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Listening Party: BTS 'ARIRANG' 5th Album (Patreon)

Published:
2026-03-23 13:31:07
Imported:
2026-03
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bts

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ㅅㄹ

I CLICKED SO FAST OMG

pip pop

ohhh i‘m exiteddd

josef

here we gooo

Giu

let's gooo

ashley

hello this was so fast, I have never clicked anything in my life so fast aksksk

ashley

say no more pd, you'll get that aliens live performance on the comeback live!

Giu

another fact about n°29 is that the bell is almost never rung because of the risks of ruining it. But it was recently rung for the first time in 22 years and RM was actually invited to be the one to do so, but couldn't go. But the sound is now recorded for eternity in Arirang

chim

YAAAAAAAAAS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

Dassah

LETS GOOO this is my breakfast entertainment 😋

chim

the songs sounds even better live! please watch the netflix live PD 🙏🏼

Alison Renaud

This album is EVERYTHING!! Its exactly what I was and wasn't expecting! I knew it was going to be different since they're different now. This album personifies literally everything that makes BTS BTS. Their Korean roots mixed with their hip hop roots and all their unique solo styles makes this just pure BTS art. Actually the names of the different album versions supports this such as Rooted in Korea, Rooted in Music, and Living Legend. I get how this album is divisive, but its truely just them showing us who they are as artists both as a group and individuals. I love it! Only song thats not really my fav is Merry Go Round but its still a beautiful song. Ill be blasting this album all the time! Like Animals is my absolute favorite that guitar at the end! It brings so much emotion and memories of music for me!

chim

idk what theyre feeding hobi but he popped off ✋🏼

S

You should check out the comeback live on Netflix (it’s free to watch). You’ll get several of these songs live and then doing it live definitely elevates the songs even more imo

Zuv

OMG I'm so excited to see your thoughts!! People have been so negative about this album so it's amazing to see people enjoying it because I've had it on repeat - It did take a couple of listens for some of the songs to hit but I think this album overall is a grower. I love that they've taken elements from their rookie days and added in their mature flavor while also being very experimental!

Marco Gennuso

My initially review of this album was a 4.5/5 (which is already high praise, mind you). But after having listening to it some more......I'm giving it a 5/5 😅

JJ

putting everything on pause to watch this, I am so excited aaaah

amysteries

In my eyes this album is honestly perfect and I got everything I wanted from them so I’m glad you could appreciate it that much too

shyshy

I wish I liked this album but I can only ignore so much overuse of AAVE as a black american. I do like the second half more than the first half, but overall it didn't hit in the way I wish it did. And before anyone comes at me I've been an ARMY since 2017 so I'm not a "new ARMY that doesn't get their old sound".

ashley

totally agree with what you said at the end, like when they said they're going to their roots i personally felt it with the album like going to their roots which is the love for music

soff

YESSSS 🙏🏻

bea 🫧

this album is NOT DRIVE SAFE those first 5 tracks had me pulling over

aadya

I absolutely loved this album, my favourite tracks are probably Aliens, Body to Body and Like Animals. Though, I have to mention that the live performance blew my first ranking of the songs completely out the water. I am hoping that you're going to watch the Netflix live and the documentary they're airing PD, it would be fun to see your perspective on the live performance for sure (It was amazing).

chim

“we do not represent korea we’re just koreans” OHHHHHHHH THAT WAS SUCH A GOOD TAKE especially after they’ve constantly talked about the pressure theyve been through

Maria Mouzouny

you are so right...they are evolved Bts...so proud of them...

Valeria C

I didn’t know what to expect of this album, but it just blew my mind, everytime I listen to it I discover new things and my fav song changes. It’s just incredible, for me it’s their best album, and that to me is a lot because they are my ult group and to me all of their music is amazing. So I don’t know how they can come with something like this and outdid themselves. It’s fascinating to me how good this is.

Form of Therapy

They don’t have the ego to “represent” Korea, nor are they like Olympians—athletes who SPECIFICALLY train to represent their country. They trained to make music and have the identity that they crafted to be BTS. For them, to suddenly “represent their country” would be the true selling out. That’s not why they started or got into music, it’s also NOT what music is for. No single American singer represents America, no single Japanese artist represents all of Japan. To pressure BTS into representing all of Korea—in a way is the most Korean parent thing we as a people have done. I respect that they were able to DEDICATE this album to Korean culture, their roots, without succumbing to the pressure and retaining authorship of who they are.

kelly

your analyses on the album is spot on! and you were right; there is currently a lot of push back against the album. but at the same time it's the most critically aclaimed album by a kpop artist of all time. and i personally love this album and think this is one of their best. but i understand some of these songs aren't for everyone, especially if all you ever listen to is kpop

kelly

there are a LOT of people, especially on tiktok, saying these are some of the worst songs they've ever heard, that bts are washed, that this album proves bts don't deserve their fame bc their music is a bad representation of kpop, etc.

Form of Therapy

Sigh once again this idea that BTS “represents” a genre as a whole is fucking insane behavior. That’s like saying Ariana Grande represents ALL of pop music

jade

the live comeback showcase on netflix was INSANE, love seeing the boys back to doing what they love most: performing. poor namjoon was injured but was giving me heart palpitations by how much he was jumping around

WiseSmellyLegs

I do not mind at all them having the second part in the way you described. Swim now makes more sense as the title track of this/of the current "Korean made American music BTS". I am just confused by them talking about it that it is the comeback to their roots and then doing it in the first part just to live up to their words and then making the switch. It might sound funny but if the whole album was done like the second part (from Swim on) it would have made more sense to me as the representation of: "This is the image and sound we grew into". I do not even mind it being called Arirang despite not being "Korean Korean" as some people may say. It being called Arirang just represents them being Koreans as you said yourself. I guess my only problem and the reason why my feelings are mixed is based on me feeling as if I was baited by all those words of coming to their beginnings and everything, because that made me think: "Huh! So out of all those eras and sounds they have been through, they chose the very first one, cool!" (My personal favorite era of theirs is Wings/You Never Walk Alone) I do not have any ranking nor order of my favorite ones. I waited for you for my first listen, so my proper opinion is being formed right now. I can only point out Body to Body, that is the one I knew immediately I would be coming back to. And then Aliens along with Swim are second/third place. Coming back here after listening to it on my own again: The first part I enjoy by the tracks on their own, while the second part I enjoy as complete experience regardless of knowing which track is playing. And so... although I said I understand why Swim is the title track, I realized I would appreciate if there were two title tracks each representing each part. And I do not have an answer to which song should be the title track from the first part, which is the core reason of my mixed feelings... There should have been one more track in the first part, which would have been the title track for it, then No. 29 being the ending song of this part being played right after the title track and then Swim and whole second part going on.

Chloé

Tbh a lot of those ppl are just bitter kpop stans who would’ve hated this album no matter what it sounded like just bc it’s BTS

JJ

I am so curious to see how I feel once recency bias has worn off a little but as of right now like animals might be one of my absolute favourite bts tracks what I do not see changing at all is the fact that I LOVE this album and it is both not what I expected at all yet exactly what I wanted from them it feels like a more grown and evolved bangtan, a bangtan that is willing to experiment while still staying true to who and what they are (some of these tracks literally feel like dark & wild tracks that have gone through college lol), I love how you can feel a little bit of the identities they have carved for themselves in their solo projects seeping through and combining into a new and true BTS sound

JJ

also people that are hating and saying that this album is not authentically BTS or not „Korean“ enough can fuck off 
 even if they hadn’t incorporated so many Korean traditional elements into quite a few of the tracks (which they very obviously did, from body to body and their inclusion of arirang to dedicating a whole interlude track to the gong of a „divine Korean bell“ and immortalising its sound, making it accessible all over the world, to the countless references to Korean folklore etc in their lyrics), this album is largely about them being BTS and being themselves and hey newsflash, THEY ARE korean, they are always „Korean enough“, and so much of this album is about their feelings on their identity (don’t even get me started on alien being a track basically unfolding their experience being made fun of and being outsiders as Koreans entering the Western market)

JJ

it especially pisses me off when Americans are the ones who criticise them for their use of „too much English“, trying to gatekeep „their“ language and saying that non-native speakers making art in English is inauthentic and wrong as if it wasn’t their asses who made the world in which English is considered the status quo language if you want to be successful 
 like stop policing how people make their art, damn

soff

in like animals when you said “this song could use a nice guitar” i was like oh man your life is about to change forever

Wiktor

I heard rumours about this album… I’m scared. Waited for PD so you can hold my hand through it 😫😭

madi

ive seen soooo many people hate on this album for various reasons the main one being that it just isnt bts which blows my mind because its so bts to me. the first half really covered their origins in hip hop and the second half was more of their more recent pop style and even then throughout the whole album you can feel their influences from their solo projects. i cant wait till the netflix doc on the album making comes out because im so curious about the project as a whole. on that note i HIGHLY recommend watching the comeback live on netflix its so incredible and they are such wonderful performers and sound even better live and it made me love the songs more than i did before. it just makes me so excited to see what they will bring to the concerts.

aisha alert

omg i hope you will do comeback live, its up on netflix!

Ana

BTW in case you don't know, they performed some of the album live already and it's available for replay on Netflix 👀 For those who saw it live, Netflix has gone back and fixed some of the bad camerawork and sound issues! On the album, I actually agree with you 100% - both on the meaning of Arirang as the title, and on what they're doing coming back with an album that's like this. It really feels like they sat down, looked at all decade worth of BTS music and figured out what they want to do and where they want to go as artists from here on. I think you're spot on with the idea they're not here to "represent Korea" (pretty sure they've said something to that exact tune directly actually), but rather they *are* Korean and are doing global music while being Korean. Personally, as soon as they said they're going back to their roots and went off to LA to record, I figured we were getting old, hip-hop heavy BTS type music - and we did! There's a lot of discourse and conversation happening around about what they released and why etc, but I'm satisfied with this. Only time will tell how it ranks in BTS' overall discography - its been only 4 days - but I can't wait to go crazy in the stadium when these songs play. Picking a favorite is hard but I think my top 3 are Body to Body, Aliens, and 2.0. The production across the album is top notch but these are my stand outs. Aliens has the energy and lyrics thay go hard; 2.0 has that energy a la Mic Drop with a "return of the King(s)" twist (I've been calling it the "'Who Is the Next BTS' convo found dead in a ditch" song in my head); B2B has the beat that speaks to you as soon as you hear it and the Arirang sample elevates the song to a whole new level. Also if armys can actually pull off the idea to have the audience sing the actual Arirang lyrics when they come in during Body to Body live that would be amazing.

CJ

I was holding my breath for his satisfied reaction 🤘😁

Mariana

My favorite track is also aliens like yes kings talk your shit 🙂‍↕️

karakarinanbr

I agree it's not a K-pop album, but it feels like timeless BTS album. They are aging gracefully and standing their ground and pushing back against "K-pop" expectations. If you check out the live comeback on Netflix even their choreo changed, it's more intricate rather than flashy and preserves energy. I really loved watching BTS 2.0 💜

CJ

When you said they do not represent Korea, they're just Koreans.. I wanted to give you a slow clap standing ovation. Of all the reactors Ive watched review this album (and most of them Army), I think you are the one who is the closest to how they envision this album. And I agree that this album is generally for people who love music-- it's not kpop and it's not American pop, it's just really good music. In case youre interested in their thoughts and how they created the album, you can check out the studio notes. Can be in your own personal time 🤗 thank you for your insightful review 💜 https://www.youtube.com/live/K0kr5E8AY6U?si=wzX0rQg7K0WR66qW

mini

Thank you for this insightful and beautiful reaction to Arirang! I’m shocked that I’ve seen more people say this is the most unlike-BTS than otherwise frankly. After my first listen I swear I retained 0 information and/or thoughts of what I like about the album, but after my 10th listen I can very much say I like each and every single track on it. They all have something special and I wish people could see that too, instead of writing this off as “bad”. I also love your take on their Korean identity being shown throughout this album. “They’re not trying to be the representatives, they’re just Korean”. That’s, in my opinion, exactly what they were trying to convey. And people are missing the point, as always, because it’s BTS and nobody has learned how to be normal about them in the years that they’ve been gone.

CJ

Btw, they will also have a documentary in Netflix on March 27 - BTS: THE RETURN. It would be great to see your reaction and hear your thoughts about it. It's their time in LA when they were working on the album 😊💜

Chalanna

Yayyyy, so excited to hear your thoughts! I LOVE this album so much. 🔥 My favorite tracks (in no particular order) are Hooligans, Into the Sun, 2.0, they don’t know ‘bout us, and Please. I completely agree about the song Normal. BTS did a great job with it but it is a very generic pop song with none of their distinctive BTS flair in it. I saw a comment saying that it could’ve been a Taylor Swift song and now I can’t unhear it. 😂 And damn, YES Hobi has leveled up. I feel like it was Hobi, RM and surprisingly Jimin’s solo work that I could feel the most influence from in this album. Hobi has such a unique sound and flair that was all through the hip hop tracks. RM just has this confidence to him now that I can’t quite put my finger on. V’s vocals REALLY stood out to me this album too. 🔥

Saniya

you were right when you said they were never going to satisfy everyone, because BTS has had so many incredible eras and everyone came into this comeback hoping for a different one to return. So naturally, people’s opinions are going to be very subjective. But honestly, I still think this is the best overall outcome we could have gotten. It still carries that unmistakable BTS sound, but in a more mature way, and it blends enough of their old and new elements to feel satisfying on both sides. It’s a very well-rounded album, almost like a perfect mathematical formula.

Lily Wrenn

Even with all the album reactions, yours was the one I was waiting for. You have a unique perspective b/c of everything you are in your life experience, and I was here for it. Thanks PD.

Helen

I don't think you are wrong in saying that J-Hope carried this, because in their interview with Zane Lowe, members also said that J-hope had already done this and he was in his element and the one who was the most comfortable in sessions. I also feel it shows in this album :) I'm sooooooo happy that they are back. This album feels so confident! Just pure BTS <3

Cheng A

I think what trip a lot of ARMYs or other casual fans is that when they said they're going back to their roots, a lot of people have their own interpretation of that. Some thought it means they'll go full korean,some thought they'll be more hiphop based etc but what a lot of us haven't realized is we ASSUMED THESE POINTS and expected them so a lot was confused when the album dropped. I myself is at fault to this and got a bit jarred in some songs in my first listen but I gave it another shot by first CLEARING MY ASSUMPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS and just listened to the music for what it is and I love the whole album as it is. Now after the 2nd listen, I thought of another possible meaning to "going back to our roots" which is writing and releasing songs based on what they are feeling and where they are in their life like they've done in the past like Skool trilogy during their growing up phase, HYYH for youth and Love Myself/MOTS for self understanding and acceptance and if you think about it in this lens, it makes sense. This was also emphasized and mentioned during their ment in the comeback live so this seems to be the more probably meaning to going back to their roots. They've said it best in track 11: They don't know 'bout us. A lot of fans (including myself) can fall to this assuming hole and not immune to it even as a fan. We just need to recalibrate and check ourselves if necessary.

Mel A

On my Twitter timeline, it was long-time Army.

Cheng A

Thank you for the album review PD. I love your take on the album and why it was Arirang and especially your take that they are Koreans but not representing Korea. They never wanted that. As you've mentioned, they were suppose to enlist but was able to postponed during COVID and released Dynamite just to cheer people/ARMYs during the early times of the pandemic when suddenly it thrust them to the top and since Covid is taking longer than anyone expected, they thought to just release another single which is butter. Then PTD happened to "welcome" being close to being free of covid restrictions but a long the way, they checked themselves and thought this isn't really BTS-esque and felt lost in where they go from there. I'm glad they took their time with this one (besides military service era) and made sure it really is representative of who they are now and what they are going through at present.

Cheng A

One point I'm not seeing eye to eye on your take is that it has to have (iconic) rap sections from the rapline in order to feel like BTS cause that feels like boxing themselves to a certain format or roles. I believe in this album they also want to change that so they had the rapline sing and the vocal line do melody raps which is another aspect of their artistry and change. Now when an album drops we may have different variations and unexpected songs instead of just the vocalist sings and the rap line will do their verses. Ig the melody, beat, flow and lines are the only ones changing, that gets old fast too.

Pearl

I personally liked Arirang from the start but it genuinely gets sooo much better with each listen. I've already listened to the entire album top to bottom 4 times. I usually don't do that, not even for BTS bc Idk there's usually at least one song I skip or maybe I even prefer to shuffle it. Or just listen to their entire discography instead of one album. But Arirang is super addictive. Each song is so perfectly placed and just gets better with each listen. Even No. 29 is such a needed break and reset. I fortunately use Apple Music so the frequencies of the bell completely calm my brain. At first I never thought Arirang would be able to reach top 3 Albums for me cuz Love Yourself: Tear and BE have such a special place in my heart (and ears) but I think it might be my number 1 now. Absolutely amazing comeback.

Julianne

lol about Normal. I actually do love it and Body to Body, prob the latter more. But I’ve found this is a common theme with Ryan Tedder’s Asian collabs. I used to anticipate his participation in Asian collabs (across Chinese artists too) bc of my love for OneRepublic. But it rarely brings out the best in the Asian artist’s style - best case is they mesh ok. I’m actually already really happy with his collabs here bc my expectations were low haha. But I love this album anyways. Opens up ch 2 perfectly and sets up the tone that BTS aren’t coming back to appease the public but bc they have their own vision and sound they want to put on.

S

Me too! I’m pointed things out like this that haters bring up, and I’m not disrespecting them for disliking songs or the entire album because I’ve done so too with other artists I love. That’s not inherently wrong, but it crosses the line when they are outright disrespectful to BTS and their art and claiming they’re ARMY. I’ve seen several comments doing just that, so anytime I’ve commented addressing that, just wanted to clarify that you can speak your mind about the album but do so in a respectful manner. After all, we should all know that you can be respectful but also not agree/like something

S

I love the entire album. I actually did not expect this kind of album from them, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t think they couldn’t do it and pull it off. I’ve come to the point where I’m not going to box in artists I like with either the language (whether Korean or English or whatever) or music direction because I accidentally did that for ATEEZ. Honestly, people should try to do this more because it makes the whole process more enjoyable. I like the music for what it is instead of what I think it should be. I’m literally like, “idc what language u use or music direction u wanna go in, if it’s good music it’s good music. Nothing more nothing less”

WiseSmellyLegs

Of course! As I said, I enjoyed the second part of the album too. I don’t care at all if Swim and songs after that have this or that amount of Korean or English… I just came to a conclusion that since the album is intentionally made of two parts No. 29 and Swim being the transition moment, I would appreciate a title track representing the first part too. That is the only thing I miss in this album, besides that… I do like the album

Brittney Danielle

I love music in general so maybe that’s why it’s baffling for me to hear people say how bad this album is 😅 I’m like, are we listening to the same album?!

Julianne

Yes also I loved the Zane Lowe interview also. Also agreed with your takes about identity in the album (Koreans not Korea). Reminds me of RM’s Groin. When he said he wasn’t representing Korea. This album feels so much like Right Place Wrong People (or is it the other way around) was for RM, but for BTS. A strong cohesive understanding of who they are as people and what they want going forward now.

JJ

this!! I have nothing against critique and am actually a big fan of conversation and having different opinions and taste on things & I also agree that you don't have to love or even like everything someone (who you are generally a fan of) does but there are worlds between not liking something/having critique on something subjectively (or even objectively ANALYSING something even if it is not in a positive way) and hating on something / ripping it to threats while making their commentary sound like it is an objective and absolute truth

Vish

It’s performative hate for clout because their justifications are all the same. Like Into the Sun everyone is mocking and some surface level reactors are shocked by bad harmonies and “autotune” because they have no idea what a vocoder is and its use in music around the 60s and 70s. Lots of non-Koreans trying to dictate what Arirang and Korean identity is. Anyways.

nika

Do you plan on watching the Netflix comeback live?

Kait

I think we'll see more of this in the documentary coming out later this week, but it seems from things they've been saying and a teen vogue interview I just read with the director of the documentary, that the guys have been genuinely very concerned about how their return would be welcomed or how many of us would even be waiting for them to come back. Choosing SWIM as a relatively safe title track fits with those anxieties (not to say I think it was a bad choice). But, given the HUGE success this album is seeing already and the huge confidence boost this tour is bound to give them, I'm very excited to see how much MORE experimental they might get on their next release. I know it's early to be looking forward to the NEXT album just days after this one came out... lmao, but this is such an exciting first step into BTS's new chapter! People have been saying this doesn't feel like them... and tbh I'm sure 90% of those people are straight lying and not even fans to begin with. Or just dynamite era fans who never listened toa nything else maybe... lmao... because this album has songs on that feel reminiscent of pretty much every past era of their career... especially the early years... just polished up and grown. People have totally been trying to put them on a pedestal and treat them as representatives of their whole country, and I think you're SO right about how a more 'Korean' album would have made it seem like they were trying to claim they were representatives. They've been pretty vocal about NOT wanting that responsibility. I hadn't thought of it that way. I think all things considered they found a great balance between showing pride for their culture while also trying to just be themselves as individual humans and make music they like. I'd like to say J-hope really carried this album too, but I'm also biased haha. I think Namjoon had a lot of praise for him regarding the whole album making process though. I was also really impressed by Jimin this album. He was working on a healthier singing technique before the military I think and it really shows. Lovely to hear him sing in his lower register too. In general I was really pleased with the move away from all super high kpop falsettos to a nice mix in the vocals.

Yanny

my favorites from this album are normal, one more night and please. honestly i wasn’t sure about the album on first listen as hip hop isn’t for me but the more i listen to it, it did grow on me and even if i still don’t like every single song on the album, its still an amazing album and really shows their growth. can’t what they put out next really hope you are able to react to their netflix comeback live, it was so good

audrey-anne

your commentary is always so ON POINT like you recognize producers with mere notes, you call for a guitar and the guitar shows up a few seconds later, it's really impressive lol

Daley Grace Sweeting

J Hope has always had that X Factor, in my opinion - but you're right to say he's improved. When I first started listening to BTS, his verses always stood out to me because he has this ability to match his voice to the track. He has a really good ear for what works best sonically and manipulates his voice/tone to the music (see his verse on Home, Run BTS, Baepsae, or the latter half of his verse on Ddaeng). He's definitely the most vibey of the rap line (and always has been imo) but his lyricism has improved for sure. RM was always the poet, Suga had the insane flow and attitude, and J Hope had the vibe, but he is giving them a run for their money now!

Daley Grace Sweeting

nah I get it, actually. the production down to the vocal mixing is very different to what we have come to expect from them, so it was almost jarring for me on my first listen. Some art needs time to cook and I think for some people, that's the case with this. It definitely got better for me as I listened. I'm just so shocked people go off of their initial reaction and don't give things a chance to grow on them.

jennptx

Ah, I couldn't figure out what exactly made Into the Sun feel so reminiscent of the Beatles and Beach Boys mid-to late 60s sound that I love so much, but it's probably the vocoder sound! I love the little touches here and there of "old-fashioned" music that (to me) help even connect the first part of the album to the back half.

lovelypjm

i’m so happy that you understand the depth of this album. i feel crazy seeing people online acting purposefully dense to what this album is about especially its connection to the title track and arirang because in my opinion it’s not hard to understand at all? idk but apart from that this album is a genuine masterpiece i swear it’s like cr*ck to me i haven’t stopped listening to it and this is the first time i’ve felt this in love with an album in a loooong time. also wanted to add that I LOVE SWIM so much so many say it’s not good but i think they just expected a hype song which i understand but omg the feeling this song gives me is indescribable it’s like so melancholic?? at least for me lol my top 5: they don’t know bout us fya body to body hooligan swim anyways after watching the netflix show the songs sounded INSANE live im so excited for the tour it’s going to be an out of body experience im getting goosebumps even imagining it

Gillian

I've listened to this album so many times now (between listening when it came out, walking my dogs, many drives over the weekend, even two full on listening parties at record stores) and I can't get over how many new things I find each listen. Your descriptions over Normal, Swim, and Like Animals made me realize why I don't place them so high on my list (still love them, but I love the other ones so much more) - their more Americanized songs don't grasp me as much as their BTS sounding songs do. That said, they have evolved so much and this was the best album they could have come out with for their Chapter 2 as a group

H

The meme era said the two MVPs are V and J-Hope on this album. J-Hope has this swag on the album and on stage that no other artist has. Love his melodic rap in the later half. RM and Suga have their lanes and they do change up their rap style and their singing has really improved. But they’ve always been 1 and 2 but Hobi has really started to stand out with his style. Luckily all seven mesh so well together that it doesn’t matter who shines.

pip pop

I actually kinda like this album and i’m shocked at the reaction of everyone saying this is the worst album ever. I literally stopped being an army during their ‘dynamitebutterptd’ era bc i thought that was genuinely horrible TO ME so in comparison this album is art and honestly i don’t get the ‘this album isn’t korean enough’ argument. Well i’m not korean but idk what they expected exactly by ‘korean’ kpop to me is not really korean besides the language so did they want trot or what exactly. Anyways your analysis of the album was very interesting i enjoyed it a lot even as an ‘ex-army’ ig haha

zzzuzi_the_hedgehog

The expectations were so high. Actually they didn't meet those expectations... I am gonna say this: they exceeded them! I feel that this album is so BTS coded album. It sounds and feels like every their eras are combined, elevated and grown-up to this level of music and lyrics. After dropping every album there always been people saying: this is not old bts, we don't like it. Actually I think those people just don't know BTS. BTS ALWAYS DID COMEBACKS THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T EXPECT.

zzzuzi_the_hedgehog

I can't pick one song that I didn't like. How album is so good? It's perfect 👌 People may say I'm biased but every song brings out something special for me. Every song is a banger 🔥 👌 this album is a masterpiece 👌 Sadly I can hear Jin's touch the least. Maybe because he was on the tour and he was the last to join to the album making process or maybe I am just wrong. RAP line shines equally on the album. As they always were. But on Arirang I can see vocal line touch as well. They brought every their colors and made a beautiful art work. This album deserves a Grammy! On main category not kpop category. Grammy better to behave.

CJ

Like Animals reminded me of Louder Than Bombs 💜

Hailey

I don't remember where I saw it, but someone said the line "You said we've changed. We feel the same." could have 3 interpretations. 1. We feel the same as in we feel like the same people as before 2. We feel the same about you, you've changed 3. We feel the same way you do, yes we have changed. I just think it's an interesting take!

Elena Cornejo

First, love to hear your insights. Second, I do think jhope carried this album, and for the vocal part I'm between V and Jimin, they really shine.

Matilda Farmer

Arirang was the first word I ever heard in Korean, as a kid in the 80s. BTS said "Body to Body" is their version of "Hand in Hand" (which is where I learned the word)! I hope that adds some context to why the song is mixed in there! They want us squeezed close together with them and each other at the concert, and in spirit across the world, just like people felt globally during the Olympics!

Matilda Farmer

I read a comment on Threads by an ARMY who spends the silence of "No. 29" on thoughts of gratitude every time it comes on. I tried that now and it felt so good! Grateful to be here and celebrating this BTS comeback with you!

Matilda Farmer

I like what you said about "Merry Go Round" sounding like one long chorus! The way it ended (that unresolved little upward movement) definitely gave me "this can be played on a loop" intentionality!

Matilda Farmer

"I can't explain it, but NORMAL is Taylor Swift song" is a comment I saw. I have a degree in music and explain why, but what's the point? Your analysis said it all!

Matilda Farmer

"I can't be a monk, others' words always misunderstand me Not a fucking diplomat Now that life is a bit easier, they shove responsibilities onto me What do I represent, I only represent myself" ~ "Groin" by RM To underline your great thoughts on BTS not claiming to represent Korea

Matilda Farmer

I agree 100% with what you're saying about j-hope leveling up! And so does RM, because he said something like "You're really a rapper now" to j-hope in their live before the album drop <3

Angie Gutierrez

RM said that when making the album, jhope would listen to a track and be like “this could work with our type of choreography, this could never” and RM was amazed by that bc to him most songs sounded great for choreo. So they valued his opinion A LOT. As an army of 10 yeas i think Hobi over all has leveled up, he was amazing but now he is INSANE <3 and this album is also insane, it’s so so so good they all did such an amazing job. They ALL have leveled up.

lilian

“This that K, gotta get a better pop here” have to agree with pd, this line has been haunting me since it dropped

lilian

if you wanna see aliens live gotta watch the netflix comeback hehe

lilian

the trying desperately to listen for something at no. 29 and then just vibing and waiting it out is so real

lilian

my excitement waiting for the guitar in normal to come in hahahahahha

lilian

i wish i could give you some insight on hobi + jungkook + tae leveling up but unfortunately that’s my exact bias line so i may be favoring them for that reason 😭

Jackie Jack

Aliens was also my number one! Also, I very much enjoy the pallette cleanser No. 29 is.

Em

To go along with what you were saying about how most of these tracks feel like BTS music: NPR’s review of the album noted that BTS is not just ‘rap forward’ like a lot of K-pop groups but ‘rap foundational,’ which given rap and hip hop’s core insistence on authenticity goes a long way to explain why songs that clearly heavily involve the rap line (in writing/production even if not in the performance) end up feeling ‘more bts’ and thus more Korean-pop (differentiating from k-pop).

Marga

love your commentary! i genuinely love the album, at first listen i didnt know what to feel yet but the more i listen to it and the more i realize the meaning of the songs and their thought behind them, it makes sense. bts themselves said they wanted to show who they are through this album, and i guess people have a hard time understanding that these men grew a lot over the years.

Anj_HOTS🥰

j-hope truly shine in this album , even moreso if you see the live performance. Excited for you to see 2.0 choreo. V and Hope 🔥

Tomoya

I love your commentary! You concisely put into words what I have been thinking the couple of days since the album release. I do think RM's and Suga's presences in this album are immense in their own right but Hobi really created a level of dimension of interest to the songs in his verses. That was what I found BTS really engaging to listen to in their old albums. Listening to this album I was reminded of what I enjoy the most about bts music. It is the combination of 7 different unique voices that take presence in the songs. I cannot imagine a better person than namjoon to do the line 'I need the whole stadium to jump' at the begining of Body to Body or a more fitting person than yoongi to embody the aggressiveness of the openning verse of Aliens. There is a groundedness to that, that is immensely enjoyable to me. While hobi provides an accent to that solidness which, in a blend, becomes such a mouthful, hearty and flavourful bite of food. I also find the vocal line to improve immesenly this album. I love how they explored different techniques and range. I especially love Taehyung's control of his vocal range and ability this album. He brings a certain carefreeness to their sound. I also think every member of the vocal line have a better grip at their ability to express their emotion through their voices. Which I find so important as it balances out the more metalic/industrial sound aspect of this album. I am happy and satisfied for this new beginning and I am seated to know where they are going to take this further down the road.

Bedour

I agree with everything you said, it’s definitely a subjective album (as someone who enjoys any genre I really loved it) Jhope was an MVP for me, I really can feel his presence throughout the album and I was most shocked by him and V. Also, you can feel the growth in this album and how much they evolved. I’m so ready for this era of BTS, I can tell that they are way more confident and comfortable than before in what they are doing. One of their best albums imo. Your commentary sums up all the things I thought of beautifully. Thank you for the reaction & I can’t wait for the documentary.

Oleksandra Yakubenko

BTS are bts, they are not kpop poster boys. They are GENERATIONAL ARTISTS

EnzioAkira

Normal and Like Animals are the only two songs I’ve listened to, but I also haven’t been an ARMY since like 2017

Brittany Matthews

I totally agree that J-hope definitely leveled up! He brings such a mature flavor to his rapping. Jungkook and V also significantly leveled up too

real

I listened to the whole album and i realized that as i listen to it repetitively, i liked different song depending on my mood. But Swim is definitely 1.

SierraNicole

I think SWIM was a big risk for them. You'll see in the Documentary how conflicted they were about it. And there's been a lot of conversation about whether or not it was the right choice. So it definitely was a controversial choice at least. Personally, I think it was the right choice and I think it highlights what BTS does best--have poetic, meaningful, thematically clear songs that also sound new and good to most music-lovers. It is more universal and more accessible than something like Aliens but I think that's a strength. It's certainly more radio friendly. And it's radio friendly while being a fresh and mature sound (unlike some of their earlier radio hits). And I think of all the songs, it had the potential for the most cinematic MV. Plus, as an ARMY, I like how the song and MV connect to their lore. Yet to Come (their last OT7 MV) had the constant sound of the ocean in the middle of the desert and a refrain we've heard from them since their early days is "when we're together, even the desert becomes the sea." They say that in several songs. Here, they're finally at the sea--back together again with each other and ARMY. Anyway, I can see how SWIM might come of neutral compared to Aliens or Into the Sun...but I think it was a smart way to signal a change in tone while still being sincere to their message and achieving the broad reach expected of a global group.

SierraNicole

I'm biased too, but EVERYONE is talking about this being j-hope's era. I agree that BTS is strongest when they capitalize on their rap line. I think it's what makes them something more interesting than just pop. I mean, we have four incredible vocalists that add a lot of color, too--I'm not trying to take anything away from them--but BTS is just at its best when RM, Suga, and j-hope have space to put their stamp on the songs. This was easily the most balanced album BTS has ever put out. It wasn't the rap-dominant of the first several albums and it wasn't the vocal-dominant of the last several. I think this is the way they had to go after all of them having had the chance to really explore and define their artistry. I think what makes BTS special now is that they have seven artists with different sounds and strengths and they somehow found a way to bring them together cohesively without neutralizing them. And this is especially true of the rappers. Also, j-hope has always been so talented as a live performer that having him in the background so much seemed stupid. I couldn't imagine after his solo era him ever going back to never centering or having more than 7 seconds of melody lines in a song. Being able to put j-hope at the center of the choreography with more bars than usual, gives BTS a huge advantage. He's the best live performer in the game (like, arguably one of the top 3 in the world) so he gives the songs a lot of impact on stage. And the hip hop heavy choreos play to his significant strengths as a dancer which I think makes the performances look even more polished. Idk...again, I'm biased, too, but I really think BTS has opted to leverage j-hope's talents more and that's for the better. It's exciting to see!

SierraNicole

Also, if you can't tell, I LOVE ARIRANG. I think it's their best album and if this can't get them a Grammy, nothing ever will. It's so strong.

Steff

Right like it hammers in more that we don't actually know them. Like you can interpret anything they say multiple different ways but we still dont know the truth cuz they are ultimately strangers. God i love this song

Steff

Jhope has really grown so much. Being a jhope biased since day 1, it is honestly a pleasure seeing how much more confident he is in his sound in the same way he's always been confident with his dance. Like you can tell he has gained so much experience exploring his sound through his different solo projects. He is definitely more confident in giving opinions now so you can hear his style all throughout the album ♥️.

Tiffany Larson

the first half of the album is soooooo fun. and as someone who got into bts through that half of their typical sound (wall of sound rap-heavy bangers vs. slower and rnb inspired) i've had that first half on repeat. i should give the back half more attention but i know my taste and i just wanna stop, riiiiiiiiide

Tiffany Larson

edit: i forgot how much i liked they don't know bout us omg that hook is crazy

Beatriz Ferreira

i loved this album on the first listen but it gets better every time!!! and your commentary makes it sound even better

Beatriz Ferreira

please to me sounds and feels like old bts in a song

Riruru Rose

I'm a general music lover and army so the first half of this album makes me head bang and later half makes me ascend.

Jeilatin

I feel like FYA isn't a short name.. it's a wordplay on 'Fire" like "Fa-yah"😅

N. Mugiwara

honestly i really love your take on the album title and its meaning also it's very interesting that all you explained could answer all the discourses that went down about their korean identity the past weeks

vienna

aliens

Eve Nikora

I’ve watched all of your BTS related reactions since like 2017-2018 and I’ve really missed it. I always loved how in depth your reactions were and evidently after this video, still are.

jessie

See this is why I love these listening parties so much, my perspective expands and I gain so much more understanding for the art/artist, on face value I thought the song was fine but now in all this context I’m in awe!

jessie

I’m actually tearing up at this lol

jessie

This was a wonderful reaction, thank you for putting this album into context that I didn’t have, I am in so much awe because of it. As expected with bts, the lyrics are crucial to the experience of the songs. Now that I’ve heard the album a solid amount I wanted to listen to their whole discography and experience it from a new post-arirang perspective, it was so nostalgic and full circle I highly recommend it I am hobi biased so my ear has always been keenly tuned to his parts but this album I don’t feel like I’m waiting for him to come in, he makes his presence known straight up! Was very exciting hearing him start off so many songs. I am happy to see many others naming v as a standout for them as well, his falsetto is just godly! A most unique and interesting voice and he can do so much with it. They truly all bring their own seven flavours to make bts as one😭 So many beautiful comments here full of love, understanding and admiration for these boys I loved reading every one 🫶