The BTS ARMY Has Intense Fan Theories About New "Love Yourself: Answer" Photos

"This album's concept might tackle how our society is manipulative."
BTS in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Korean K-pop band 'BTS' are seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' on November 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)RB/Bauer-Griffin

One of the many reasons the BTS ARMY loves their K-Pop group of choice is the intense amount of thought BTS seems to put into both their lyrics and their accompanying visuals and themes. In the past, BTS member RM has spoken about how all their albums fit together: "Basically, our albums are like a four-part series; [the series] is about love. So [Love Yourself: Tear] is part three and it's like a turning point," he told Beats 1 recently. That attention to details means that every bit of BTS news is ripe for a new fan theory, and the BTS ARMY always delivers.

BTS's new album Love Yourself: Answer will soon be dropping on August 24, and the band has been releasing some accompanying photos of their album concept. The artistic shots include BTS members isolated in red boxes, with creepy hands reaching out and metallic cameras pointed at them. In another set, they each sit in glass terrariums, trapped among flowers and trees.

Of course, the new photos already have fans parsing out any hidden clues as to the new album's subject matter, or to BTS's creative vision generally. One fan thought the boxes could be seen as a metaphor for something more nefarious: "The eyes, hands and cameras symbolise the crazed fans invading their privacy. another thing i noticed is that they're dressed in really extravegant or over the top clothes which could also symbolise them feeling as if they're just showmen and they have to put up an act."

Another noticed that one photo makes them look like doll-puppets in a box, writing, "This photo looks like they’re dolls in heir packaging. +with the way their arms are wrapped it reminds me of the dance move when they bent their arms in weird ways before dropping to the ground. like they were puppets being controlled."

One eagle-eyed fan noticed a literary reference to George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 in BTS's costuming, and explained that BTS could be trying to speak to society at large instead of BTS specifically. They wrote, "Basically very summed up, this album's concept might tackle on how our society is manipulative, voyeuristic & lack freedom. We are all controlled in some way and have no individuality left."

We'll have to wait until the album officially comes out to hear more about any overarching themes, but in the meantime, these extremely analytical fan theories are giving us a lot to think about. We stan any group that inspires this much critical thinking.

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