BTS album review – K-pop giants’ sound matures and darkens on Love Yourself: Tear
One of the most widely anticipated albums of the year, Love Yourself: Tear features tracks about the pain of separation and lost love, reconciliation and ambition. It’s already topped the iTunes albums chart in 65 regions
Over the weekend, Love Yourself: Tear soared to No. 1 on the iTunes albums chart in more than 65 regions including Hong Kong, the United States, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore. Even before the album was released it was a smash success: it became the most pre-ordered album of all time in South Korea, with 1.44 million copies ordered (beating its million-selling predecessor, Love Yourself: Her), and made BTS the first K-pop group to exceed one million pre-orders for multiple albums, according to Forbes.
The group’s latest accomplishment has been celebrated not just by members of BTS’ official “Army” fan club, but by American professional wrestler John Cena, who tweeted a video of himself saying, “I am Army” in Korean.
It’s perhaps no surprise that Cena has become a fan of the group, with BTS bringing to the album a deeper and darker sound, unlike the upbeat tunes that the K-pop genre is generally known for.
Before the album’s release, the group appeared on South Korea’s VLive Show to talk about the record and its concept.
“Love is complex. There are some sides to it that make us feel bad or depressed. There could be tears; there could be sadness,” said BTS’ leader RM (formerly known as Rap Monster).
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“This time we wanted to focus on parts of love that we want to run away from. We want to say that if you aren’t true to yourself, love won’t last. This love could be between two people, but it could also be [inside you].”