Recommendations of the Editorial team
BTS’ highly anticipated fifth studio album “Arirang” is finally here. For the past five and a half years, the group’s members have either been working on solo projects or completing their mandatory military service in South Korea. Now they are coming back with a vengeance.
In addition to the 14-track album, the group is releasing a video for the song “Swim.” A free concert is planned for March 21 at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, which Netflix will stream live. On March 23, the group will perform in the US for the first time in almost four years at the Spotify x BTS: SWIMSIDE event for 1,000 fans in New York. And on March 27th, the documentary “BTS: The Return” will be released on Netflix with a look behind the scenes. An 82-date world tour will follow from April 9th and will run until March next year. Screenings of two concerts under the official title “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ Live Viewing” are scheduled for April 11th (the seven-man band’s gig in Goyang, South Korea) and April 18th (Tokyo).
For the recording, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook moved to Los Angeles together, where they lived together in a house for two months. It was the first time since 2019 that all seven lived under one roof. The album’s songwriters and producers include Pdogg, Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Flume, JPEGMAFIA, Mike WiLL Made-It, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, El Guincho and Teezo Touchdown. The result is “Arirang” – named after a Korean folk song.
Longing for music
“During my time in the military, I couldn’t make music even if I wanted to,” Jung Kook recently told ROLLING STONE UK. “It built a deep longing within me. It drove me to get better and do something really great.”
“To make music as a team in a healthy way, while each of us is simultaneously making our own music, everyone goes through personal growth and the growing pains that come with it,” J-Hope said on The Zach Sang Show last year. “We’re learning a lot along the way. And when we come back together after our solo projects, these experiences will fill us with new strength and energy. That’s very soon now. Everyone has grown while pursuing their solo projects. I believe that will be reflected in the music we create as BTS.”
Ultimately, they emphasized that the resulting album was very personal. “Based on the emotional depth of ‘Arirang’ – the feeling of longing and desire and the ebb and flow of life – the band chose this track because of its strong resonance with their current journey,” said a statement. “The new release explores universal feelings of longing and love and will touch global audiences as a timeless legacy across generations and cultures.”
“Arirang” – Tracklist
- 1. “Body to Body”
- 2. “Hooligan”
- 3. “Aliens”
- 4. “FYA”
- 5. “2.0”
- 6. “No. 29”
- 7. “Swim”
- 8. “Merry Go Round”
- 9. “Normal”
- 10. “Like Animals”
- 11. “they don’t know ‘bout us”
- 12. “One More Night”
- 13. “Please”
- 14. “Into the Sun”
