Map of the soul 7

Intro

Map of the Soul: 7

Map of the Soul: 7 is the fourth Korean-language (seventh overall) studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on February 21, 2020, by Big Hit Entertainment. It is the follow-up to their 2019 extended play Map of the Soul: Persona, with five of its songs appearing on the album. Map of the Soul: 7 has been described as a pop, R&B and hip-hop album with influences from rocLyrically, it touches upon themes of reflection, introspection and self-acceptance

Map of the Soul: 7 received critical acclaim upon release, with appraisal towards the album's "cohesive" production despite incorporating various styles. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 422,000 album-equivalent units sold in the first week, including 347,000 pure album sales, making it BTS' fourth consecutive chart-topper. It also debuted at number one in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom; topping the charts in all of the top five music markets in the world, made BTS the first Asian group to do so.In under nine days of its release, the album sold more than 4.1 million copies in South Korea for the first time in Gaon Album Chart's history, making it the best-selling album in the country's history, breaking the Guinness World Record of its predecessor Map of the Soul: Persona.

Map of the Soul: 7 was supported by two singles, out of which the lead single "On" debuted and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first top five on the chart.To promote the album, the group announced their fourth worldwide concert tour entitled the Map of the Soul Tour.

Background

"Many things were not intended as far as our career. We didn’t know we would ever reach this kind of position. [...] One day, we woke up and we were like, 'Where are we?' When you don’t know where to go, I think the best way is to walk down the road you have been walking on. So, the reboot [songs] is the best way to reflect ourselves and figure out ourselves again: Where are we? What are we doing? Who were we in the past? And [who are we] right now? That’s how it happened."

 

Following the release of their sixth extended play Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), BTS took an "extended period of rest and relaxation" in the midst of their Love Yourself World Tour to "recharge and prepare to present themselves anew as musicians and creators" and to "enjoy the lives of young people in their 20s".Prior to Map of the Soul: 7's official announcement, music journalists and fans speculated that Map of the Soul would be a trilogy and upcoming albums would be titled following the themes of Jungian psychology — Persona, Shadow and Ego.RM later confirmed that the record was originally intended to be part of a trilogy until the group changed plans and went on an extended break. He commented, "We thought, ‘Why don’t we combine them into one album?’ Shadow means our wounds and Ego is about accepting our fate. So 7 is a very appropriate title since we've come back after seven months."Prior to the album's release, Map of the Soul: 7 was listed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2020 by Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vulture and numerous others.

Composition and production

"And when it comes to this album, it's called [Map of the Soul:] 7. We worked together for seven years, there's seven of us. It's a lot more than just inspiration, this album contains our stories."

Map of the Soul: 7 is a continuation of their previous EP Map of the Soul: Persona, which itself was based on Carl Jung's Jung's Map of the Soul. The album expands the themes and concepts of human psychology - "persona", "shadow" and "ego" and traces back the band's journey and growth of 7 years since their debut.Consisting of twenty tracks with fifteen new tracks and five from their previous release, the record is their longest studio album till date.Talking about the creative process behind the album, Suga stated, "It took us a little longer, and this is our first full album in quite a while. But making an album isn't just making the music. We have the songs, there's the choreography and a lot of other elements that come with it, so it took some time."Described by BTS as "deeply personal", Map of the Soul: 7 is self-referential that sees the group looking deeper to share their individual stories through their music.

Music and lyrics

Musically, Map of the Soul: 7 has been described as a pop and hip-hop album that incorporates rock, trap and EDM in its beats and production. It explores a broad range of other musical styles and genres including emo rap, rap-rock, pop-rock, Latin pop, pop-rap, electropop, disco-funk, synth-pop and Afro pop.Instrumentation through the record is provided by guitar strings and drums. Sonically, the concept album is diverse with rap songs, slow-paced sentimental ballads, and prog-style music.Lyrically, the album touches upon themes of reflection, introspection and the band's path to self acceptance.In an interview with Zach Sang, Suga explained,"One message that penetrates the album as a whole is that you must face your inner shadow, but resist becoming submerged into its depths."

Songs

The album's first solo track is "Interlude: Shadow" performed by Suga, that samples the intro track of BTS's first EP O!RUL8,2?. The emo rap track starts off with a medium paced beat in an arrangement of electric guitar. During the song's lyrics, Suga raps about the fear and insecurities that come with fame and success.Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it "a prime example of BTS at top strength: a pop moment that feels both intimately personal and exuberantly universal". "Black Swan" is an emo hip hop track which uses instrumentation from trap drum beats and doleful lo-fi-style guitar tunes. It also features cloud rap and contains a catchy hook.Set in an arrangement of sombre instrumentals, the lyrics confess the fear of losing passion for music. It was served as the first official single for the album.NME called it "a haunting, melancholy curveball" that deviates "from an immediate, radio-friendly choice", putting "artistry ahead of mass appeal". "Filter" is a Latin pop song performed by Jimin, featuring his different sides as a person. "My Time" performed by Jungkook is a strobing R&B song about forgoing the teenage experiences because of his career. Billboard noted the use of "gritty" guitar riffs in the song, adding a mild rock effect to it.Co-written by Troye Sivan,"Louder Than Bombs" is a trap-inflected electropop ballad.[33][3] It features metronomic beat and falsetto vocal harmonies led by bass.

The album's lead single "ON" is a loud, lively hip-hop anthem that kicks off with an implosive drumroll in a marching band-style and incorporates choral harmonies and trap beats.The song's title references to BTS's 2013 single "N.O."The lyrics "Can't hold me down/ ‘Cuz you know I’m a fighter" and "bring the pain on" emphasises the album's theme of fighting against darkness, accepting faults and moving forward.Variety describes it "an exhortation to their fans, but also homage to their own career." "UGH" is an onomatopaeic hip hop track, featuring the rappers of the band (RM, J-Hope, and Suga) expressing their anger towards malicious haters in the backdrop of "distinctly" East Asian riffs, turbulent strings, gunshot effects, and plinking synths.

"00:00 (Zero O'Clock)" is a sincere soft-pop ballad performed by the vocalists (Jin, Jungkook, V, and Jimin) and features soothing falsettos, vocal harmonies and trap beat. Lyrically, it is about reminding everyone to stay happy no matter what they are going through and that everyday is a fresh start. "Friends" is a pop-rock song with a calypso beat and is performed by Jimin and V.The track portrays their close friendship through its playful lyrics."Inner Child" sung by V, is a sweeping, soaring track full of celestial metaphors that talks about the challenging times he faced.Jin's "Moon" is an upbeat guitar-driven pop-rock track that charts the love for their fans."Respect" is a pop-rap track featuring RM and Suga in which they examine the meaning of the word. "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal" is a continuation of BTS's 2013 song "We Are Bulletproof : Part 2." The pensive piano ballad sums up the entire journey of "Bangtan Sonyeondan".The album closes with J-Hope's solo "Outro: Ego", featuring samples from their 2013 album 2 Cool 4 Skool. The song uses an afrobeat sound in its production.The lyrics see him reflecting on his career and the decisions and hardships he faced.The song ends on a note of declaration of self and ego.