[Album Review] Agust D’s ‘D-DAY’

In preparation for BTS member SUGA’s latest album release, I spent the last few weeks listening to the back catalogue of Agust D discography to consume as much content as possible. 

Agust D, D-DAY. Image: BigHit Entertainment and HYBE.

D-Day is the final installment in the trilogy for Agust D with previously released mixtapes Agust D (2016) and D-2 (2020). I desperately tried to find a connection between the trio, studying music videos, reading past interviews, and watching YouTube content. But it wasn’t until an epiphany moment whilst weeding in the garden, I suddenly realised that just because this is a trilogy doesn’t mean that the narrative continues between them – much like the Edgar Wright Cornetto film series, in that each film is its own genre that can be viewed either individually or as a set. Once the realisation set in, I was able to enjoy the latest release with a lot more enjoyment as a stand-alone piece with stories that Agust D wanted to tell at this point in his life.

The 10 track album explores multiple themes and musical styles – although a strong rap, hip-hop and retro boom bap style is firmly at its core. It does occasionally stray to cross with RnB (in the cases of “SDL” and “People Pt.2 (feat. IU)”) and a rock style that electrifies the ears (in “AMYGDALA” and “Snooze (feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto, WOOSUNG)”).  

SUGA: Road to D-DAY

In accompaniment to Agust D’s album, a Disney+ documentary entitled SUGA: Road to D-DAY was released recording the songwriting process and Agust D’s journey towards the debut of the album. It shows fans and viewers a little more insight into the artist, his fears, struggles and, occasionally, his philosophy on life. It was peppered with live recorded performances, which I really enjoyed, showing the results of all his hard work. The fans that have been fortunate enough to get their hands on tickets for his North America and Asia tour will be able to see the tracks performed live and I can’t help but feel a little envious.  

In the opening of the documentary Agust D is overcoming a musical block, worrying he has no more stories to tell. Has he achieved all his dreams? What else is there to say? To help, he takes time out in the USA to sight-see and visit friends – both as a distraction and to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming album. He shares that this is his first trip since childhood where he solely travelled and relaxed, a bittersweet revelation for fans. As a self confessed workaholic, within both his escapades as BTS rapper and producer SUGA and soloist Agust D, he has only recently revelled in the joys of taking the time to explore new places. 

The BTS members are famous for their work ethic and diligence, evidenced from numerous interviews with collaboration artists as well as the dance practice videos. Even so, it’s still surprising that the level of commitment doesn’t seem to wane with the level of success the boys enjoy. 

To aid with the completion of D-DAY, Agust D sets up a song camp (in the same house where the second season of In The Soop was filmed) with the help of EL CAPITXN. We see flashes of frustration and raw emotion during this time, with Agust D swearing in Korean and punching the soft furnishing to show just how passionate he is. 

Despite this, the finished album still has many lyrical and poetic relevant themes. Some of the tracks I found to be deeply personal with details of past trauma including “AMYGDALA” which soundtracks the illness of his mother and father along with his own personal injury.

“So all these countless pains, could they have been for me, the endless trials that couldn’t kill me.”  

I can only imagine how difficult and cathartic it must have been to produce this song.  

It wouldn’t be an Agust D album without a couple of strongly worded tracks to silence the haters and critics, evident on “Haegeum” and “HUH?!” featuring band-mate j-hope, who also recently released a solo album and Disney+ documentary. Both are strong with aggressive bass which is perfect for the subject matter.  

The music video which accompanies “Haegeum” is, quite simply, *chef’s kiss*. The tension between the characters is intense and perfectly underpinned with themes of power and corruption. The plot and transitions are next to an oscar winning film and just prove that HYBE has both the budget and talent to earn their spot as one of the top entertainment companies, not just in K-pop, but across the global entertainment industry. 

Both music videos for “Haegeum” and “Daechwita” are a lovely homage to The Dark Knight where our protagonist leans out of the police car – tasting the newly found freedom, like the Joker after he has escaped police capture, a fitting tribute to the same narrative in the music video. Hidden behind an age restriction, the music video for “AMYGDALA” acts as an origin story for the Agust D scar, with hugely personal visuals in direct correlation to the lyrics of the song. It’s a difficult but beautiful watch, given the themes and subject matter, and details the struggles that Agust D has experienced first-hand. You can’t help but admire his courage to be able to reflect and survive. 

SUGA: Road to D-DAY. Image: 2023 BIGHIT MUSIC & HYBE courtesy of Weverse. 

A touching and memorable moment within the D-Day documentary was his visit to Tokyo to meet with Japanese Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sakamoto started his career in a techno/hip-hop influenced band Yellow Magic Orchestra before moving onto film scores, which earned him an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for his work on The Last Emperor. The meeting is all the more poignant given his death in April 2023.

The two minds share their admiration and respect for each other and Agust D remarks on the longevity of Ryuichi’s career and his ambition to be able to partly mirror some of it. Suga comments that he would like to work on more instrumental tracks and rather fittingly, the album includes “Interlude : Dawn”, an atmospheric instrumental, tinged with electric guitar and full bass chords to add dramatic effects. 

(I can almost picture the scene, the protagonist on a rooftop at sunset, whilst various wide drones shots are circling them, just after a successful mission. The music swells and builds to its crescendo with the last shot punctuated with just the eyes.)

Agust D rather bravely decides to play “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” to its composer, and the meeting ends with Ryuichi playing this piece in his own inimitable style.  

Any mention of trilogies and my nostalgic brain is immediately drawn to films that made an impact on me growing up, Back to the Future, The Godfather and the 80s Indiana Jones.  Despite my reluctance to group the trio of albums together, I did automatically find myself drawn to film comparisons throughout this article. The trilogy for the Agust D albums, I find to be a lot more nuanced and subtle. 

Agust D (2016) is playful with raw emotion, whilst D-2 (2020) has a more reflective mood.  And finally, D-Day is wholly introspective and self aware. The tracks in the second half of D-Day offer a lot more hope and peacefulness with lyrics such as: “If you can’t hold back, it’s okay to cry, you’re already more than enough to be loved” in “People pt.2”. “Snooze” offers the listener almost reassurance and encouragement sharing the lyric: “If you are afraid of falling, I will gladly catch you, so don’t suffer like me”.  

The film trilogy that I think of most is the Before series by Richard Linklater. The trilogy, Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013), exposes the raw and often mundane nature of a maturing relationship. The characters grow and mature, making mistakes along the way and living with the consequences. The three albums by Agust D show him maturing and becoming more self aware of himself and the world, and realising that neither are perfect. 

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.