And just like that, BTS are back. Of course the next question for many would be… “Was the wait worth it?” Naturally it depends on who you ask, but if an album gets people talking about culture and learning about various genres and sounds, then it’s doing something right.
The seven members returned on the 20th of March with ARIRANG with a 14-track album, and from the beginning the rollout was something different. Gone was the traditional K-pop 12pm KST reveals – no concept photos, no teaser schedules, and no track previews. Instead, the comeback was teased through a collaboration with Netflix, a livestreamed return to the stage in South Korea. Valentine’s Day and the following weeks saw the repeated question “What is your love song?” and, without context, looked to have no correlation to the comeback. But I think with the last line of the album and the following interviews on release day that was finally answered.
The title track “Swim” revealed very little, if anything, in the teasers just days before release. Yet in the full visuals, the seven members return as if reborn, regal and poised. Sailing the seas aboard a ship named Arirang. As usual, the video was laden with mythology and layered storytelling. At this point it wouldn’t be a BTS track without some correlation to a philosophical or historical backstory. At this point, if you’re new to BTS’s work, it can feel like a never-ending dive into philosophical and literary references that borders on academic, and I genuinely think a university course could (and should) exist.
ARIRANG is at the core of the album’s concept. The name draws from a deeply rooted Korean cultural symbol. It’s more than a gorgeous melody; it is a living piece of history. The Korean people associate it with longing, separation, and identity. BTS reimagine this idea not as something fixed in the path but as swimming towards their future. Something new, personal and what their new stories may consist of. What is your Arirang? What are your love songs? Your sense of home and happiness? This is a theme that leads itself very subtly throughout the album for you to dig into and sift through.
One could sum it up as the album having elements of Dark & Wild and it materialised into grown up and matured. But that would be too simple.
In an interview with Zane Lowe, BTS sat and explained about the longing to return as well and how to tackle a new album. Aware it may be a surprise to listeners but it was needed in order to grow. As Namjoon noted, ARIRANG set out to showcase universal emotions—nostalgia, longing, and sadness—making it both deeply Korean and globally resonant. By reinterpreting it in 2026, BTS aim to transform something personal into something shared with the world in their own way. And in their own way they certainly did. Loud and blaring.
This is in case and point with sound. The opening track, “Body to Body”, reintroduces the group with a big ole bang. It’s built for the live stages, driven by dynamic exchanges between the rapline and vocal team. Then comes the highlight of the track and unexpectedly, traditional elements emerge, inspired by Korean folklore. The drums turn acoustic, and the voices of women singing in the emotionally goosebump-inducing vocals take over the track. The fusion between both English and Korean lyrics ensures meaning for those who speak either language. This in turn reinforces the group’s plan to make the album universal. It follows throughout the first five tracks, which pack a punch, rooted in hip-hop sounds that inspired their earlier music, such as 2014’s Dark and Wild.
At its core, it asks the listeners to engage and even seek out the references. Beyond first impressions, later listeners will perhaps pick up on elements such as pansori, concepts like han, and landmark figures such as Kim Gu, whose referenced in the track “Aliens”.
It’s on “Aliens” that the lyricism is highlighting the racial stereotypes faced: “Do I look too funny for you?” That continuation of being rooted in Korea makes some statements in the bold track “Aliens”, as RM states: “Pardon 김구 선생님 (Master Kim Gu), tell me how you feel.”
Kim Gu, founding father of the Republic of Korea, once wrote: “The only thing that I desire in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes us happy and gives happiness to others.” which one could say was the re-purposed intent behind the album.
Midway through the album, “No. 29” offers a striking pause. At first you do think your headphones have broken, or the streaming service has shut down. The reality is, though, it offers a palate cleanser from the stimulation of the previous party tracks. In fact, it’s a strike of a bell. The Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok, which acts like a moment of meditation and stillness. The bell is designated as the 29th national treasure of South Korea. The bell, which is a 1,255-year-old, 18.9-tonne bronze bell, was rung for the first time in 25 years. While confused as to the silence, it leads nicely into the latter half of the album.
The next half is like a completely different album. Two merged together. While the first half was bold, loud, and most definitely unapologetic, it marked the return to the industry. The second leads to the pain, the struggle, and the continued confusion that still follows us as we grow.
That is why “Swim” is the perfect title track; like the sea itself, it washes over and engulfs, and the vocals just shine. A laidback beat that is just calming. Essentially pushing you to keep going. Once again the balance between the melodies of the vocal lines sandwiched between rapline verses works well.
Tracks like “Normal” and “They Don’t Know ‘Bout Us‘” confront the realities of fame, media intrusion, and the pressures that have become, for them, routine. There’s a sadness and rawness to the lyrics. A quiet sense of exhaustion from the things said and faced in the spotlight. “Normal” I particularly feel connected too and the line: “Wish I had a minute just to turn me off.” While the last few years have been non-stop for the boys, it’s also something we can perhaps also relate to.
“Merry-Go-Round” is a complex tale of the momentous routine of life and the inability to see a way out of the staleness we can find ourselves in. “I do my best, but I can’t slow down” is a layer of vulnerability that can be related to their whirlwind career from their debut days. The sounds emulate that of a gentle merry-go-round and are, without a doubt, will probably become 2016′ “Spring Days”, baby sister.
Overall ARIRANG is a layered album built on culture, tradition, and identity as a collective. It navigates national pride in their heritage, self-discovery, and fears, all while being structurally sound but reaffirming what BTS have always stood for: connection. As stated by j-Hope during their FESTA 2022, the importance of their solo chapter makes sense today.
As he said once all reunited, it will be explosive. And he’s right; sonically, the album reflects the individual growth of each member during their solo era. The first five tracks are confident but not cocky; “Hooligan” and “2.0” in particular highlight that hunger of being back. But also this time unashamed to celebrate their legacy. The experimental arrangements all find their place here. Nothing feels accidental; every sound contributes to the broader narrative.
For some, the Korean influences may not feel obvious straight away. That feels like exactly the point. In the past, tracks like “DDaeng”, “Daechwita”, and “Idol” have been symbolic but served us directly. This isn’t surface-level culture; it instead invites you to simply sit and to understand. We’re in a fast-paced world, where music is to be consumed quickly and used as a viral moment. Which is valid given that social media has shortened our attention spans. This shift has even influenced music itself, with songs getting shorter to accommodate trends and social media. But that is a conversation for another day.
As BTS have asked throughout the comeback, what is your love song and what is their ARIRANG? We find the answer in the end: it’s about making music, reunions, and bonds shared between each other and ARMY (as revealed at the ending of their Netflix comeback stage.) Which took place in the heart of Seoul at Gwanghwamun Square, in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace on Saturday the 21st March.
