FACE offers auditory journey to center of a musical, spiritual identity
“I think we could last forever. I’m afraid that everything will disappear.” On March 24, one of the vocalists making up the seven member K-Pop group, BTS, began his musical quest toward a solo career. While being the main dancer and lead vocalist of BTS, Park Jimin is widely renown for his incredible vocal range, singing all the surprising high notes of the group’s tracks, and making social media go crazy with his stunning stage presence. However, the six tracks on his first solo album, FACE, manage to bring out a new version of the artist, showing his true colors as he experiments with his own identity, all while taking a bold leap forward to grow as an artist.
Opening the album with a spunky carnival sound, contrasting the rest of the track, “Face-Off” delves into the deeper insights of Jimin’s mind, creating an intense and rebellious vibe. The circus melody that opens the track, a possible symbol of the entertainment business itself and all the fun and happiness visible to the public eye watching over these artists, eventually fades into a trap-soul style. The lyrics composing the track, however, show a bleaker, darker side of the singer, delving into his inner thoughts, heading into a downward spiral of dark ponderings. As Jimin addresses the criticisms he has received over time in the spotlight, the emotions evolve into an escape to lash out against forces that test his well being.
This pattern of dark emotions repeats once again in the form of a soft ballad, “Alone," Composed earlier in the pandemic, “Alone” highlights those emotions plaguing the loneliness once the world stops, how time was nonexistent, and the days repeating endlessly. Jimin’s lyrics present vulnerability, tied with experiences of doubts, frustration, and feelings of loneliness. However soft the ballad presents itself, the mixing of the song was purposely done to create tension, crafting vocal effects to depict alienation.
Along with “Face-Off” and “Alone,” “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” a nod to fellow BTS member Suga’s solo song, “Interlude: Set Me Free,” overcomes these challenges in a triumphant style. The blaring horns, a chorus chanting in the background, mixed with the repeated “Set me free” confidently complements Jimin’s newly-found freedom as an individual, confidently confronting the critics that ridiculed and mocked not only Jimin but the other BTS members during their 10-year career. This intriguing track, originally released as a pre-release single, stirred up social media as it was the first time the singer expressed these raw emotions in this synth brass musical style, all while manipulating vocal effects to express that the singer was “finally free” from all the boxes holding him back.
Beginning with the reverse instrumental of the previous track, “Face-Off,” “Interlude: Dive” begins the transition into the window of his psyche. Mixed with audio snippets of past concerts, casual conversations, and driving home, the interlude creates an immersive dive into memories, both happy and sad. Each recording was one Jimin chose specifically, and some he self-recorded: There’s a knocking present, followed by someone catching their breath, to Jimin introducing himself to a crowd full of his beloved fans at a concert, ending it all with him pouring himself a glass and drinking the contents. The short yet psychedelic song serves as an intermission, embracing what is yet to come on his dive through his own identity.
Following the dreamy and hypnotic sound of “Interlude: Dive,” the title track “Like Crazy” expresses the escapism Jimin wishes to feel on a daily basis from stardom, fearing how he might lose sense of himself once again, despite not wanting to wake up from this dream. The song opens with audio snippets from the 2011 film of the same name, a nod to Jimin’s favorite movie, which repeat the fear of being alone and wanting to stay in a dream forever. The bittersweet lyrics mixed with smooth textures and synths, similar to the style of The Weeknd’s vibe, give it a dreamy feel full of fun and excitement, one capable of energizing a crowd to begin to dance. The title track appears on the album twice: once in the usual style of K-Pop with a mix of English and Korean, and the other being solely in English. The Korean-English version of the title track communicates the wish to never wake up from the dream he is living, all while realizing he might easily lose those he loves. The English version, on the other hand, carries the heavy emphasis on the burden of stardom. This title track has proven to be a favorite for many, especially as the song is a new genre for BTS members to explore.
While Jimin is known to be kindhearted and thoughtful, FACE expresses a new side --the raw side-- of the world renowned artist. These emotions communicated through self-written tracks will touch the hearts of listeners, helping the world realize that these famous artists are humans as well. The success of “Like Crazy” and the rest of the album have managed to land Jimin’s title track and his own name at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first time a Korean solo artist has ever achieved this position, two years after BTS became the first Korean group to make it to the top of the charts. No matter how many times these tracks are played, the album offers a refreshing musical journey into new territory as Jimin explores this new side of himself.
By Ruby Pluchinsky
April 24 2023
Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue VII