B.A.P - Rose

Rose was Korean group B.A.P's first release of 2017 and followed a strong, dark image that the group is well-known for. The 3-track single album starts off with "Dystopia." Though B.A.P is known for their heavy songs and using rock elements in a number of them, rarely have they made one that's full-blown rock/metal like "Dystopia." This track is full of angst, with lyrics describing frustration and resentment towards the corrupt world and its people. It declares that the idea of a utopia is just that and simply acts as an escape from the darkness of reality, essentially stating that it can't be real because "A place I love might be Hell for someone else."* Instrumentally, it emphasizes angrily played drums and guitar, staying true to the intended music genre. Some of the instrumentation does sound a little electronically produced, rather than being played by a live band (mainly the percussion). Luckily, the sound difference doesn't seem too strong. Building up to the hard-hitting chorus, they momentarily take a step back to make way for some softer vocals. Then to slightly include the group's hip hop roots, they throw in effects like a scratching record while the rappers stick with their specialty, once again smoothly combining genres. Though not a sound that's common to K-Pop, "Dystopia" was a pleasant gift to fans that fell in love with the group's harder image.

"Diamond 4 Ya" is the second non-title track which finishes off the album and goes in a very different direction. It follows a Pop/R&B style with loving lyrics toward a woman who they praise for being their light in a dark place. Despite being the most seductive and upbeat track on the album, it's not overly bright and poppy so it fits Rose's generally darker aura. There's certainly charm to it, starting off with the sound of wind chimes, bringing in a high-pitched tune, and then jumping into the heavily produced Electro-R&B instrumentation. A personal favorite piece of instrumentation is the pounding drums that have a particularly strong presence from time to time, notably leading into the hook and bridge. It's a great song for the group's vocalists, who throughout much of the song are in a beautifully pleasant falsetto and for the rest, switch over to full and smooth mid-range/baritone. In the midst of it all, the rappers come in with their own brief breakdown, bringing the song a few steps closer to hip hop.

The title track of the album, "Wake Me Up," is arguably one of the group's most important pieces to date. The instrumentation has the electronic effects and catchiness of a pop song that keep it more public-friendly, but has clear influences of rock; including the melody's melancholy feel so the serious subject matter isn't overshadowed. The lyrics were written by the group's rappers, Bang Yongguk and Zelo. It's note-worthy that in between Rose and B.A.P's previous release several months earlier, Bang had stepped away from the K-Pop industry and essentially any kind of spotlight in order to take care of his own mental health. "Wake Me Up" seems to reflect on going through that kind of struggle, portraying pain, frustration, and hope. The lyrics begin with "Wake up another self inside of me, The faint light, Wake me up open my eyes, Wake me up." This suggests that the subject is striving to "wake up" or bring out a side of themselves that they know is there, but likely is often being overpowered by their dark, negative mentality. It goes on to express the desire to "find themselves" and continue to move forward, despite their limits and barriers. Next, they direct anger and frustration towards society and perhaps specific groups of people, also stating their desire to awaken them. Judging by the description of society as "fearful/unstable," they imply that it tends to ignore and disregard certain issues, including mental health and the value of individual human beings. This may mean to refer to their positions as K-Pop idols, who are often looked at as only figures to be watched, enjoyed, and judged rather than as real people. They discuss facing constant pain and being able to do little about it, perhaps having to frequently contain it. "Questions thrown at me, Without even a question mark" is an interesting line. It could mean that people ask them questions while thinking that they already know the answer, they try telling them what to do in the form of a question, or they ask questions without really wanting to know the answers. The next portion calls for a revolution, telling everyone to realize the corruption spread throughout society that contaminates peoples' minds. They ask you to be aware and see through the facade, the "outer layer of the broken subjects." The bridge discusses an "answer the world wants that lost its sight from desperation;" perhaps the person that puts up a front to hide the true inner turmoil. They express that though what they're saying now might be delayed, they still want to keep moving and "spread [them]selves out;" probably show their true or "new" selves. The accompanying video fits the song incredibly well and helps give context to the song. It shows several people who are clearly suffering from their own personal issues. Some speculate that they represent different mental illnesses. For instance, a girl who absent-mindedly almost eats a mealworm while preparing food supposedly has an eating disorder. While this could be true, it could be intended as a more general representation of what mental illness is like. These illnesses can be extremely overwhelming and for some, maybe so much that they lose track or don't notice certain things going on around them. Or maybe their focus is narrowed and turned away from important things. It can cause damaging behavior, to themselves and/or others. Perhaps she was meant to represent those that experience a mental state like this, along with the shock and fear upon realizing what had almost just happened and what was happening to her. This is similar to another character who, after an angry phone call, appears to be entranced in his own thoughts as bullets seem to be shot from his hands. He's consequentially surrounded by three unconscious people. One woman clearly struggles with how she views herself, another has a problem with pills, and a man tries to submerge himself in a full tub. Later, another man is shown standing on top of a car holding a sign that says "EMOTION REVOLUTION," like the revolution that the lyrics discussed. Though he's shouting to passersby, no one seems to listen or care; likely how many people tend to feel if they try to talk about their problems and raise awareness but are disregarded. In the end, all of the suffering characters encounter each other as they see B.A.P speaking to them through a television in a store window. This is when they "revolt," proceeding to dance and smile together in the street. To some it may look like a strange scene, but it seems to be their moment of "waking up" the hidden side of themselves. But how this scene may also be viewed is that at least for a time, they're able to embrace themselves and share this experience with others who feel similarly. I believe it also shows that they aren't alone. They're dealing with this and getting through it together, whether or not that message was intended. The members are shown throughout the video as well, displaying their own forms of symbolism. For instance, during Bang's part where he talks about revolution and taking notice of a manipulative society, he speaks into a microphone that appears to belong to a radio. This possibly represents him trying to get the message across to the public. Just before the bridge and while the characters are watching B.A.P on the television, the members are shown walking through a dark area, maybe a building or alley, holding torches. This could be them fighting their way through the darkness and searching for themselves. During the bridge, both of the song's writers are individually seen standing in front of a sunrise. This is reminiscent of "the night is darkest just before the dawn." It implies that this moment is the dawn where they're finally starting to break out of the darkness that they've been trapped in. An additional feature of the video that many people have praised is the diverse cast. One reason is due to the lack of this occurrence in many K-Pop music videos. But in addition to many listeners being able to connect to the lyrics of the song, the cast can make them feel better represented. It shows that ANYONE can go through this, no matter their background.

Rose was created after experiencing a great deal of hardship, that much is clear. It was an incredibly meaningful comeback that was put together very well, showing their diversity while staying true to the overall concept of the album. This includes not making the transitions from song to song too jarring, putting them in order from heavy rock, to the dark but slightly catchier and more Pop-friendly title track, to seductive Pop/R&B. The work put into this album is very admirable; and even more interesting is that the release following this can be thought of as a response or continuation. B.A.P's Blue(related post) implies being able to finally move on from such a harsh mental state with its light concept, displaying freedom and hope.

*Translation credits: kpopviral.com and colorcodedlyrics.com

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