Skool Luv Affair

For their second mini album, released on Valentine's Day 2014, BTS kept the world of school and youth, but this time brought into it the warmth of first love. Skool Luv Affair, as its title suggests, is an ode to dreams, happiness and love, still with a strong focus on teenage life. It was a natural step, because after the rebellion of their first releases comes the gentler, love-struck side of youth.

The title track Boy in Luv speaks of a first, clumsy infatuation, but the group didn't abandon its hip hop identity in the process, so the album stayed bold and rhythmic, blending romantic themes with their recognizable fire. Alongside it are the bright Just One Day and another installment in their well known series of rap tracks, Cypher, in which the rappers show off their skill and confidence.

It's interesting how this album reveals the group's growth. While the first two releases were focused on rebellion and social critique, Skool Luv Affair showed that BTS could also be warm and playful without losing any honesty in the process. The love they sing about isn't polished or perfect, but real, clumsy and youthful.

The album's success was also the first clear sign that the group was growing, bringing them more notable chart placements and an ever expanding audience. Later that year an expanded version of the album was released, with additional songs, giving this period its full shape.

Skool Luv Affair thus forms the middle chapter of the school trilogy, a chapter where rebellion meets tenderness. Fans have held it dear because it shows BTS in their most youthful days, a group growing up in front of the cameras, learning to speak not only about the pressures of the world, but about first love as well.