BTS Lights - Reviews

BTS: Continuing To Be Our Light

To say that ARMY were excited by the announcement of BTS releasing a new Japanese single would be an understatement. Their Japanese tracks hold a special place in ARMY hearts, as they have a much different feel and vibe to them. Released on the 3rd of July 2019 as a double A-side track along with the Japanese version of "Boy With Luv", their single "Lights" debuted at no.1 on the Oricon charts (www.oricon.co.jp); and at the time of writing (15th July 2019) it has sold over 750,000 copies and has got triple platinum certification. The team at BTS Radio UK weren't any less impressed with the song and a couple of members took the opportunity to review the track on first listen.

BTS - Lights: Review

by Charlie Murray

I still feel as though Map of the Soul: Persona has only just dropped and I am only just getting used to the mechanics of the newly released BTS World and trying not to cry over its soundtrack, but BTS have already blessed us with even more new content. Their new Japanese single, the emotionally-charged ballad “Lights”, accompanies a stunning music video and 2 new Japanese songs: the Japanese versions of “IDOL” and “Boy With Luv”.

BTS may have finished the “Love Yourself” era of albums, but this song makes it apparent that their message of self-love is still important. With gorgeous vocals that feel like a warm embrace from old friends, accompanied with significant lyrics about the importance of defining happiness for oneself, this seems to be another love letter for ARMY who are inspired by BTS’ principal message of doing what is best for yourself.

“Overcome, even the future

We won't stop from now on

Decide for yourself what it means to be happy

Every day, take a step to grow up”

When the song first started, I found it calming. Jungkook and Taehyung’s vocals are soft and understated; they do not need to belt out high notes to showcase their captivating tones, although they can. However, the rising quality of the backing music warned me that this was about to change, before I was hit by the powerful vocals of Jimin and Seokjin going into the chorus. Their voices are full of emotion and impact, in a way that shows that they fully believe in what they are singing about. 

The chorus in particular shows BTS’ vocal line to be nothing short of impressive. The boys’ harmonies demonstrate how perfectly their contrasting voices compliment each other. Jimin and Jungkook’s verse towards the end of the song is a noticeable example, as Jimin’s higher tones contrast with Jungkook’s clear and strong voice. The versatile range of all the different voices of BTS go back and forth in this song, from relaxed to more powerful vocals (all 4 vocalists have powerful vocal moments that put me into a state of shock) and vice versa. This also goes for the rap verses; although this seems to predominantly be a vocally-focused song, Namjoon’s encouraging rap verse has a softer quality added to it with Jungkook’s vocals in the background. It’s like someone sternly telling you to take care of yourself, but with softer undertones of “but it’s okay if you have bad days”. 

Speaking of the rap verses, Hoseok’s verse was phenomenal for me. The flow of it was so smooth and easy to bop your head along to that I felt it ended too soon for me. Hoseok makes a catchy verse look so effortless, and I felt completely comforted and grounded while listening to it. 

We have to wait until just over the halfway point of the song to hear the rest of rap line, when parts of the backing music become muted and the song seems to calm down. You have mere seconds to breathe and come down from the emotional high and listen to some Jungkook adlibs, until Yoongi’s voice creeps in and you know to brace yourself for a stunning verse. His voice is reserved and understated, mirroring the song’s intro, and it is easy to appreciate it due to the fall of the instrumental. People might find it rare for rapping to go so well with a power ballad, but BTS give us the privilege of hearing rap merged meticulously with vocals. 

Overall, this song has a simple yet pretty vibe; I find myself tapping my feet to the backing music as I type this. This leaves room for the members’ voices (both singing and rapping) to do a lot of the work and add their own emotive touches to the song. I am proud to be a fan of a group of men singing about the importance of vulnerability and showing weakness, especially as after this song dropped, I saw many ARMYs tweeting about the lessons BTS have taught them and why this song’s message resonates with them so much.

BTS - Lights: Review

by Louise Worthington

The sound of the cinema reel sets the scene for the song. Zoned out synth plays in the background as Jungkook sweetly starts off the song. V’s rich voice follows as a cymbal sound effect marks Jimin & Jin’s vocals during the build up to the chorus. Throughout, simple piano keys are played adding a dulcet tone to the light synth instrumental. Violin and guitar pull in and out of the instrumental creating an airy atmosphere. Jin’s voice dominates the pre-chorus with his powerful tone. The pre-chorus leads to fresher ballad-pop synth. The vocal line bounce off each other before the next verse. J-Hope starts sing rapping on the hollow warm synth beat and the build up is led by Jungkook this time. The synth pop is more melodic and prominent this time round and the vocal line once again sing us out. A droning whistle sound effects starts the next verse where Suga sing-raps and RM follows. Once again, the hallmark build-up enters and the vocal line sing their hearts out. The end part of the song is ended with the vocal line harmonising then a mixture of vocals against guitar synth.

Lyrics that stood out to me were “I don’t wanna listen to just happy songs, I’ll face my loneliness, color my life”. Life isn’t just about happiness. Life is about the journey and growth of people. You can find strength in facing your fears. Aforementioned were the lyrics “…you’re my light…” again the journey isn’t something you have to do alone. Darkness and light coexist: there cannot be one without the other. Duality is a common theme in BTS’ work especially in their recent pieces of work i.e. Map of the Soul: Persona.

Even with Japanese releases BTS manages to convey their spirit with conviction. A melodic synth pop ballad perfect for a lead track, BTS once again showcase their musical diversity and vocal finesse. 

What did you think of the single? How does 'Lights' make you feel? Perhaps you have a different opinion to our reviewers. Why not leave a comment below to let us know.

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