It’s 3 a.m., you don’t know how long you’ve been on YouTube, and you’re so enveloped in your little cave of a bedroom that you stopped caring a long time ago. In the dark side of YouTube you’ve likely discovered a little thing called K-pop. Stepping away from the comfort of your own language and culture to experience something new and exciting is solely what K-pop does. Infusing Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop into one, K-pop has piqued international appeal in recent years. BTS is a seven-membered group under BigHit Entertainment. With this being their second full-length album, “Wings” takes BTS to new levels, as it became the highest-charting best-selling K-pop album on the Billboard Top 200 Charts (that’s the big one fellas).

“Intro: Boy Meets Evil” sets the tone for this album. Dark, intense vibes with a powerful rap throws you into the fray of “Wings”.

“Blood, Sweat, and Tears” is this album’s title song. Soft, melodic voices counter a dance/pop sound. Being the title song, it’s easily a bop (that I can’t help but to listen to on repeat). The rap line builds the song up while vocalists soften it, creating an interesting dynamic.

“Begin” is the first of the seven solo songs from this album. It focuses more on the beat and rhythm of the song, and the vocals take a step back and simply guide the music. The collaboration of pop vocals with an electronic sound smooths out the overall effect on the listener.

“Lie” is the second solo song. It’s theatrical and powerful – with vocal variation and keeping the song changing. Unlike Begin, it focuses on the vocals and keeps the music simple. This is one of those un-skippable songs as I can’t help but listen to it 18 times as I write this.

“Stigma” is the third. It stays somber with R&B beats and soul tones. The vocalist’s raspy voice combined with high notes creates a distinctive sound. Another noteworthy thing, the lines of dialogue he adds into parts of the verses, which pushes your emotions further than just having the vocals.

“First Love” is the fourth solo song. It’s romantic, and gives a tortured soul feeling. The piano and the rap verses almost play off of each other to create harmony in the music itself. The whole song builds from beginning to end, creating a buildup of emotion until it reaches an overwhelming peak. Don’t listen to this song when you’re sad about your love life, take it from me- crying into my ice cream last week.

“Reflection” is the fifth solo. One of the rappers created this song, but

he actually decided to merge his singing ability with his rapping skills. This song is very relaxing and doesn’t infuse the strong beats as the past songs have. It’s mellow and peaceful, ending with him singing, “I wish I could love myself”. Me too, buddy, me too.

“Mama” is the sixth solo. It picks up the mood of this album, bringing in strong upbeat jazz theme with pop style. The vocalist is strong in his lines and definitely brings his own power along with the music. If you don’t sing along to the chorus, then you’re doing it wrong- all wrong.

“Awake” is the last solo song on this album. The smooth, slow vocals guide the song, with a buildup in the chorus. This song is very compelling, and it needs to be appreciated. It’s very conclusive to the first “part” of this album.

The second part of the album kicks up with more upbeat, “go love yourself, you deserve it” songs. “Lost” is the first song in this part, created by the four singers of the group. From the first three seconds you understand the tone of this song; the mood reflects as positive regardless of the lyrics. It is one of the most “pop” songs on this album.

“BTS Cypher 4”. Okay. Let me tell you something. Being the fourth Cypher BTS has put out in their discography, it had big shoes to fill. They fulfilled it and THEN some. This song is a bop that the rappers created. Each of the three members have their own parts that have different styles from the next. When I first heard this song I had a violent reaction because it’s that good. You’ll be making the “ugly, gettin’ it face”, I can guarantee that.

“Am I Wrong” is a hip-hop all-around fun song to listen to with plenty of unique parts, but a consistent sound and vibe. Definitely one of those songs that likely won’t be your favorites, but you can never skip when you put this album on shuffle.

“21st Century Girl” is a must-listen for this album. It’s all about female empowerment. They bring that out in their English lines like, “You’re worth it, you perfect”. This song combines old BTS and the new, with bringing in some of their old-school rhythms with a completely new, special sound.

“1, 2, 3.” is the happy breakdown. It’s a song they created to solely thank the fans for their undying love and support over the years. While it’s very slow and a bit repetitive, when you understand the meaning of the song, it makes you feel all gushy inside.

“Interlude: Wings” is the final song on this album. It ends the album

perfectly with upbeat dance music. The breakdown of this song builds plenty of hype into the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, its super energetic and positive and makes you smile if you’ve been down.

“Wings” has shown how BTS has grown from their humble beginnings. The amount of success BTS has accumulated from this album makes them a household name. I would highly recommend this album to anyone looking to expand their horizons into K-pop. The absolute must-listens on this album are: ‘Blood, Sweat, and Tears”, “Lie”, “BTS Cypher 4”, and “21st Century Girl”.