The boys are back with a new era and a mini album.
Intro: Persona -- An RM rap track from the video teaser/trailer leading up to the comeback. It is a definite nod to Skool Luv Affair era back in 2014 as even the theme is almost identical to the teaser clip before Boy In Luv came to life. Persona track certainly got many ARMYs excited and a possible trip down memory lane to the group's earlier music.
A Poem For Small Things: Boy With Luv featuring Halsey -- The opening medley is rather catchy after a few listens but overall I was mildly surprised with how this song turned out and Halsey's part in Boy With Luv is limited to mostly joining in the chorus. It's quite a chilled romantic summer tune that doesn't overdo it on the noise. Yoongi's rap starts off in a tone I didn't expect but then his voice resumes its normal state. I initially confused myself with Boy In Luv and I had to correct myself just typing the new title track's full name. The Boy With Luv MV has some relaxing but bright colours and reminds me of the Idol and DNA MVs.
Mikrokosmos: Definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album and quite sweet when you read the lyrics. You got each other's backs even in the starry night. My favourite line from the outro We shine in our own way Shine, dream, smile. Oh let us light up the night. All we need to shine. Tonight The instrumental reminds me a little of 80s hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears. Read further information on the meaning behind the song here
Make It Right: Originally written by British songwriter/singer Ed Sheeran, the song talks about the end of a relationship and how you hope you can go back in time to fix everything, make it right and make it better.
Home: Slightly speed up in the album beat, this song is about finding special people and calling them home when they have had a long day. Interesting to note how in Yoongi's part he makes a reference to No More Dream about the big cars, big houses and big dreams. Back in 2013, they just debuted and now they surely have these things from their bucket list yet still can't believe they have come far.
Jamais Vu: A subunit track featuring Seokjin, J-Hope and Jungkook. The opposite of deja vu, feeling like you have done something before but it seems unrecognisable. This song describes reliving mistakes, seeking a way to make them feel alive. Probably the one angsty song from this album so far.
Dionysus: The music genre goes in a different direction here. Apart from the repetitive autotune which I wish wouldn't be used as much, this has a rock feel and honestly I'm here for that. As far as the song's meaning goes, it talks about the Greek god of grape and wine Dionysus which is very much summarising what this latest comeback era entails - one's soul and persona. Perfectly capturing the so-called theatricality of this god, this is a perfect anthem / sing along in a stadium tune. It will blow up in a large stage for sure.
Overall:-
I was surprised this ended up being a short, mini album rather than a longer album with at least 10 tracks. The non-title songs are more memorable than Boy With Luv in general yet despite this, I was hoping for perhaps an actual nod to SKool Luv Affair or even the Dark & Wild eras, the gritty angsty feel from the likes of Boy In Luv, Tomorrow, Danger or Let Me Know. Though I imagine the guys wanted to mature their sound with this new comeback which is fair enough. The intro Persona was of course a real teaser and we all know how teasers don't necessarily match the final product so we cannot expect so much. The line distribution seems to have the guys in units. Naturally Jimin and Jungkook tend to team up a bit in this album but Seokjin has been given a chance to sing along and sing more than two lines.
On the whole, I like the theme from this era but I would probably need to wait for the next chapter if I need to keep a firmer interest in Map of the Soul. Would definitely like to see more rock inspired tracks like Dionysus, or even touch on some metal where possible. Thankfully we got a rock mix of Fake Love and DNA and the likes of Tomorrow had already honoured the rock genre.