They’re back at it again, and this time, they’ve made history.

 Popular South Korean band BTS (Bangtan Boys) has released their second full album on October 10th, 2016.

Big Hit Entertainment, BTS’s record label, released a series of teaser trailers hyping fans across the globe. The first teaser trailer, released on September 4th, garnered 4,147,367 views in a matter of hours with various fan theories popping up on fan sites. Subsequently, seven other teaser trailers featured tracks composed by the members themselves. The first was “Begin,” composed by Jungkook, the second was “Lie” by Jimin, then “Stigma” by V, “First Love” by Suga, “Reflection”, by Rap Monster, “MAMA” by J-Hope, and “Awake” by Jin. The trailers used quotes and imagery from the book Demian by Herman Hesse.  The comeback trailer was finally released on September 25th, “Boy Meets Evil”. On October 6th, BTS released the music video for their title track, “Blood Sweat and Tears”. The video garnered 6 million views in less than 24 hours, a record for the band. The album also topped all Korean music charts, and made history by being the first Korean band to enter the U.K. Billboard charts, and topping the U.S and Australia charts as well. They were also the first Asian artist to place 26th on the Billboard charts. 

The full album consists of 15 tracks with “Blood, Sweat and Tears” as the title single.

1. “Boy Meets Evil”

The first track, sung by J-Hope, is a smooth R&B with J-Hope rapping as the beat languidly flows. The beat suddenly drops into an EDM beat as J-Hope starts singing.

2. “Blood, Sweat & Tears”

The title track of the album is a ethereal sounding track, unusual for the band’s previous songs which focused on more hardcore rap and hip hop. The song is based on Moombahton, a fusion genre of house music and reggae.  A lot of the song is multiple synths layered upon each other, with gentle chimes, echoing sirens and synths, rhythmic claps to create an celestial sound combined with the high notes of Jimin, Jungkook, and V.

3. “Begin”

The first solo by the group’s vocalist, Jungkook, starts off with broken synths which transitions into a smooth beat which picks up tempo and drops it at various points in the song. Jungkook stated that his song was about his experience coming to Seoul and becoming a artist.

4. “Lie”

This song sung exclusively by Jimin, starts off with an orchestral excerpt which transitions into a R&B tune. The peaks of high notes break each stanza and give emphasis.

5. “Stigma”

The smooth jazz piece starts off with a slow piano tune punctuated with deep bass beats. V’s normally husky voice transitions into a falsetto for most of the song. The slow-dance song fades into silence after the hoarse whisper of V saying, “please” in Korean, longing you for more.

6. “First Love”

The slow rap starts off with a lulling piano which speeds up to the climax and abruptly drops. Suga’s rap intensifies as he raps about his love for music and the struggles he faced while pursuing his dream.

7. “Reflection”

Bangtan’s leader, Rap Monster, is no stranger to solos. Not only has he released several mix-tapes and albums, he’s composed or cowritten many of the songs in this album. The song begins with Rap Monster rapping in fluid English, while effortlessly transitioning into Korean.

8. “MAMA”

BTS’s rapper once again appears with his solo, which starts off with an upbeat jazz tune interrupted periodically with disk scratching.

9. “Awake”

The last solo is composed by the main vocalist in the group, Jin. The slow ballad starts off with an orchestral excerpt and with the entrance of the dreamy vocals, the song picks up pace.

In their press conference, BTS talked about the inspiration behind their album. “The harder a temptation is to resist, the more you think about it and vacillate. That uncertainty is part of the process of growing. [Blood Sweat & Tears] is a song that shows how one thinks, chooses, and grows,” said Rap Monster.  As the date of their release approached, main vocalist Jimin voiced his concern for the album. “I couldn’t sleep well because I was nervous. All the members and I were together until the moment of the release; I was very nervous…Probably because of the nerves, I couldn’t fall asleep easily. I am happy to know that many people awaited our comeback…Please give us a lot of love,” Jimin said.

Albeit the group’s concern with the reviews of their album, it was met with critical success. Their title track “Blood Sweat and Tears” recently made headlines by reaching 20 million views.  Support BTS in their future endeavors!