I debated whether or not to give this song a full review. Given its release earlier in the year as one of the best album tracks on BTS’s 20 song opus, ‘Map Of The Soul:7’ and the fact that I gave my thoughts on it in my review of the album, it almost felt kinda pointless. But then again, given 2020’s lacklustre run of title tracks, I thought it would be fitting to consider the Eternal a single. It was one of my favourite songs back in February and things haven’t changed 4 months on.
Giving the Eternal an original music video has probably got to be one of the best decisions that the Bighit A&R have made all year. After missing the ball on the superior Gfriend track and giving a mv to the worst song in TXT’s discography It’s kind of surprising that they actually gave a song its deserved promotion. From the minute I heard it, The Eternal felt like a title track. The lyrics, structure and overall performance felt incredibly fitting for this particular stage of the groups career. It’s a near perfect synthpop anthem with incredibly streamlined production and a hook to die for. I love how it builds from the melancholic opening piano line to the bombastic lighters in the air climax with a healthy dose of cathartic backing vocals for good measure. Musically, its structure is reminiscent of the groups own growth, from small undervalued rookies to global superstars.
But the real selling point of the Eternal is that brilliant chorus. I love the tracks adherence to classic song craft and the hook is the best example of it. It does what every good chorus should do, be the most impactful and catchy part of the song. And in a year where most songs collapse around their weak centrepieces, the Eternal acts a beacon of light. I also adore how much of the vocal processing that made songs like ON and Black Swan so underwhelming is pretty much non-existent. BTS have a very charming vocal line and it’s great to hear them again. I mentioned in my original review that I expected The Eternal to be a grandiose hype track. And while I still sometimes wonder what it would have been like, I can’t say that I’m complaining about what we got instead.
Verses: 9
Chorus: 10
Production: 9
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 9.25 / 10
KBopped 
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