RM “Indigo” Album Review

Indigo

RM

• Genre: K-Pop
• Date: 02 Dec, 2022
• Content: explicit
• Region: USA
• Track(s): 10
• ℗ 2022 BIGHIT MUSIC

RM’s debut full-length solo album, “Indigo,” has just been made available today, Friday, December 2. His two previously published mixtapes reflect his involvement with BTS, a group that was established over ten years ago as a result of his undying love and adoration for hip-hop. All his projects feel like time capsules from various periods of his life so far. “Indigo,” on the other hand, is quite different. Each member of BTS carries a weight that is beyond comprehension, but as the group’s leader, RM frequently carries a different kind of burden. As much as “Indigo” is a gift to the listeners, it also feels like a present to the author’s own creative energy.

Album Cover Art

RM sits on the floor in a rather stylish, model-like pose, in an all-brown attire (save for the white shoes on his feet) that matches the calm aesthetic of the minimalist-esque room. The simple art hanging on the wall come between him and a short stool on which is a brief pile of folded clothes being specially highlighted by natural light making its way through the two large windows on the right. Very stunning positioning and color-shading.

Tracks and Features

“F**k the trendsetter, I’mma turn back the time,” he says as “Yun (with Erykah Badu)” the first song on the album begins over a nostalgic, smooth R&B beat. The first track on the album features both historic audio from Yun Hyong-keun and soulful vocals from the legendary Badu, giving listeners a good idea of the type of album they may expect. The repeated phrase, “I wanna be a human before I do some art,” used by RM throughout the song, emphasizes the complex relationship with identity that he has previously struggled with on numerous occasions in his solo work.

Anderson, a fervent BTS supporter, delivers a typically happy performance in the brilliantly titled “Still Life.” RM refers to the painting technique of capturing purposefully organized inanimate objects in the catchy, appealing song by singing, “Still life, but I’m moving.” Between the bridge and the song’s final chorus, he and .Paak seem to be having an absurd amount of fun. RM then sends them off with the words, “Fuck it, let’s go.”

It’s a real delight to witness Tablo, the frontman of the Korean hip-hop group Epik High, collaborate with RM. Deep reflection and purposeful honesty are two characteristics shared by both RM and Tablo when it comes to artistic texture, yet “All Day” isn’t the melancholy or reflective collaboration some would have anticipated. Instead, they discuss the struggle of producing original work while switching between English and Korean in the song. It’s cheerful in a way that wouldn’t feel out of place on a BTS album, but the tracks featuring Tablo and .Paak use more straightforward pop elements than are usually present in RM’s solo work.

Despite the rapper’s preference for spitting bars, the acoustic guitar ballad “Forg tful (with Kim Sawol)” has him on a vocal track and allows him to occasionally use his raspy lower range. Then there’s “Change pt. 2,” a rather gloomy sequel to the upbeat “Change” that RM and Wale released in 2017. “Closer” with Paul Blanco and Mahalia, produced by electronic duo HONNE, is personal and sensual, packed lyrically with the desire to get as physically close as possible to a partner. The calming ending of “No. 2,” featuring parkjiyoon, brings the album to a close. A truly positive outlook for the morning.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	Yun (with Erykah Badu)	3:53
2	Still Life (with Anderson .Paak)	2:55
3	All Day (with TABLO)	3:06
4	Forg_tful (with Kim Sawol)	2:42
5	Closer (with Paul Blanco & Mahalia)	3:16
6	Change pt.2	1:54
7	Lonely	2:46
8	Hectic (with Colde)	3:46
9	Wild Flower (with 조유진)	4:33
10	No.2 (with 박지윤)	3:13

Album Theme

Indigo comprises a variety of things, including an artist’s expression of the difficulties of a particularly solitary phase of life, catharsis through the arts, space for experimentation, and the hopeful, tender unwinding of heartbreak.

Production Credits

Adam Kulling, DOCSKIM, eAeon, Emil Schmidt, GHSTLOOP, HONNE, john eun, Logikal J, Ninos Hanna & Pdogg produced the album.

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