‘ARIRANG’ is BTS at their freest

MANILA, Philippines — In 2026, BTS are in a place where they no longer need to yell to be heard. Failure isn’t quite in the cards now for a group of their stature — so what then will the worldwide icons create with this license to do pretty much anything for their highly awaited return? The answer is here, and it’s a good one.

“ARIRANG,” the group’s first album in nearly four years, is the stunning product of a BTS that confidently and comfortably explores the bounds of each member’s musical capabilities simply because they can. And so regardless of any expectation of what this history-making comeback should look and sound like, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook chose to reintroduce themselves with laidback certainty.

All seven members completed their mandatory military service and pursued solo activities during their break, from RM curating an upcoming exhibition for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to Jung Kook joining Calvin Klein as a global brand ambassador. Such significant time and success apart would have loosened the bond of a lesser team but not BTS. “ARIRANG” is proof that the septet is more united than ever.

In contrast to the maximalism of 2018’s “IDOL” or 2020’s “ON,” lead single Swim guides listeners through its tumultuous voyage with an undercurrent of sensuality. There is composure in how it wades in and out of complicated emotions. The renewed clarity in Swim can only be the result of a team that took its time to live as individuals before coming back together.

Their reintroduction begins with a blazing five-track sprint flaunting how much more and better they can play around with their signature hip-hop sound. Opener Body to Body is an instant classic sampling Arirang, a beloved Korean folk song from which the album takes its name. ARMYs might recall the incisive energy of the old rap line (RM, SUGA and j-hope) Cyphers in Hooligan. Then comes Aliens, a too-short (as with many other songs in the album) but long overdue callout of their treatment as K-pop artists on an inhospitable world stage. And if 2016 had Fire, 2026 has BTS coming in hotter with FYA. The first part concludes with 2.0 to say they “came back for what’s mine,” and rightfully so.

No. 29 comes next as an almost two-minute track that features only one sound: the tolling of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, listed as National Treasure No. 29 of South Korea. Sonically, it’s a breather. But it’s also a metaphor. This bell, a uniquely Korean creation, is now being heard by millions of people across continents — an apt inclusion for a group “born in Korea” that now “plays for the world.”

The interlude gives way for the group to get pensive for the latter half of “ARIRANG.” Merry Go Round is more subdued than the rest, packing less of a punch compared to the evident tension of restraint and indulgence in Like Animals. The vocal line (Jin, Jimin, V and Jung Kook) shines in NORMAL and “they don’t know ‘bout us,” both candid reflections on their fame.

Although less distinct as a stand-alone track, One More Night offers a welcome respite of light pop fun before slipping into old-school R&B with the earworm-y “Please.”

“ARIRANG” closes with Into the Sun, a slow and sentimental track that unapologetically crosses the line into cheesy. It is an endearing reminder of the sincerity no break or solo success could take away from the boys. Yes, this is a BTS that has changed — evolved, transformed, grown, etc., but this is still BTS. They know it; we ought to know it now, too.