Wings

WINGS is the second studio album by South Korean boy group BTS. In September 2016, members promoted their comeback through a series of short films, each heavily inspired by the German novelist Hermann Hesse’s “Demian”. On September 25, their comeback trailer “Boy Meets Evil was released, featuring BTS member J-Hope. Following the trailer, BigHit released concept photos. It was noted by fans that the concept photos for each member corresponded with their short film. On October 5, BigHit released the album tracklist, and the music video for their title track, “Blood Sweat & Tears,” was released on October 10, 12 PM KST, along with the full digital album.

WINGS is a unique album with a fascinating storyline about growth, using the symbol of wings to represent growth and coming-of-age. The album is also notable in that it includes the solo tracks of all 7 members, yet still links each track to the overall concept. The complex and puzzling imagery used in the album’s promotions and music videos left many fans in a daze, resulting in some interesting theories regarding the music video for “Blood Sweat & Tears,” as well as each member’s solo promotions. Some widely accepted theories included BTS members representing characters from “Demian,” as well as wildly speculative notions that “Blood Sweat & Tears” was all about sin, going along with “Boy Meets Evil.”

Musically, the album contains songs about boys who encounter temptation for the first time and must ponder and agonize in the face of it. As the seven boys experience pain and bliss, they bring forth the image of birds that break out of their shells and try to take flight for the first time.

In any case, BTS is breaking boundaries on musical storytelling, proving again and again that music has no limits with this new installment.