The 2023 Countdown – #2

Damn. Agust D, Suga, Min Yoongi … whatever name you want to call him, he always brings it. But as Agust D, we get this raw, real, emotional work of art.

AGUST D | D-DAY

Track 1| D-Day
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–

Future’s gonna be okay

Maybe this song didn’t make my top 50 because I have a hard time being that optimistic. There’s definitely a sense of hope and resilience in this, of ending the negative cycle.

A feeling of inferiority, self-loathing compared to others
Aim your gun at these things starting today
What are you? Break the limits
Don’t regret the past, don’t be afraid of the future
I hope you can avoid getting hit and hurt enough

I’ll try, my guy. I’ll try. That’s the best I can muster right now. But I do have a new chapter ahead of me, and that is inspiring, so I will take this message with me and not be as anxious as I normally am about anything new.

Track 2| Haegeum
2023 Favorite New Songs: #19

This song’s simply about freeing what’s forbidden
But you must remember to differentiate freedom from self-indulgence

A deep look on the nature of freedom, especially in this day of social media and the state of multiple governments these days. This song asks us to reevaluate the essence of liberty and determine what is authentic and what is mere self-indulgence. Suga urges us to see past what is pushed on us through myriad avenues of information and to free ourselves from these constraints.

Endless influx of information prohibits freedom of imagination, and seeks conformity of thought
All these painful noises blind you, and now it even infringes on freedom of thought
All the controversy incessantly triggers confusion in judgment
Really, what is it exactly that’s been restricting us?
Maybe we do it to ourselves

This song is a heageum, and I’m willing to get on board.

Track 3| HUH?! (feat. j-hope)
2023 Favorite New Songs: #9

What the shit, do you know about me? (About me, yeah, yeah)
Fuck that shit, you think you know ‘bout me (all me)

Cathartic. I feel like I use that word too much. *uses synonym checker…*

Therapeutic, intense, liberating, energizing, and just … cathartic.

But on a more serious note, there’s a lot of truth to these lyrics, even if you’re not famous.

I don’t know what’s important, my inferiority complex explodes
Worried about me every time that I messed up
Why don’t you know your life is ruined

And j-hope delivers the second verse keeping the same theme but in his own unique style.

‘Cause I can’t stand adversity, I can’t stand contempt
This is my feedback, huh

Track 4| AMYGDALA
2023 Favorite New Songs: #5

Travelling to memories
Things I wanna erase
How you feelin’ lately?

And this is what we know and don’t know. We, meaning A.R.M.Y., and both knowing on the surface about the events Suga has struggled with all this time, but also not knowing because, honestly, “what the shit do [we] know” about what he’s really going through? Thankfully he’s one of those rare artists that allows us to peak into his emotional turmoil, and his words offer strength and comfort to any who are listening.

More than just this song alone, seeing this song as part of the Daechwita-Haegum-Amygdala trilogy, I can’t help but feel just a little smug. I should be more humble, but I’m not. In Daechwita, many listeners wondered who Suga was calling out when he referenced the “weak pill-popper like you” in his lyrics. I immediately interpreted that to mean he was being introspective, which is quite common in his works. Suga himself confirmed this for me when asked about it, saying merely that he mentioned no names.

Suga is not weak, and he never has been. Because of that, I have to disagree with one line in this song: “What didn’t kill me only made me stronger.” I’m not very fond of this saying because I do not like the perception this gives that adversity *makes* one strong. The strength is there, in you, and has been all along. What didn’t kill you didn’t make you stronger, but your strength helped you survive.

I also don’t like how this saying leads into suffering as a desirable or beautiful thing. It’s not. But I’ll step off my soapbox for now and try to unpack and repack my own memories some other time.

Things I never ask for
Things that are outta my control
Let’s put them back in, one after another

Track 5| SDL
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–

I mean, nothing works out as you wish
Relationships are really difficult
It wasn’t right from the start
The gap between the two of us
Trying to narrow it down is unreasonable
Memories are bound to be glorified

The thing I always appreciate the most in BTS’ song lyrics in general is that love and relationships aren’t defined as a couple. This could be about friends or family, just as much as it could be about a significant other. It makes the song so much more relatable and meaningful in my opinion.

Track 6| People Pt.2 (feat. IU)
2023 Favorite New Songs: #18

Wasn’t loved enough as a kid
That’s why I’m the cautious type
I want, a sincere connection with others
Forever’s something like a sandcastle, you know
It comes crumbling down at the calmest of waves
What is it about loss that makes us so sad?
Really, it’s the dread that makes us so sad

Every time I hear this song I feel like I should bump it up on my favorite list. It’s beautiful. The sentiments and the emotions hit me in the gut.

So time is yet now, right here to go
I know, you know, anything does know

The chorus, sung by IU, has such purposeful positioning of the words, using temporal language and the idea of some universal knowledge to describe the importance of this message in such an enigmatic way, it’s just brilliant. I am in awe.

And then there’s this:

If you can’t hold it back, it’s okay to cry
You’re already more than enough to be loved
So time is yet now

Track 7| Polar Night
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–

If you’re not on my side, you’re all my enemies
An extreme choice to become

Another more political track, and I’m not complaining, because it’s not about taking a particular side. The lines above have always struck me. I dislike the mentality of “if you’re not with me, you’re against me.” The world isn’t that black and white.

The cheap justice you’ve been calling for
It’s not for those who bleed
Please face this uncomfortable line

I appreciate the call out of hypocrisy, or rather, selective hypocrisy, about closing one’s eyes to the uncomfortable truths out there. So yeah …

Between so many truths and so many lies
Are we seeing this world right?
It is all dirty (Am I also clean?)
It is all dirty (Are you clean?)

Track 8| Interlude : Dawn
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–

It’s calming, and yet with an urgency in it.

Track 9| Snooze (feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto, WOOSUNG of The Rose)
2023 Favorite New Songs: #1

This one kills me. In a good way. I’m at a loss of any coherent words for this song. So I’ll just quote pretty much the whole thing. From the opening comfort …

You, who’s dreaming while looking at me
I’m always here behind you, so don’t worry too much
If you’re afraid to crash, I’ll willingly receive you
So you don’t suffer like I did
You, who sacrifice your sleep for your dreams, it’s okay to rest
For today, don’t even dream

to the understanding and empathy …

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, if it’s too much for you, you can take a little rest
Cry out loud when the world gets ugly
When the hand that greeted you turned into a pointing finger
You can take a deep sigh and shout, “This shit is fucked up”
Because you are no different from anyone else

to the heartfelt chorus sung by WOOSUNG …

When the petals wither and fall
I’ll cover you good night
When the fog goes away
I’m leaving, bye

to the encouragement …

Wherever you are
I hope your dream won’t just be left as a dream
I’ll cheer you on anytime, anywhere (Dream)

to the reassuring mantra …

Everything will be okay, everything will be okay
Everything will be okay, everything will be okay

to this:

Dream, I will be there for you in your creation ’til the end of your life
Dream, Be generous, wherever you might be
Dream, You will fully bloom, after all the hardships
Dream, The beginning may be humble, but the future will be prosperous
Dream

I … I don’t know how to describe how this makes me feel.

When the last petal falls
I’ll accept it, hold tight
When you reach the end of the rainbow
I’ll leave, bye
Blooming dream

Track 10| Life Goes On
2023 Favorite New Songs: #–

As time goes by
Someone will be forgotten
Just do what you want
Time is like a wave
It will be washed away like the ebb
But don’t forget to find me

It seems fitting to end with this. Life does and will go on.


Because it needs to be said, again and again, “You’re already more than enough to be loved.” 🤍

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