BTS

BTS has released their latest album, ‘Arirang.’ Photos courtesy of Hybe

The seven-member group is back with their first album in nearly four years, ‘Arirang,’ a hip-hop heavy, Korean folk-infused experimental exploration of how the biggest group in the world can move forward.

It’s been three years and nine months since the last BTS album — don’t bother to ask who’s counting; there’s millions of fans around the world who have been counting the seconds until this very moment.

Arirang, the highly anticipated fifth studio album from the seven-member trailblazing K-pop group, and its lead single, “Swim,” arrived Friday (March 20). In the years since the last BTS album, all seven members of the group, consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, have released solo bodies of work and completed their mandatory South Korean military service enlistment.

Fans of the group, collectively known as ARMY, have been waiting in anticipation as each member was discharged over the last year, setting the stage for the group’s return. BTS, never one to shy away from standing in the spotlight they worked hard to earn, has seemingly taken over their home city of Seoul to celebrate the occasion. The group is playing the album live for the first time during a Netflix live stream being broadcast from Gwanghwamun, a well-known Seoul landmark offering views of the city’s iconic Gyeongbokgung palace.

Social media had plenty of opinions on what Arirang would sound like. BTS, and the K-pop groups that have gained popularity after them in the U.S., is no stranger to the allegations of hoping to “westernize” their music. It’s a complicated way of thinking for many reasons, particularly given where the world of K-pop initially took inspiration from. But also is extremely reductive to the reality of K-pop performers today.

The album’s name, Arirang, pays tribute the folk song of the same name, which is the first Korean song recorded by Korean men with American ethnologist Alice Fletcher in the U.S. in 1896. Motifs from “Arirang” can be heard in the first track of the album, “Body to Body.” One of the most striking tracks on the album is “No. 29,” a minute-and-38-second recording of resonant tolling of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, which has been designated as South Korea’s National Treasure No. 29. Arirang sends a clear message — BTS is proud of their roots. They are, and always will be, a Korean band, even if their audience has expanded to the entire world.

Arirang is without-a-doubt BTS’ most experimental album to-date. The first half of the tracklist leans extremely hip-hop, not a total surprise, while tracks like the jersey club beat anthem “FYA,” the rock-inspired “Merry Go Round” and the grungy “Like Animals” offer the group a chance to showcase a different side of themselves.

As they long have, BTS was extremely involved in the creation of their fifth studio album. RM, the group’s leader, is credited on every track except the interlude; Suga and J-hope contributed to multiple songs including “Body to Body,” “Merry Go Round” and “Normal”; Jimin participated in “they don’t know ‘bout us” and “Into the Sun”; V contributed to “2.0” and “Into the Sun”; and Jungkook played a key role in four songs including “Hooligan.” The album is stacked with outside producers and songwriters including Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Mike WiLL Made-It, Flume, Kevin Parker, a.k.a. Tame Impala, El Guincho and JPEGMAFIA.

Below, The Hollywood Reporter digs into each track of Arirang from start to finish.

  • “Body to Body”

    BTS returns to the scene with a bang on this pop-rap track infused with elements of the Korean folk song “Arirang.” Within seconds, it’s clear that the group is using all they’ve learned and wading into more experimental waters. It’s also the perfect concert opener — we’ll see in just weeks if that’s what BTS decides to open their highly anticipated world tour with — thanks to its intro that builds and builds until RM kicks off the song with “I need the whole stadium to jump.” Diplo and Tedder participated in production on the track.

  • “Hooligan”

    One of the most interesting tracks on Arirang, sonically speaking, “Hooligan” is a rap song that blends a strings arrangement and the sound of sharp blades clashing. The song is endlessly catchy. The group’s vocal line, made up of Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook, lend their voices to the sung through part in the chorus. El Guincho participated in the production of the album.

  • “Aliens”

    The seven-member group has a little fun on this Mike WiLL Made-It-produced track. Set over an 808 beat, BTS uses the song to explain that things can be perceived as “differences” about them are actually the very things that define group’s individuality. The song references Korean cultural habits throughout, and it’s truly a track for a group that has forged its own path.

  • “FYA”

    Another venture into the experimental compared to previous releases, “FYA” is a standout on the album. This high energy jersey club beat track, produced by Diplo, Flume and JPEGMAFIA, is BTS in a way fans have never heard them before. Sonically speaking, it’s completely out of left field for the group, in the best way possible. The lyrics are catchy ass hell too — “Club go crazy, like Britney, baby / Hit me with it one more time.”

  • “2.0”

    Another Mike WiLL Made-It track, “2.0,” aptly titled, is a showcase of how much BTS has evolved over the years. It’s easy to picture a song like this living in BTS’ discography earlier in the group’s career, however, it certainly would’ve sounded different. The lyrics, “You know how I do” and “you know how we do,” serve as the song’s thesis in a way — this is BTS 2.0.

  • “No. 29”

    Arirang’s interlude moves from the hip-heavy first half into the more emotional and funky tracks of the second half. The tolling of the bells is a bit of a break before a different (or perhaps more familiar) side of BTS emerges in the next track, its lead single.

  • “Swim”

    BTS opted not to go the pre-release single route for Arirang, so “Swim” serves as the first, and currently only, single on the album. The synth-heavy song is addicting, without being overwhelming. No doubt, it’ll be a radio hit in no time. If the first half of the album explored BTS and their relationship to their own cultural identity, “Swim” is a, forgive the pun, headfirst dive into the group’s resolve to move forward. Having completed their military service and looking at the next chapter of their career, BTS is literally expressing their love for life — this life they’ve worked endless for. RM served as the main songwriter on the track.

  • “Merry Go Round”

    Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker lent his production to this trippy, rock-inspired track. “Merry Go Round” continues on the more sentimental portion of the album that “Swim” kicked off. The song’s a bit dreamy, and has the potential to be a sleeper fan favorite.

  • “Normal”

    This pop-rock track, produced by Tedder, is another standout on Arirang. The song, according to a release, is a chance for the group to explore the space between the spotlight and solitude. This is a rare look inside the head of seven of the most famous people in the world — and what that means for the “normal” men that they are outside of the spotlight.

  • “Like Animals”

    BTS slows it down a bit with this song produced by Diplo. “Like Animals” has a grunge edge to it, another first for the group, featuring a heavy baseline throughout the song. The song’s a bit chilling, in all honesty, and is about the desire to live freely rather than be caged in.

  • “They don’t know ‘bout us”

    This track is another chance for BTS to remind everyone that there’s no formula behind the group’s success that can be replicated. Throughout their career, BTS hasn’t been shy about hyping themselves and their achievements up, while remaining humble. But on Arirang, it feels different, in a wonderful way. The group is not afraid to let you know that they know people are trying to follow their playbook. But with songs like “They don’t know ‘bout us,” BTS proves they’re a singular talent for a reason.

  • “One More Night”

    It’s nearing the end of Arirang, and “One More Night” serves as a groovy bridge to the end of the album. The song seems to be about trying to hold onto this “fantasy” — a word repeated several times throughout the song — for just one more night. It’s a trip, sonically speaking, mixing house and traditional top 40 pop vibes to create an interesting and addicting sound. Diplo, credited throughout this album, lent his production to this track.

  • “Please”

    This chill track might not be the most intense of the album, but it’s a welcome change of pace after the journey that is Arirang. “Please” is about the desire to stay together; you can choose to interpret that in whatever way you need to. But it feels intentional, even if it’s wrapped in a love song, to include a track about the desire to stay together after returning to their fans after years away.

  • “Into the Sun”

    In it’s totality, Arirang is all about looking back at the past and where you come from and taking that into the future. Much like BTS themselves. There was no way for BTS to release an album at this stage of their career without looking back at how they got to this point today. Through Arirang, and best exemplified through the album’s closer, “Into the Sun,” BTS is moving into a new league of their own. This album, and the group as a whole, exist in a space outside the limitations many have set upon them. “I’ll follow you into the sun,” is perhaps not just about the fans with BTS, but with BTS and the fans right back. This dedicated group of fans have brought the group to a world stage of their own, and they’re remaining just as loyal to those fans as those fans are to them.

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

Subscribe Sign Up