09/09/2023
Song Review: V (BTS) – Slow Dancing
While some BTS members have aimed straight for the top of the charts with their solo work, others have taken a more niche route that compliments their personal taste. In V’s case, that means an album of lo-fi, smooth jazzy sounds. It’s clearly a style he enjoys and it works well with his voice, even if the end product may not be commercial in obvious ways.
Unfortunately, this is also a style I find quite uncompelling. It’s pleasant and calming, but that’s just not where my head’s usually at when listening to music. In fact, I can scarcely remember how either of V’s pre-release tracks sound despite having played them multiple times in preparation for the blog. I predict Slow Dancing will suffer the same fate. In the moment, it’s a nice bit of loungey, downtempo pop — atmospheric and textured. However, its melodies tend to evaporate immediately after the song’s finished. There’s not much that sticks here, making this feel better suited to background study music than a main focal point.
The aspect I find most fascinating about Slow Dancing is the prominence of its instrumental. The entire last minute (a third of its overall running time) is devoted to a purely instrumental outro. You don’t hear that often (or ever!) in pop singles. In theory, this freeform structure is interesting. I’m not sure the ex*****on lives up to the idea, but in its own way this is a daring move. Bonus points go to the production’s prominent use of woodwinds — another sound you don’t hear often in mainstream pop. I may not have much room on my playlist for this kind of song, but it strikes me as the strongest of the three tracks V has promoted from this project.
https://thebiaslist.com/2023/09/07/song-review-v-bts-slow-dancing/