After a long six-year wait and mandatory military service, K-Pop sensation BTS has made a long-awaited comeback. The 14-track, fifth studio album “ARIRANG” from the septet – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jimin and Jungkook – was released March 20, and is absolutely everything fans wanted it to be, and more.

As the group’s first full comeback since 2022, the album is similar to their “Dark and Wild” album while still being completely new and mature. The album combines their new group image with the essence of the members’ solo music – it combines Suga’s darker music style, RM’s more thoughtful lyric style, alongside Jungkook’s powerhouse vocals. The album blends all of these solo identities into something bigger and more beautiful than the group has done before.

The album is incredibly historic and emphasizes the K in K-Pop. The title itself, “ARIRANG,” is the name of one of South Korea’s most popular folk songs, covering themes of overcoming hardship. In addition, the first recording of the historic song was made in the United States in 1896, being performed by seven Korean men at Howard University, which BTS calls back upon as a septet. “We missed being in society,” RM said during a group live on social media platform Weverse. “Since ‘ARIRANG’ contains the joy and sorrow of life, that kind of sentiment will be tied to the music – the joys and sorrows that we experienced ourselves. [‘ARIRANG’] ties it all up together well.” The song “No. 29” is the sixth track and is almost fully silent, yet it is compositionally genius. The gong-like sound at the beginning of the song is the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, which is an artifact from 771 AD and is known as South Korea’s national treasure No. 29. From beginning to end, the album is rooted in Korean history.

From start to finish, it is an amazing album, with songs like “FYA,” “SWIM” and “Into the Sun” standing out as
extraordinary pieces on the record. However, the standout songs are “Hooligan,” “2.0” and “Please.” “Hooligan” is incredibly unique. It blends rap with a string arrangement and the sound of blades clashing. Although it is a “noisy” song, it is incredibly catchy and listeners can’t help but play it on repeat. “2.0,” produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, shows the essence of how much BTS has evolved over the years. “I think it’s a story that includes growth,” BTS member V said in an interview with K-media. “As time passes, new beginnings come naturally, but at the same time, it’s also an opportunity for BTS to show the experience and growth we’ve built through performing on stage.”

However, the best track on the album is “Please.” The track is an incredibly passionate song covering themes of devotion and determination from someone who is desperate to keep something despite forces trying to ruin it. The song portrays love as something worth fighting and yearning for instead of being something effortless. The entire album covers themes of endurance and separation, and this track just contributes to the theme in a way that is incredibly vulnerable and personal.

“ARIRANG” is unapologetically “BTS” and shows this group has never and will never shy away from their
roots and what they want to say. Their confidence as artists shines extremely through in this album while remaining vulnerable and real with the listeners. Becoming the group’s seventh album to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the record is a beautiful return for the group to the music scene and excites fans for a new era of the iconic septet.