BTS 'ARIRANG': Why the Deep Cuts Outshine the Title Track

BTS has returned with its first full-group album in roughly four years, and the most interesting moments are not where you would expect them. On 'ARIRANG,' the title track is not the highlight. The deep cuts are.

The album honestly reflects their post-military anxieties, specifically their struggle to define who they are as artists and the message they truly wanted to convey.

"ARIRANG" works best when listened to in two halves. Tracks 1 through 7, ending with title track 'SWIM,' show a BTS that has lost its footing after military discharge. The first stretch leans into hard hip-hop and songs about feeling adrift.

From 'SWIM' onward, the tone shifts into something closer to a confession aimed at fans. The more accessible songs sit in the back half of the album, moving through country, rock and EDM so listeners can pick by mood.

The clearest standout is track 9, 'NORMAL,' which feels more like a title track than the actual title track. This song is a monologue about how easy it is to fall apart inside the dopamine rush of the entertainment industry. The arrangement is full and the songwriting flows naturally from one section to the next, featuring sincere lyrics about their personal angst.

The song calls to mind Billie Eilish's 'WILDFLOWER' in the way it prioritizes honesty and craftsmanship over repetitive hooks. Eilish won Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards for that mix of personal storytelling and musicality. 'NORMAL' suggests BTS could have made a similarly bold artistic choice. Opting for a safer title track instead is the album's biggest missed opportunity.

The next standout is the opening track, 'Body to Body.' It is an old-school hip-hop cut built on vocals that pan left and right and a heavy low end. The drum programming and electronic textures carry a wide, cinematic feel that recalls earlier BTS tracks like 'ON' and 'Black Swan.'

In the second chorus, the song samples the Korean folk song 'Arirang,' and that moment is what locks the album title in place. On the other tracks, the connection to "ARIRANG" is harder to hear.

The beat drops into half time under the sample (a technique that makes the rhythm feel like it has slowed to half speed), which seems designed to push the folk melody to the front of the mix.

Closing track 'Into the Sun' is also worth attention. Of the 14 songs, it is the easiest listen. The members sing about running together toward the sun even on hard days, with a message about pushing through until dawn no matter how far hope feels.

A lazy guitar line, a whistled melody and Vocoder-treated vocals (a Vocoder turns a voice into an electronic sound) give the track a dreamy feel. The mood echoes late-period work from the late Mac Miller, particularly 'Surf,' 'Good News' and 'Blue World.' The final stretch shifts into rock as an electric guitar comes in, giving the song a rich musical palette.

Title track 'SWIM' is where the album falls short. Over the past four years, each member has settled into a distinct solo style, and 'SWIM' tries to find a sweet spot between all of them. The compromise costs the song the bounce and personality that BTS is known for. One music producer compared it to 'too many cooks spoiling the broth.'

HYBE's own genre tag for the song reflects the confusion. The label describes 'SWIM' as 'alternative pop,' a term often used when a song does not fit neatly into one category. It is not quite emotional synth-pop, not quite electronic hip-hop, not quite EDM.

Still, the likely reason 'SWIM' was chosen as the title track is the word itself, and the way the lyrics open up to more than one reading.

The music video treats the lyrics literally, picturing the act of falling in love as a voyage through the person you love. The members and a young woman travel together by boat. They circle her and try to help her, but she never notices them and cries throughout the trip.

Fans have read the woman as ARMY (the official BTS fandom), and the unseen members as the group itself during their roughly four years away in the military. Another reading is that the woman cannot see the members because members spent that time thinking of ARMY from a place fans could not reach.

The visuals are less convincing. The video does not go for the AI-driven spectacle of BLACKPINK's 'GO,' but it does not commit to a stripped-back, natural look either. While the CGI attempts to portray the grandeur of the ocean, it fails to leave a lasting impression. This is largely because the video is structured as a visual film centered on the members' faces. Even there, the finish is rough. The members are lit hard enough that skin texture stands out, and the footage does not appear to have been cleaned up in post.

"ARIRANG" is an album that is honest about something both the members and HYBE seem to be working through. After a long break, neither side appears entirely sure where BTS goes next. Coming back as the biggest Korean act in the global market raises the pressure on a first release like this one. With this new voyage underway, the musical direction of what comes after "ARIRANG" matters more than ever.