BTS - IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

Track List:
1. Intro: In The Mood For Love
2. I Need U
3. Hold Me Tight
4. SKIT: Expectation!
5. Sick
6. BTS Diss
7. Converse High
8. Move
9. Outro : Love is Not Over

BTS is 'In The Mood For Love (HwaYangYeonHwa Pt 1),' dropping their third mini-album. The boys took an active hand in the lyrics, composition, and arrangement of the highly anticipated nine-track release.

The "Intro" is a frantically rapped introspective track, comparing life to a game of hoops, finally asking at the end of the song if the rapper is happy. Short answer: yes, he is.



"I Need U" is the title track and a dynamic song. The boys rap about not wanting her back, about how they still can't say it, and they argue with themselves because their girls treat them like doggie doo. When the raps subside, the song hits a perfectly timed harmony for the chorus.   

Track three, "Hold Me Tight," is a slower tune with synth snaps and the sick raps laid down by the boys. There's a chugging synth line that runs behind it, too. One of the better attempts I've heard at attempting to combine ballad and hip-hop.



The next track, "Skit: Expectation" is some sort of audio skit put on by the boys. It has defied my attempts at translation, so I don't know if it's happy, sad, funny or dumb. Hopefully by the time you see this, you'll know what they're saying. When you find out, let me know.
 
"Sick" has sassy horns and angry-sounding, mocking raps. It's a playful song, where they talk about how...

"We're sick with work for half our days
We live sick in our studios, our youth may rot away
But thanks to that, we're running to success."

After this they say it's sick (nice wordplay), meaning it's cool.



"BTS Diss" is a lively tune about having fun. It's got great time-changes, insolent horns, and an awesome (if silly) hook: "We're here, the fun boys!" I thought they were saying "wassup?" instead of "wasseo" (We're here) until I looked up lyrics.

We move to the funky song "Converse High." When I first read the title, I was imagining a high school where all they rock is high-priced athletic wear. Came to find out the song really is all about Converse high-tops (and the girl wearing them), but the boys advise us: "...when you meet me, don't wear Converse shoes/It's too hard to take them off of you." ;)
 


"Move" is a smooth tune. I particularly like this one because it's about moving from being a trainee to something better. Write what you know, right? It's probably tempting to go with something easy like lost love or desire. Instead it's a more personal track, and it feels like they mean it.   

"Outro" is probably the least interesting track musically. It's more a pure ballad with an absence of rap or at least a fast tempo to keep it moving. It's sweetly and earnestly sung with the smooth harmonies we've come to expect in pop. Still, I'm not much for ballads.



This was highly enjoyable and contained a few nice surprises. Playful, funky, clever, soul-searching, even a bit naughty. The subject matter they tackle elevates it a bit above the rabble. Really, its pretty easy to sing about girls all day long, and there's no shortage of lyrics to crib from. The beats and raps are awesome, besides. While "Converse High" may be a bit excessively playful, this is still a collection of great, enjoyable tracks with some incredible hooks. You owe it to yourself to at least give it a spin.

Recommended tracks: Move, Sick, Intro.  

MV REVIEW

These are the kinds of MVs I like to see, where there's something going on. It's pretty simple: when the boys are alone, they're depressed. When they're together, they're smiling and happy. And what happens when you break up with someone? Your friends usually kidnap you and cheer you up. The boys run through the streets, along railroad tracks, along bridges, climb on top of shipping containers, and just have a good time -- but are absolutely morose in the solo shots.

I think this is also notable because we don't see them dancing. And they're outside. I like the breaks with convention because at least they're doing something different. Have we seen something like this before? Certainly. Do we see this often? Nope.

The only issue I have is pretty well toward the end. I don't get this part:

The lyrics to this scene could be: "I Need U, because you pay my rent/I Need U, to give me a place to live?"

Yes, sounds a lot like a musician. :)

SEE ALSO: Employees accused of insider trading and selling HYBE stock before BTS's hiatus say they didn't know it was "undisclosed information"