go Go” discusses the mentality of the new generation or the YOLO generation, especially since the YOLO attitude is very popular in Korea recently. They express their thoughts on the younger generation’s tendency to spill their allowances on trivial antiques and fads. Some lyrics include, “Dollar, dollar, squandering it all in one day” and “ Woo there’s no tomorrow. There’s already a mortgage on my future.” The lyrics represent the YOLO generation’s downfalls with a catchy tune and great beat. There is also a pan flute in the background, creating a Jamaican vibe in the song. One thing that pops out in this song is Suga’s rap that talks about the carelessness and independent feelings of the generation.

The last song of the album is “Outro: Her” and is only sung by the rappers of BTS, Suga, J-Hope, and Rap Monster. The song started off with a slow piano and then turned into an electronic beat with an electric piano in the background. The whole song is composed of raps by the three rappers of the band and a chorus that has a rough undertone to it. This song can be viewed in two ways, depending on the circumstance and perspective. One interpretation of the song is that it is about a love interest. The song talks about looking for love and how the girl is the answer to everything. Another way to interpret this song is a song dedicated to BTS’s fandom: ARMY. They mention that they always have to do whatever the ‘lover’ wants, which means that whatever ARMY wants, who are also the consumers, they have to give because they do not have another choice. They also talk about a mask in the song, symbolizing the makeup they wear on stage to appear flawless and in character. BTS also discusses that even though they put on a mask, they do it because ARMY is amazing and accepts them no matter their flaws.

The hidden track in the album is called “Sea,” written by Rap Monster. The song starts off with the sound of waves crashing upon the shore and then transitions into a soft piano and guitar melody giving the song a slight melancholy feel. This song is the complete opposite of the rest of the album that talks about happiness and beauty. This song discusses the hardships the band members went through to turn their dreams into reality. The chorus of the song is “Where there is hope, there is always hardship,” repeated four times. Throughout the song, they compare the beach to the K-pop industry. They thought it had the serenity and peacefulness of an ocean, but in reality it is a desert. They discuss how they faced a lot of backlash at the beginning of their career. Most of the hatred was about how their agency is very small and could not help them become popular. They talk about how they went through despair and depression to get to where they are now, but they know that “Where there is hope, there is always despair.”

This album shows the growth that BTS has gone through in the four years they were together and their influences. BTS is set apart from other bands because of their willingness to discuss taboo and delicate topics of the Korean culture. Even when discussing these topics, they maintain a happy attitude with their high beat songs. Hopefully, BTS will continue on their path to spread K-Pop around the world and continue to improve as people. Bangtan Sonyeondan, keep fighting!