FACE is Jimin’s first EP and solo product. It was released today (March 24, 2023) around 9pm* and I am currently listening to the whole album so I will edit this as we speak. This review will be just about the music and as new information comes in it will be added. Please stay tuned for the physical album review when it arrives (it has XD). AHHH I can’t wait!

*UPDATE: Now that it has been a couple of months, I will tell you which ones I listen to the most and why. Jimin shows many sides to himself in his solo album. I enjoyed hearing rap, singing, and his stylistic choices that dressed the album perfectly. I really appreciate Jimin’s hard work on this album and how beautiful the placement of everything was. Without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Face-off- 

This took me on a trip. I enjoyed the distortion in the song. And I can’t remember what the first 15 seconds are sampled from, but hearing that was confusing at first. However, it set the scene for the rest of the song. He actually mentions this in the Rolling Stone interview in which he states this “would be a stark contrast to the rest of those vibes.” I felt this one had more of the emotion of pain depicted. Personally, I enjoy hearing tasteful harmonies that compliment the rest of the song and like many BTS songs, Jimin really pulled through with these. I loved hearing this song and reading the lyrics. 

Interlude: Dive- 

The interlude was interesting. Interludes are always a hit or miss with me. The music was very soothing. Many strings. Is it just me or do Jimin and strings go well together? They’re the perfect match. Hearing many sounds and voices was a great way to set us up with the rest of the album. Interludes can really make the album or lose you completely. I think this one helped. Jimin and the team placed it where it is on purpose. With it being called ‘Dive’ I love that there were various water sounds in the song. Like waves, the army sea at concerts, and the pouring of a glass. We were able to dive deep into the emotions. Jimin stated during the Rolling Stone interview that he wanted to “give this feeling that I was lost and wandering”. I felt like the story reversed first and went into the beginning again. Like the same day going over and over like a pattern. I love the feeling of being able to close your eyes and interpret the story along the way. It felt like you were going into another world which is what an interlude should do. 

Like Crazy-

I’m not usually a fan of dialogue in a song as these can also go two ways. It can make your song really corny or it can elevate the concept of the song. This one fit really well. I was really impressed with this one. I feel like I would listen to this on a nice drive in the city. The music video came out today as well and it was really good. The voice over also comes back in at the end of the song and I like that more. I don’t usually see this being done so that was really refreshing. This song I play on repeat everyday for the most part these days. I can say it’s really fun actually hearing it all the time. I really wish it would play on my regular radio station as well.

Alone- 

This one felt more sad, but I have to read the lyrics (after reading, it is really sad. However, the language is painted very beautifully and depicts loneliness perfectly.). The music had so much attitude to it. I love how tempo this song was. I also love Jimin’s low range so much. And hearing the pulsing beats gave the song passion as the piano danced throughout the music so tastefully. The beats weren’t overwhelming either. Jimin uses both higher registers and lower registers. It was interesting to hear the redacted part that plays in the hook. I wasn’t a fan of it, but I think there’s a reason for it being there as Jimin put extra detail into these songs.

Set me free pt. 2-

Ah yes, the song that did it all. This was the first song we got to hear. I was a bit disappointed that the beginning was different from the MV. The pause gave us a moment to get into the new beat. I was really sad to not see that in the actual song. But for streaming purposes I get it. Also, after listening to it many times, I really like to both ways now. I like the mysterious sound some of the melodies have. There is nothing boring about this album. I love how the choir is a big part as well. Their parts aren’t boring at all and layer nicely. I’m still getting used to 1:47-2:01 to be honest. It’s just personal taste. I really enjoy when you listen with earphones when the audio is split and is organized in a tasteful way. With my own music I tend to split them as well and it’s really nice. This song is also played a lot in my rotation of songs I listen to these days. It’s really a fun listen.

Like crazy (eng)-

I feel like this is going to be great for the overseas audience. I can’t wait to finally belt in the car and karaoke with this song. You know the feeling if you can’t fluently speak Korean and listen to Kpop. It takes a while to prepare foreign language songs, but once you learn the song it’s 100% worth it. I can sing this one any time I wish, even in the middle of the night. So that’s really cool I think for people easing into Kpop or for Kpop listeners who haven’t learned the language yet. I like the longer instrumental in this song as it didn’t feel distasteful. It was nice on the ear. I really enjoyed the English version. This isn’t something I would usually say, but I prefer this one more actually. Honestly, I really liked how it sounded. The lyrics were thought through carefully when translated and wasn’t a sad excuse to get more attention from the western market. This song feels like something I would hear on the radio. It’s really catchy as well. I also dislike when people tell non-English speakers that they speak good English because sometimes people word it so awkwardly. But in this case, Jimin worked really hard on his English prior to the album drop and I feel like it needs to be acknowledged. His performances were amazing as well and I recommend you watch them. The choreography looks very effortless and fun. Jimin works really hard with many things and I’m really proud of him. 

Unofficial Rankings

AP’s Favorites

Let me tell you, it was really difficult to rank them. These tend to change up as I listen throughout time as well so keep that in mind.

1. Like Crazy
2. Like Crazy (English Ver.)
3. Set me Free
4. Interlude: Dive 
5. Face-Off
6. Alone 

Kings Crown Unboxing:

KC’s picks: 

1. Like Crazy 
2. Like Crazy (Eng)
3. Set Me Free Pt. 2
4. Alone 
5. Face-off 
6. Interlude: Dive

Closing Thoughts

I had ordered so many copies of this album. I was a bit sad to not win the fan sign, but I got many Jimin photocards, so I was pleased about that. I have to say it was a nice design for the album as well. I definitely recommend it. I love the pink one more, but both are lovely. This album was everything a listener would want. There were so many different genres and stories being told that all blended together beautifully. Jimin’s colors have changed so much throughout these years and it’s really fun to see as an ARMY it has made me so happy.  Each song and music video are usually tied to each other so it’s really hard to catch every detail and you probably won’t until the concept is completely done. But even then, the concept gets referenced so you can’t sleep on the concepts lol. And that’s something I really enjoy about BTS that got me into actually stanning instead of casually listening. And there’s so much I didn’t go over as I will need to rewatch again and read some scholar ARMY twitter, but I just want to say how happy I am to be able to witness so much growth with Jimin. In his own words: “Jimin you’re nice, keep going!” We can’t wait to hear more!

Illustration and Review by A.P.