BTS
Map of the Soul: 7
Release Date: Feb 21, 2020
Genre(s): Pop, Rap, Pop/Rock, Pop-Rap, Asian Pop, K-Pop
Record label: Bighit
Music Critic Score
How the Music Critic Score works
Buy Map of the Soul: 7 from Amazon
Album Review: Map of the Soul: 7 by BTS
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
This year marks seven years that prolific K-pop unit BTS have been performing together. Fittingly titled, Map of the Soul: 7 is a reflective self-examination of the group's last seven years, putting the individual members' past trials and tribulations on full display in a way that the genre rarely does. The result is an album that is less concerned with attracting brand new listeners and more interested in rejuvenating its members through truth in music, as well as doing right by the existing fans that helped BTS make it this far.
Based on rating 8/10
After introducing fans to the fresh sounds and heady concepts of a new era with Map of the Soul: Persona, K-pop boy band BTS expand on that vision with their sleek and polished seventh full-length, Map of the Soul: 7. Through the lenses of fame and relationships, the group embark on a psycho-emotional journey that explores ideas of identity and self, using Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung's concepts as a backbone. Backed by impeccable production from a team of familiar faces (including Hitman, Hiss Noise, and P-Dogg), they transform contemporary trends from the worlds of hip-hop, pop, and dance into a fittingly unique BTS experience.
Based on rating 8
'Map Of The Soul: 7' has officially been released approximately 10 months after its equally highly anticipated predecessor, 'Map Of The Soul: Persona'. There isn't any confirmation yet, but 'Map Of The Soul: 7' is speculated to be part of a trilogy in a similar fashion to past BTS albums. Featuring five already released songs from 'Map Of The Soul: Persona', 'Map Of The Soul: 7' is a continuation of the (unconfirmed) series.
Opinion: Excellent
The Lowdown: Hopefully, we're past the cultural point of wondering how BTS became the biggest pop group in the world and ready to look more closely at why they are so deserving of that title and what it means to be in that position. These are some of the ideas the group themselves are working out on their latest full-length release, Map of the Soul: 7. Following last year's EP, Map of the Soul: Persona, the group continue to borrow their album titles from psychoanalyst Carl Jung's theories of the self.
'Map of the Soul: 7'
is available now