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Closer Than This by Jimin

  When the remaining members of BTS finally enlisted in the South Korean military earlier this month, Armys were understandably saddened by the necessary hiatus. Surely nobody was anticipating the announcement of “Closer Than This”, a single by Jimin that would be released on the twenty-second. Clearly the singer wanted to leave something to tie fans over until the group's reunion.

 “Closer Than This” is a song that can only be sung by BTS. Such is made clear by reference to June 13 (BTS’s debut date) and the phrases “Seven=1” (meaning the seven members united) and “Until the days tinge purple once again” (to BTS, the color purple is a symbol of eternal love). Jimin sings of the group's past struggles, the “Times I sang in the rain,” and about “How you smiled for me in the snow.” The singer paints a vocal picture of BTS’s story up until now, and how they weathered it all together with fans. “Closer Than This” is about everlasting love and a promise to meet again. With the lyrics “Letting go of your hand for a moment, but it's only a small comma in our story,” and “When the paused time begins to run again, baby, I'll come back to you,” Jimin delivers a clear message to fans, infecting every heart with hope that makes the distance between a singer completing military service in Korea and his millions of fans living different lives all over the globe seem less.

 Though the beautiful meaning behind the song can’t be ignored, to me, the overall sound isn't quite as special. This isn't to say that the song is bad by any means, but for me the sound itself lacks the emotional impact of some of Jimin’s other solo work such as “Lie” or “Promise”. Still, “Closer Than This” seems to be the kind of song that becomes more addictive with each listen, though it might not be particularly striking at first. The R&B/Soul genre is complimented by Jimin’s unique vocals, which sound both fresh and uniquely characteristic of the vocalist. The change of tempo surrounding the pre-chorus and the unique tone of the chorus add texture to the song as well.

 With “Closer Than This”, Jimin commemorates every high and low of his group’s career to this point, and the love between BTS and ARMY. Musically, the sound doesn't hold quite the emotional impact of Jimin's other work, but the lyrics more than compensate, and the song maintains a unique and increasingly addictive sound. Despite the group's recent military enlistment, with this single, Jimin promises a future reunion, where “The days tinge purple once again.”

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