Song Review:: BTOB: BTODAY- LOVE TODAY

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  • Release date: 2025 March 05
  • Album runtime: 19 minutes

 I'm going to go out of order because I need a dopamine hit desperately, and I am, generally speaking, guaranteed that with BTOB. So, BTOB. This is their first mini album released under their own company. It does lack Changsub and Sungjae currently, but as with the songs they've already released from it, I'm anticipating sections built in for them for when they can perform together as a full group again. That time should be coming up soon if the New Year's message is any indication. Changsub and Sungjae seemed a little displeased. But that's good news for the fans because there were profuse apologies, and I trust that they'll do better.

Just for the record, and I don't know how much of it is because of the emotional news of the last couple of days regarding Wonwoo and Baekho on top of the thing that I really didn't need to know about my job, but the end of the song finally broke me, and I'm struggling to stop crying. This is why they're my emotional support group. Thank you, BTOB.

I hadn't heard if this was Minhyuk composed or Hyunsik composed so I did a quick check and it is Minhyuk composed. He's been giving us songs that seem designed to wrap us in weighted blankets with a hot cup of tea in hand and a gentle pat on the head lately, and this one is no different. The amount of the song that's just one or two instruments gives the song a very intimate feeling. Guitar reigns supreme throughout the song with multiple instances where it is the only instrument showing up, and I have to give a particular shout out for how the song starts and ends with the solo, quiet guitar. Other sections have that guitar be a little bit more active, but how it starts and ends? The chorus gets the biggest swell of sound, as it should be, but it's never overwhelming. 

If this were a blurb, my review of the vocals would be "Perfect. Next." If I ever get the opportunity to hear BTOB singing live, I'm going to be on that like fur on a Maine Coon. Part of that is because I want to know if they're as good as the Kingdom reactions say they are. Specifically for this song, I love the line "Let's turn the page, rewrite the lines tonight." I'm interpreting those lines as meaning "It doesn't matter what mistakes have been made in the past, we can change our future together." And I'm pretty sure it's Hyunsik closing and I think it's Eunkwang opening, which creates this fantastic frame to the song, with both intro and outro sharing a line, and the second is different. You can obviously hear the sections where Changsub and Sungjae will step in when this is performed as a full group, and I love how Minhyuk and Hyunsik have been approaching this time of adjustment with the four at the same company and the others separated.

The soft lighting used in this music video makes all four of them singularly ethereal. And like, what am I supposed to do with this? Vibes and visuals all over the place, with a tiny bit of storyline to say "We're happier and better when we're together." Or at least it's less of a storyline and more of a statement, because it's BTOB. The sentimentality is incredible, but that's BTOB. They've just been putting out love songs and pining songs, and it reminds me of NU'EST when they were NU'EST W and waiting.



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