BTS is back! After a two year long hiatus, K-Pop group BTS has released ARIRANG. On March 20th, the group released their new album across all music platforms which includes a total of 14 new tracks.
BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan are a five time Grammy nominated South Korean boy band who debuted in June of 2013. The group consists of seven members; RM (BTS’ leader), Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. The group is known for their self produced music which has broken countless world records, paving the way for multiple K-Pop artists.
ARIRANG’s executive producer is Diplo alongside longtime BTS collaborator Pdogg. Diplo has been in the works on this project since November of 2024. Writers and producers of ARIRANG come from Diplo’s publishing company, Bison Music Publishing.
They wanted someone who would take chances, someone who could help them build a project left of center and rebellious.
– Diplo
Following the release of ARIRANG is a world tour which kicked off in April at the Goyang Stadium in South Korea. The tour starts in their home country and includes different stops across the world. Overall the BTS World Tour has over 80 shows across 34 different cities with more to come. The last show put on by all seven members was BTS Permission to Dance on Stage in both LA and Las Vegas.
The album begins with the track “Body to Body” which its instrumental and vocal aspects tie to South Korean culture. The end of the track includes the chorus to the traditional Korean folk song Arirang which is where the group grew inspiration from for their new album.
The second track “Hooligan” is a more experimental upbeat song including vocals from all 7 members. The song is a complete 180 compared to “Body to Body” which emphasizes the groups range in genres. The instrumentals within this track are more aggressive creating a loud tune paired with lyrics that are emphasizing the sound of the beats.
Check Out Hooligan Here
Third on the album is “Aliens” which the group uses as a clap back to haters and racism they received from western media. The song praises their accomplishments and emphasizes their persistence in creating a name for themselves even through the hardship.
The fourth song on ARIRANG is “FYA” which is a fun upbeat song that is made from a Jersey Club track. The entirety of the song aims to hype up their listeners making it one of the most anticipated songs for their tour shows. The song likely refers to their song Burning up (Fire) from the album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever.
Following “FYA” on the album is “2.0”, another upbeat rap song within the album. The song’s production is by Mike Will Made-It who is known for songs like HUMBLE and DNA by Kendrick Lamar. Being the third most streamed song off the album, 2.0 has a heavy trap instrument with lyrics suggesting the new era for the group.
“No. 29” is the 6th track of the album which is used as a transition within the album and includes the sound of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok. The sacred bell is South Korea’s National Treasure No. 29 and the track’s length (1m 37s) refers to how long it takes the sacred bells ring to fade out.
ARIRANG’s title track “SWIM” is the 7th song on the album and debuted at #1 of the Hot 100. SWIM is one of the three English songs within ARIRANG and has a slower tempo compared to the first 5 tracks of the album. The song stays on the theme of Arirang and follows the emotions of love. The components of the song being a mixture of vocals and softer raps from the members.
Swim Starring Lili Reinhart
The 8th track, “Merry Go Round” continues with the slower tempos and the lyrics are beautifully written to communicate with their listeners the sense of life feeling like a merry go round with no stop. The instrumental for this track include softer beats of drums and a melody enhancing the emotions of the song.
Following Merry Go round is “NORMAL” which is the second English song off the album. NORMAL continues to explain how the consistency and fast lifestyle has become a norm to the members. With no stopping since their debut NORMAL explains the darker moments idols face with fame.
“Like Animals” is the third song on the album that is fully sung in English. The beat for Like Animals changes into an alternative rock style. A strong sense of the guitar leads the introduction of the song with drums picking up the tempo of the song.
“they don’t know about us” is a softer hip hop style song changing up the pace from the last three songs that followed SWIM. A beautiful composition between the members vocals and rapping styles all to communicate their frustrations with the listener. they don’t know about us can be also seen as a clap back towards haters who push different narratives of the group and individual members.
“One More Night” has a melody that resemble dance music making the song more upbeat. Another love song full of yearning for someone who is not apart of your life anymore.
“Please” like the albums name (Arirang) is also named by another Korean folk song which BTS uses to emphasize their strong connections to their culture regardless what anyone says about them.
Lastly, to close off the album is “Into The Sun” which also serves as the closing song for their shows. This song has slow intro that transitions into a completely different beat. The instrumental is carried by guitar and drums creating a fun and upbeat closer for the album.
ARIRANG did a great job in indicating the new era within BTS music career and fans are excited to see what’s next. Make sure to listen to ARIRANG and check out more about BTS World Tour ARIRANG at 2026bts.com