The Singles Jukebox

We like the angst a little more than the hangover…

[Video][Website]
[6.67]

Alfred Soto: Fresh off the triumph of “I Need You,” these guys create another delectable confection, toughened by a mix of rapping and singing in the verses, a multitracked sigh of a bridge, and a Monkees-influenced chorus with a harmonica, real or sampled, squawking like a seagull. Can they write and produce for Bieber?
[8]

Madeleine Lee: “Run” is the sequel to “I Need U.” Even if the videos didn’t use the same imagery and the albums weren’t named “part 1” and “part 2,” the song makes it clear: there’s the muted opening, the angry shouting mixed beneath the melody, and if you squint, the way the chorus of one echoes the cadence of the other’s. (Some things “Run” has added: those doo-wop oohs in the background, a more concrete Sad Big Bang influence, and more musical significance given to Rap Monster and J-Hope’s singing in the verses.) It’s a sequel in a textual way, too. “I Need U” rumbles with barely-contained angst until it erupts; “Run” is the part after the emotional meltdown where you turn to quiet fatalism and self-pity (“pitiful destiny, point your finger at me”), and its more even construction reflects that. I wonder if “Run” sounds just as good when listened to without context, because in my head it is inseparable from its context, and it sounds great.
[9]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: “Run” is a companion piece to “I Need U”, but that chorus has a lot to offer too. The way the vocal melodies intersect and the major-key resolution in the chord progression are absolutely delicious. Also important is the guitar work that holds the verses together, and even when the beat is weak, those melodic details keep it interesting.
[7]

Brad Shoup: I was hoping for liftoff, boosted by those pitched-up ghosts. But the chorus bangs like a Tiesto timefiller, and the boys’ strain is palpable.
[5]

Katherine St Asaph: The first 10 seconds had me grumpy about every song anymore sounding like yacht rock by night. The rest had me grumpier that someone crushed the night yacht beneath a presumed electro banger. Utterly inexplicable.
[2]

Scott Mildenhall: The percussion harries, and after a while the at-first-forceless repetition of the title does too. It’s a perennial shame that the gaps between translated lyrics and a native understanding can never be fully bridged — especially when they read so straightforward — but the urgency with which BTS imbue this comes right through.
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: BTS do longing and ache so well you can hear it in their voices, even if you have a language barrier. “Run” is swoon-worthy uptempo pop (with a take-a-breather bridge) built around a gorgeous melody, with production from frequent collaborator Pdogg that keeps your heart rate elevated, befitting a song titled “Run.”
[9]

Will Adams: Multi-tracked breathiness, hidden cowbell and e. guitar pings are always welcome, but this sounded more propulsive over the laptop speakers. On a closer listen, the chorus is brickwalled, flat, and the only section of the song that doesn’t make me feel like I’m flying. If anything, that should’ve been the priority.
[6]

Patrick St. Michel: Last time BTS came around these parts, they were content to let their youth rot away in some label’s studio. “Run” finds them embracing every messy and puffed-up emotion youthfulness is about, and thank goodness. To up the drama, they’ve brought in stadium-ready rock sounds, building up to that big surge of a chorus and giving this an all-or-nothing feel. Nice to see a spotlight-ready K-pop song let some messy feelings spill out.
[7]