DJ Ahjumma Reviews: Arson: When Hope is Hot

When the MV dropped last week, I was speechless. My initial impression was its connection to More. Both songs have the same downbeats and bass line. After several viewing and listening to the entire JITB track a hundred times, as well as discussing the album at the streaming party over on TOB 0709 Radio with Tita DJs and suki streamers, I was able to make sense of it all.

Arson is connected to More not only in the beats and base roll but also in messaging. It continues what More began pushing Jhope forward to the next step of his solo project. After burning everything on their path as BTS, the haters, the prejudice, the structures and systems that limit the growth of artists and musicians, the awards and the personal challenges, what else is there to do?

The last lyrics of Arson is an open ended question. Jhope challenges himself to seek new terrain and reach higher grounds.

“Now I ask myself, choose what / Do I put out the fire, or burn even brighter…”

Jhope’s aesthetic in Arson is a departure to the bright colors we are used to seeing. Indeed, his confidence to show this side of “sunshine Hobi” is grounded on trust. He trusts his label. He knows he has the support of the six members. He is hopeful that ARMYs will appreciate and love his new album.

And I do appreciate this new side of Jung Hoseok. Sunshine is a source of light. Sunshine is also fire. It is restorative and destructive too. Aha. Isn’t this Bangtan duality at work?

In the MV, the opening scene shows Jhope walking in the midsts of destruction. The feels! Dystopia. Zombie apocalypse. End of the world. Taking one of the concepts of the album as Hope flying out of Pandora’s box, what appears to be a dark and scary depiction of the world turns out to be, ah, hopeful.

Hobi in a white jumpsuit walking amidst burning men, cars, houses, ashes and soot everywhere is Hope personified. Hope, the last “evil thing” in the box has been unleashed. We know how powerful and delicate hope can be.

When all else fails, we hang on to hope.

More and Arson are darker in aesthetic, grittier and edgier in sound. But there exist hope. It is a gift we give ourselves to survive.

Lyrics: https://genius.com/J-hope-arson-lyrics

clipped from video @Bangtan TV and @BIGHIT_MUSIC

sourced from @BaronDestructo