Inna Christine Cabel is a digital editor at The Korea Times. Prior to moving to Korea, she worked as an editorial assistant and writer in the Philippines. She occasionally writes about trends, pop culture and music. Reach her at innacabel@koreatimes.co.kr.
REVIEW BTS' Jin taps into nostalgia in 'Echo'
BTS Jin dropped his sophomore solo album, "Echo," on Friday. Courtesy of BigHit Music
By Inna Christine Cabel
For most artists, each new album is a chance at reinvention. BTS’ Jin, a member of the most famous boy band in the world, is no stranger to this. After completing his military service last year — the first BTS member to do so — the singer was handed the heavy task of carrying the band name while the rest were out of the limelight.
In the year since, Jin has done just about everything and anything, managing to surprise even his most ardent supporters as he makes headlines for stints across industries. He carried the Olympic torch during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, starred in a quirky Netflix reality show where he runs a bed and breakfast on an island, and even introduced Tom Cruise to his mom.
Still, the K-pop maverick reminds us of his strongest skill, doubling down on his identity as a vocalist in his sophomore solo offering, “Echo,” released Friday.
BTS Jin's “Echo” starts off subtle, helmed by the unassuming pop of “Don’t Say You Love Me.” Courtesy of BigHit Music
“Echo” starts off subtle, helmed by the unassuming “Don’t Say You Love Me.” It’s an easy listen, with a mellow hook that you’ll find yourself humming throughout the day. True to the album name, Jin’s vocals are stacked against his own echo. As the piano languishes, his lower tone captures the frustration of being lovelorn and haunted by ghosts of a past relationship. It’s a feat to evoke this much emotion from a quiet, almost stoic track. It's a missive straight out of the recesses of a relationship.
The record picks up in “Nothing Without Your Love,” as Jin’s tenor carries through the soaring, stirring strings. It evolves into a grand declaration of love, spreading warmth like the sun kissing your skin. Jin’s sincerity illuminates every note: “Whenever I wander in endless darkness / You're like the sunlight at the end of a tunnel,” he announces, amid a backdrop of violins and a whimsical choir.
Things then take a turn through the second stage of grief. “It’s all stupid, love,” Jin declares on the fun and edgy “Loser,” featuring Yena of K-pop girl group IZ*ONE fame. The two flex their vocal chops, battling to hold the highest note possible. It’s a rowdy and refreshingly petty exchange of juvenile tirades. You can almost hear the eye rolls in every spitfire line: “You’re a loser!”
“Rope It” on "Echo" is spry with the unabashed yeehaw charisma and cowboy confidence of a certified heartthrob. Courtesy of BigHit Music
Spiked with sass, this energy continues in what is easily the most surprising track. Ushered in by cartoonish neighing, the country rock “Rope It” is sure to be a first-listen standout, especially for longtime BTS followers. Apart from the 2019 collaboration with Lil Nas X on “Seoul Town Road,” it’s BTS' first official foray into country territory. Twangy guitars, shiny saloon-worthy whistles make you want to pull on your best cowboy boots and head to the hoedown. Contrary to Jin’s reserved persona, “Rope It” is spry, with the unabashed yeehaw charisma and cowboy confidence of a certified heartthrob.
In “With the Clouds,” Jin teams up with Yojiro Noda of J-pop’s RADWIMPS from the 2016 hit movie “Your Name.” Jin’s tenor blooms in a cinematic evocation of sunsets and shooting stars. It starts off luminous, propelled by sparkling drums and scintillating electric guitars. The beat drops, catching the listener off guard to suspend them floating in time as Jin professes: “If the tears holding your sadness are rain / I’ll gladly soak it all up, take it all.”
Jin has dabbled in J-pop before, releasing “Falling,” a collaboration with ONE OK ROCK’s Taka and Toru, last year. The final track, “To Me, Today,” revisits the genre with a sentimental band-powered cut that brings a flourish to an album that oscillates between heartbreak and acceptance: “Let's leave, up above the sky / Trusting myself / I fly, to where my heart leads.”
BTS' Jin easily flexes his vocal athleticism in "Echo." Courtesy of BigHit Music
In “Background,” the penultimate track, Jin showcases the most important instrument in this album: his voice. Rife with rollercoaster runs and riffs, "Background" is an intense yet intimate experience, as if you’re not supposed to be privy to this much heartache. Potent falsettos wrap all-too-honest lyrics: “I still live there / In the season when your whole world was me / The words I repeat alone / If I could go back, what would I say?”
Since 2016’s “Awake” and the 2018 self-acceptance anthem “Epiphany,” Jin has carved out his spot as the band’s resident balladeer with his disarming, emotive tenor. “Background” steadily creeps into your soul, a raw, misty confessional bound to be a classic. Jin easily flexes his crisp, clean vibrato and vibrant falsettos into riffs meant to be replayed.
For all his superstardom, Jin is heartachingly human in “Echo,” full of dreams and desires as he goes through the aftermath of a relationship. It’s a tapestry of emotions — a little Southern fun, suffused with angst, yet all woven together by hope.
He’s vulnerable yet private, blunt but tender with his words. He flourishes in nostalgia rock, the sound grounded in a decade-long musical journey. It fits him like a glove, melting into the contours of his tenor.
Jin creates tracks drawing from his artistic portfolio, so masterfully executed that each cut is familiar and new at the same time. It’s the work of an industry veteran at ease in his most versatile vocal production to date.
While “Echo” seems to be a clear reflection of Jin’s artistic identity, it is also meant for personal contemplation. A record perfect for quiet moments alone with your thoughts, where the rise and fall of each emotion is not subject to scrutiny, it works because it's also true to Jin.
He maps out his strengths, navigating the rock soundscape with a richer, more mature take, building on momentum from last year’s EP, “Happy.” "Echo," though, is undeniably sharper, more intentional and cohesive, establishing Jin as a master of his craft.
The global superstar will soon kick off his first solo tour, “#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR,” a play on the name of his YouTube variety show, at Goyang’s Auxiliary Stadium on June 28 and 29. “Echo’s” pure band sound seems to be meticulously tailored to fit these upcoming performances, the first taste of what’s yet to come from K-pop's biggest act.