Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Taking BTS’s success out of the equation, it’s fascinating to trace how much their music has changed since their 2013 debut. As happens with many world-conquering pop groups, their sound expanded beyond a niche market, becoming more palatable to a wider audience. This has its upsides and downsides, but in general I think BTS have done a decent job making it work. Still, I haven’t been overly thrilled by any of their Japanese singles, which often strip the group of its personality in favor of safe, ballad-friendly sounds.
With this in mind, I have to give the guys (and Big Hit Entertainment) credit for enlisting the help of an actual J-pop legend for new single “Film Out“. The song is co-produced by back number’s Shimizu Iyori, alongside BTS’s own Jungkook. I’m not sure this collaboration bore any real musical fruit, but I appreciate the gesture when it comes to work targeted toward a Japanese audience.
“Film Out” stems from the group’s upcoming greatest hits album — a format that’s still popular in Japan. Its sentimental style is well-suited to this milestone, though it doesn’t push the guys in a particularly interesting direction. They’ve released more resonant songs within this framework in the past, making “Film Out” feel a bit redundant.
The song injects a few rock touches (courtesy of Shimizu, I’m sure) that help make it pop. I like the use of acoustic guitar, especially when coupled with the more chant-like moments of “Film Out”, and the lack of heavy-handed vocal processing is also appreciated. BTS sound great. However, the melody needs extra punch. J-pop ballads have a history of being melodically rich, but can sometimes come across as meandering. I fear that “Film Out” leans more in the latter direction, and never creates the sense of melodic storytelling I’d hope for when it comes to a knockout ballad.
