Everyone Rejoice! Super Tuna is Streaming!

I learned about the release as the gods intended - via this adorable update on Wootteo’s Instagram page.

It’s a momentous day, ARMY! In preparation for the release of his new single “The Astronaut” at the end of the month, Kim Seokjin has blessed us all by releasing his past solos on all major music platforms. No longer will you have to re-download SoundCloud whenever you feel the urge to wallow in the delicious sorrow of “Abyss” or dance your fins off to “Super Tuna”.  (Though, let’s be honest, how many of us were listening to 수퍼 참치 without the chaotically adorable music video to accompany it)?

The addition of “Abyss” is particularly exciting for me because this was the song that made Kim Seokjin my permanent wrecker. I was five or so months into my ARMY journey and my impression of him at that point was that he was funny and delightful but I didn’t really connect with him in the same way I did with some of the others. (This is, by the way, how pretty much all my wreckers start, it turns out - whichever member I vibe with the least initially is sure to stage a sneak attack and steal my heart when I least expect it.) “Abyss" was a rare glimpse into a darker side of Jin that he typically tries to hide, and it was a turning point for me. Funny AND depressed? Sign me up. 

All jokes aside, Jin’s solo songs tend toward melancholy, self-reflection, and longing in a way that is both relatable and achingly beautiful. I’ve mentioned before that mono is one of my favorite albums because of how it explores the depths of RM’s malaise, but I don’t think we often give Jin enough credit (or that he gives himself enough credit) for how expertly he expresses the yearning, empty feeling that accompanies growing up, losing ourselves, losing loved ones, and finding ourselves again.

Jin solos are instantly recognizable by their soaring, crystal-clear vocals that pierce straight into your heart as well as the use of metaphors of vastness, of being one small soul in an endless, empty expanse, and the connections we search for therein. He often uses lyrical imagery of space, the ocean, or the long stretch of sleepless nights and the yearning we experience in those liminal hours.

It may seem trite to outsiders, for example, to discover that he wrote the masterpiece “Tonight” in honor of his pets, Jjangu, Odeng, and Eomuk, who had all passed away by the time of the song’s release in 2019, but how many of us turn to animal companions for comfort in times of loneliness? When I read the lyrics In my every day you are there, In your every day I'm there, When the moon is gone and the sun rises, The one who has been with me, Will you be gone? I think of the nights when I’ve hugged my own pets close, whispering “you’ll live forever” in their ears while grappling with the knowledge that their lifespans will likely be much shorter than mine.

With “Abyss” he went even deeper, exploring the burnout and depression that he typically works to hide and that so many of us can relate to, especially poignant in December 2020 after a year of isolation and having our worlds turned upside down by global pandemic and grief. That stress of that year not only strained our interpersonal relationships and separated us from the social activities we took for granted but also eroded our sense of self for many of us. I spent much of 2020 feeling like I was floating in despondency with no idea of who I was anymore, and only in discovering BTS did I begin the long journey back to myself. When Jin sang The closer I get to you, the more I become breathless and it feels like you are getting even further away, Maybe you went deeper into that sea, Myself in that sea, I want to find you and tell you, Today, I want to get to know you even more, I saw my own journey through misery to self-acceptance reflected in his.

Then, of course, there’s the giant fish in the room. “Super Tuna”. At first glance, this song is an outlier, an absolute banger that’s simply about Seokjin’s desire to catch a really big fish (maybe even a shark while he’s at it). But even this has some hidden depth to it - on Youngji’s show “My Alcohol Diary” this week, he revealed that he wrote the song as an excuse to get closer to producer and friend Bumzu, who accompanied him on the infamous fishing trip where “Super Tuna” was born. 

I have no doubt that “The Astronaut” will be yet another poignant exploration of the myriad ways we grow apart and come together throughout our lives, and I’m sure we’re all waiting with bated breath to hear what our silver-voiced singer has in store for us. In the meantime, enjoy the thrill of finally being able to add these masterpieces to all your playlists so they can take their rightful place in our streaming rotations.