BTS Releases “Dynamite”

Let’s face it, 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year. There’s a lot of negativity out there, and it’s easy to feel down. I’ve conditioned myself over the years to be an optimist, and so focusing on the good to try to combat and fix the bad is pretty much my job. With that job, I’m here to brighten your day and talk about “Dynamite”, the new single from BTS that’s sure to be a positive anthem to help us through the rest of this hellish year.

“Dynamite” is interesting because it came almost as a result of this pandemic. Through multiple interviews, it seems that BTS is releasing this single early instead of waiting for their album later in the year in order to get it out to fans. They’re releasing it with the goal of bringing positivity and joy in the middle of all the COVID chaos. Inspiring through music is what BTS does best, so this move comes as no surprise.

Something that surprised me is that the song is completely in English. BTS is firm in their roots and will always be a Korean group, but they said that this song just happened to come out in English when they were writing. It’s a fun change of pace, and I’m all for BTS experimenting with trying an all-English song for this single.

With this being a unique sort of single debut for BTS, it makes sense that “Dynamite” is a force of a song. It’s everything you could want in a summer bop. The beat is bouncy and loud, and it stays that way throughout the whole song. The lyrics are light and all about having a blast with friends. The video has a retro theme to it, and the horns in the background help give it that seventies feel.

The video is also a delight. It’s all pastel, retro, bright colors and atmospheres. The vibe is fun and friendly, and it reminds me a lot of “Boy With Luv”. The scenery is great, and the camera angles are different from a lot of BTS songs in years past.

More than anything, the fun antics the boys are up to in this video make it something you’d want to re-watch over and over. Whether it’s Jimin jumping on Jungkook’s back, or Jin leading the group in a cute, choreographed dance, it’s easy to have a smile on your face watching this one. They each have infectious confidence as they dance with Michael Jackson-esque moves. You can clearly see they’re having fun, and that’s my favorite part. The smiles all look so real, and the way they effortlessly move around the scenes make the song feel fresh and vibrant.

I wanted to give special mention to the outfits. The bellbottoms and other seventies style clothing are, pardon the pun, absolute dynamite. V’s all green outfit in the chorus, J-Hope’s yellow pants matching his sunglasses, and of course RM’s blue hair (BlueJoon, am I right?) are some of my favorite styles I’ve seen on BTS in recent memory. I also have to give a special shout out to Suga’s Toon Squad jersey, because any reference to Space Jam is an immediate win in my book.

“Dynamite” is going to live up to it’s name and have an explosive impact on BTS’s fans and listeners all over the world. It’s catchy and accessible, and I can easily hear it playing on every radio station soon. Overall, “Dynamite” has definitely drummed up even more excitement for BTS’s album to come in the next few months, as well as allow us all to take a breath of fresh air in a very frightening time. If you’re feeling as overwhelmed and scared of the big bad world as I am at the moment, do yourself a favor and take a quick time out for a few minutes, if only to introduce yourself to an extremely uplifting song.