By Alyssa Serrano
Staff Writer
“D-Day" by Agust D is part of a trilogy of albums from BTS member Suga, in which he details his struggles and the anger that comes with them. Both “Agust D” and “D-2,” the first two albums in the trilogy, were outstanding, so it is no surprise that Agust D has returned and outdone himself again with this album.
The album starts on a high note with the song, “D-Day.” The song begins with Agust D telling the listener that the “future’s gonna be okay,” and he spends the song letting the listener know that things will be alright. Besides the lyrics, the beat is also outstanding — it has high energy and is incredibly catchy.
“Haegeum,” “Polar Night,” and “HUH?!” featuring J-Hope all discuss issues within modern society. A haegeum is to lift a ban or showcase something forbidden, and so “Haegeum” is all about the corruption of the entertainment industry, capitalism and freedom. “Polar Night” is an important commentary on the state of the world. It calls out how people often take extremes and only see things as black and white when, in reality, it’s often a much more complex situation. It really emphasizes the problems that arise when truth and justice are valued less than convenience.
“HUH?!” begins with Agust D repeating, “What the shit, do you know about me?” This song is a declaration that BTS and its members are here to stay and that haters should stay in their lane. The trap beat of “HUH?!” particularly stood out to me, so it is in my top three songs on the album, but I love all three of these songs and think their lyrics carry incredibly powerful messages.
Out of all the songs on the album, I was probably most impacted by “Amygdala.” Before I even read the lyric translation, I knew it was going to be heart-wrenching. The amygdala is the part of the brain that processes fearful and traumatic events, and this song is about the pain and suffering that came with some of the most difficult times in Agust D’s life. In the song, Agust D begs his amygdala to let him forget these painful memories, and this is a very relatable sentiment. Although it is supposed to protect us, sometimes it feels like it’s making things hurt worse. The song is heartbreaking and beautiful, and I cried reading the lyrics.
The music video for “Amygdala,” which was released on April 24, perfectly captures the lyrics visually. The viewer sees Agust D suffer a traumatic experience and then get trapped in a room, which seems to symbolize his memories. I found it hard to watch despite its amazing cinematography and the incredible song because it was just so devastating watching someone struggle like that knowing that I couldn’t do anything to help.
“SDL,” or “Somebody Does Love,” is my favorite song on the album. This song is a lot happier than the others on the album, and it’s just really comforting. This song feels like sitting in a room surrounded by loved ones and seeing them laugh and fill up all the quietness in the room — it’s comforting, and it’s full of love. Another comforting song, “People Pt.2” featuring IU, immediately follows. This song was released as a pre-release song, so maybe I just had more time to fall in love with it, but this song has a special place in my heart. IU’s voice is soft and smooth and sounds incredible mixed with Agust D’s rapping. The bridge has probably one of my favorite lyrics ever, which is, "You're already more than enough to be loved.” On social media, it’s very easy to criticize yourself and only see your imperfections, so I think it is a lovely sentiment and important message.
With its dramatic guitar solo, “Interlude: Dawn” sounds like it comes right from a movie soundtrack — it sounds like something straight out of “Star Wars.” Agust D also mentioned how he made this song by reversing a part of the following song, “Snooze,” which I thought was really cool.
“Snooze” is a love letter to younger artists just entering the entertainment industry. It feels like his way of saying, “Don’t worry if you struggle or you fall, I’ll catch you,” and it’s nice to see him offer the support he wasn’t given in that position. The song is truly beautiful, and once again, Agust D showcases his stunning lyricism.
The final song is “Life Goes On,” and it elaborates on his fears of time pulling people apart. In the song, he asks the listener not to forget him and to look for him in years to come. This is such a lovely way to close off the album and comfort fans. This is another one of my favorites from the album — it feels both heavy and free; I love it.
Despite this being the end of the trilogy, I can’t help but hope that Agust D will return someday. But for now, I am more than happy to have this album on loop.
