ARMY, did you ever think this moment would actually come? After years of waiting and wondering, BTS‘ new album ARIRANG is finally here, marking the long-awaited comeback of the world’s biggest boy band.
Featuring 14 tracks with production from Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder, the LP released Friday (March 20) showcases RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook in a more mature, artistically refined light than ever before. The septet kept anticipation high by declining to release a single ahead of the LP, dropping tracks “Body to Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “2.0,” “No. 29,” “SWIM,” “Merry Go Round,” “NORMAL,” “Like Animals,” “they don’t know ’bout us,” “One More Night,” “Please” and “Into the Sun” all at once.
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The Bangtan Boys last released a full-length in 2020, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with that year’s Be. Also in 2020, BTS reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with smashes “Life Goes On” and “Dynamite,” after which the group would top the chart again with “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe” with Coldplay. At the height of their dominance, however, the members would enlist in the South Korean military to fulfill mandatory service requirements while staggering solo releases.
After the last of the members were discharged, the group almost immediately got back in the studio. In a GQ cover story ahead of the release of ARIRANG, Suga promised the album would feature a “diversity of genres,” while RM called it “truly the whole package.”
Later, label BigHit Music explained the inspiration behind the LP’s title, which is borrowed from the name of a traditional Korean folk song. “Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” a January press release stated, calling ARIRANG “a deeply reflective body of work” that explores BTS’ “identity and roots.”
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Now that the album is finally here, BTS will proceed with a comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Saturday (March 21). After that, the group will travel to New York City for a Spotify fan event followed by appearances on back-to-back episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In April, the band will kick off a sprawling stadium tour of the globe.
Listen to BTS’ first album in six years, ARIRANG, below.
