Comfort is the language of BTS’s mini-album, “BE”, where the group explores the various mental struggles of pandemic life. Fully self-produced by the members, this album comprises eight tracks that was officially released on November 20, along with a music video of its title track “Life Goes On.” 

   Belonging to the alternative hip hop genre, “Life Goes On” offers a warm hug to anyone who has struggled emotionally with the effects of Covid-19. The lyrics of this song showcases the shock of the sudden global shutdown months ago in March.

   Vocalists Jungkook and Jimin sang the first verse of the track, singing “One day, the world stopped / Without any warning / Spring didn’t know how to wait / Streets erased of footprints.” But as the calm melody progresses into the chorus, BTS reminds everyone that the situation we’re in right now isn’t permanent.

As we fight our way through this pandemic, life will slowly correct itself, hence the name “Life Goes On.” The group portrays this theme into their chorus, singing “Like an echo, in the forest / The day will come back around, as if nothing happened / Like an arrow, in the blue sky / Another day flying by.” 

   BTS has incorporated the message of “life goes on” all throughout the pandemic, with the phrase making its first appearance during their speech at the 75th UN General Assembly a few months ago in September. In the making of this album, the group declared “even in the face of this new normality, our life goes on and imparts a message of healing to fans and to the world.” 

   The second track, “Fly To My Room,” is a sub-unit that features only J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, and V out of the seven total members. In essence, the upbeat melodies contrast vastly from what the lyrics portray as the frustration and loneliness of quarantine at home. But despite the loneliness, the bedroom has become a sort of best friend, where it now knows you the best from all the time you’ve spent there. 

   The members also reveal through these lines that the quarantine has allowed for them to create deeper bonds with each other, solely because they were forced to reflect on their own emotions during that period of time. 

   “Blue and Grey” is the title of the third track, with the acoustic ballad revealing the painful experience of an artist becoming artistically and emotionally drained.

   BTS member, V wrote and produced this song with the symbolism of the two distinct colors in mind. Universally, the color blue is used to portray sadness, with the same being true for the color grey. Each lyric conveys heartache, grief, and the longing for happiness and companionship during a time where we have emotionally hit rock bottom.

The chorus encompasses the vocals of Jin, Jungkook, Jimin, and V while they sing “I just wanna be happier, to melt the cold me / My hands have reached out countless times, colorless echo.” 

  Track four may just be the hidden gem of the entire mini-album, with the track not even being a song. Entitled “Skit”, this four minute track features the seven members just having a conversation about creating music during such a time as the pandemic. 

   Everything from hitting number one on the billboard hot 100 chart to everyday activities since the quarantine, each member puts his own special addition into this track.

   Track five, entitled “Telepathy,” serves as a retro and funky song to cheer up their fans during the pandemic. While the previous tracks had all dealt with the emotional struggles of pandemic life, BTS seeks to give the world joy with this particular song. 

   When reading the lyrics, it’s clear that the group wrote this song to ensure their emotional connection with their fans, Army, through the language of music. Even if they can’t perform at concerts to meet their fans, this song serves as a reminder that the telepathy between BTS and their fans can never be broken. 

   “Dis-ease” is particularly heavy in its message, with the sixth track belonging to the old school hip-hop genre. This raw song essentially discusses the disease that often shows itself in the artist’s own profession. The constant facade of the perfect performer, the toxicity of never feeling your work is enough, and the eventual burnout of the artist are all prominent themes in this song.

   A key element to this song is when the members refer to “pandemic productivity”, a concept where they would feel guilt and restlessness when they weren’t working in quarantine. While they were meant to feel “at ease,” the members always felt a strong urge to keep writing songs and to keep working overall.

   Producer and writer of this track, J-Hope, chose to split the word up into ‘dis’ and ‘ease’ to portray the opposite of ease and comfort rather than just the one word, “disease.” 

   The seventh track of the album belongs to the funky EDM category, with its title as “Stay.” Simply put, writer and producer Jungkook wrote this track to symbolize the desire of the entire group to perform and interact with their fans again. However, they’re certain that BTS and Army can stay by each other, even in times of crisis like this.

   Leader of BTS, RM, raps “Right now I think of you, wherever you are / It doesn’t matter, we connect to 7G.” The mentioning of “7G” refers to the connection of the world by technology. Even if we are separated by international barriers for the moment, technology allows us to connect with each other. 

   The eighth and final track of their album is “Dynamite”, a record-breaking single that was released late August. Going along with the overall message of comfort and healing, this song offers hope and warmth to a world that was in dire need of positivity. 

   As the pandemic continues its journey in each country, BTS has released an album in hopes to comfort this world from a personal and emotional level. By laying down the group’s bare emotions in these tracks, listeners of “BE” have the ability to see that they’re truly not alone.

   “BE” is currently available for streaming on all platforms, and exists to deliver healing and serenity to a pandemic-ravaged world.