Track By Track: Let’s Explore The Genius Musical Mind Of RM With Right Place, Wrong Person

It’s been a little over six months since RM and the remaining members of BTS enlisted into the military, and around the same amount of time that we have been anticipating what would be the next project by the legendary K-POP leader, even if we weren’t aware of it. After months of teasing on a second Instagram account that kept us on our toes, last month it was announced RM would release his second full-length album, Right Place, Wrong Person, and released the pre-release single ‘Come Back To Me.’ With all seven members currently fulfilling their military duties, ARMY collectively chose not to expect too much during their absence, so this album release was quite the treat for the fandom!

Born from curiosity, Right Place, Wrong Person explores RM’s inner musings as he asks himself the question: “If I hadn’t taken this path, what would my life look like now?” It’s no secret that life would be different if he wasn’t RM of BTS, and it’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole of wonderings and “what if’s?” Luckily for us, these ponderings ignited a creative spark and birthed a whole new record for us to enjoy! Let’s dive into the genius mind of RM as we explore Right Place, Wrong Person track by track.

‘Right People, Wrong Place’

RM opens the album with ‘Right People, Wrong Place,’ a kaleidoscopic hip-hop track that reflects someone’s cognitive dissonance. With a blend of FX sounds and undecipherable ramblings and shouting, this intro number feels almost like an out-of-body experience and sets you up for what’s to come from the record. Right from the get-go, this track had us hooked and curious about the journey RM was about to take us on.

‘Nuts’

‘Nuts’ is a song that had the fandom curious from its bold title and it’s easily a stand-out track on the album. This alternative hip-hop track has an anomalous beat that takes center stage before an electric guitar takes over as RM ruminates on the exasperation one can feel from human relationships. We love just how different this sound is compared to his previous works, showing that the rapper truly is a man of many talents and unafraid to leave his comfort zone and explore different genres and sounds.

‘out of love’

Tracks 1 through 3 could blend perfectly in terms of sound, making them, in our heads, almost like a trio. ‘out of love’ continues that alternative hip hop sound and takes us down a more dark and antagonistic route, truly portraying RM’s emotions perfectly. Short but sweet, this track encapsulates those feelings of losing any faith in love one may have had once. It’s gritty, it’s painful and it has us embodying the profound emotions RM has poured into his work. 

‘Domodachi’ featuring Little Simz

The first collab of the album opens up with a peculiar saxophone before picking up the tempo and introducing alluring percussive sounds that easily persuade your body to give in to the beat and dance. The title is a compound word consisting of two Japanese words: ‘domo,’ meaning ‘thank you’, and ‘Tomodachi,’ meaning ‘friends,’ which fits perfectly into the theme of the song. Little Simz’s feature is truly the pièce de résistance that ties the song together with powerful lyrics that we just know will be a fan favorite. 

‘? (Interlude)’

This progressive jazz track truly lets the instrumental shine as snippets of RM speaking are scattered throughout the track. ‘? (Interlude)’ featured some production from rising American jazz duo DOMi & JD Beck. We can’t help but long for a live performance of this album and believe this is where the interlude will truly shine, immersing the audience into an entrancing musical journey.

‘Groin”

We can truly see ‘Groin’ being an overall fan favourite. From the beguiling blend of rock sounds into the alternative hip-hop melody to the simple yet gripping chorus, ‘Groin’ has big beats and an even bigger attitude that is so easy to adopt even after the first listen. This song was made for singing at the top of your lungs, especially in a live setting where we truly think it would thrive. “Get yo ass out the trunk” will be our earworm for the foreseeable future, and we are not mad about it in the slightest.

‘Heaven’

‘Heaven’ is perhaps the one song that stands out from the rest of the album the most. The sound is arguably the most different from the record as a whole, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong. This dreamy number feels like cloud-walking music that has us floating in the air. Contrary to the title and its ethereal sound, the lyrical twist that is “Take my heaven” and eye-opening lines such as “I’m happy where the devils are” are the details that pull you out of any initial assumptions you had about the song’s intentions.

‘LOST!’

Serving as the title track, this high-tempo alt-pop song narrates the story of someone who lost their way. ‘LOST!’ feels like a message of hope to help you get through the tough times of losing your way with the comfort of having your friends by your side. Despite being inspired by the issue of being lost, this is such a spirit-lifting tune and feels detrimental to getting you through the times when you feel the urge to submit to the struggles you face. We can see ‘LOST!’ making it to our running or workout playlists thanks to its high energy!

‘Around the World in a Day’ featuring Moses Sumney

We’d like to put in a complaint here to Mr Kim Namjoon, because the whiplash this song gave us was massive! ‘Around the World in a Day’ is such an elective track that truly does feel like a journey of its own. The diversity of the changes throughout the track is jaw-dropping and something we were in no way prepared for and yet simply cannot get enough of. It feels like a calm and sunny spring day before a storm hits and yet you can’t help but embrace this intense weather change, dancing in the rain and listening to the claps of thunder, watching the arrays of lightning in awe. It takes more than one listen to truly be able to appreciate the amount of detail in this piece of art, but you fall in love with it even more with each replay.

‘ㅠㅠ (credit roll)’

This penultimate track is a short one, spanning of a little one minute and 15 seconds, this RnB track is simple and yet feels like the perfect fit into the album drawing it to a close before the grand finale of ‘Come Back To Me.’ Leading with an electric guitar, RM asks us: “when the credits roll do you hang tight?” We’re hanging on with everything in us, Joon. With bated breath, too.

You can read our full review of ‘Come Back To Me’ in this article.

Right Place, Wrong Person is another incredible collection of work that boasts the genius and creative mind of RM. Much like an art gallery or museum, it displays such intricate and thought-provoking work that we cannot help but admire. It truly feels like a journey through the mind and emotions of the legendary musician that peels back another layer of the intricate man Kim Namjoon really is.

Are you loving Right Place, Wrong Person? Which song is your fave? Let us know by tweeting us at @TheHoneyPOP or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.

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