BTS is BTBack

It’s finally here, the album we all (I) have been waiting for: ARIRANG. BTS’s comeback has been four years in the making, and it’s bound to be the biggest release of 2026 (if you want to learn more about the hiatus and the band itself, see The BTS of BTS). But what does ARIRANG mean? 

According to Britannica, “Arirang” is a Korean folk song dating back centuries, and the word itself has no meaning in modern Korean; it is believed the word comes from an archaic version of Korean no longer used, and its meaning has been lost. 

“Arirang” is a popular symbol in both North and South Korea that represents the shared culture between the two separate countries. The song became a symbol around 1910, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. “Arirang” is an expression of the Korean identity. 

The Guardian calls BTS’s choice to use “Arirang” in the name of their album a “clear affirmation of their identity”. BTS themselves confirmed this when their leader, RM, said that this album would be a combination of each members unique energy. 

Now for the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: How do I rank the tracks?

1. Like Animals – The intro? Boss. The vocals? Also boss. The song itself? BEAUTIFUL. To me, this song symbolizes a desire to live freely, and what it feels like you have to sacrifice to get there. It’s raw, and the style is something I’m a sucker for in most musicians. Also, it’s dramatic, and drama makes everything better.
   • If you like “Daisy Chain” by The Neighborhood, you’ll love “Like Animals”. This match is impeccable; two of my favorite songs because they literally match each other’s energy.
2. Aliens – A phenomenal beat within the first 10 seconds, and it has this consistency in that beat and the vibe of the song, while still showing off both the vocal and rap lines. I also love how this song conveys the “paved the way” idea, in the sense that BTS has their own unique sound and they aren’t afraid of embracing that. This song feels like the heart of ARIRANG, because it proves that BTS is rooted in their culture and calls out anyone who thinks or expects otherwise.
   • If you like “23” by Miley Cirus (and co.), you’ll love “Aliens”. It took me an embarrassingly long time to find a song for this one, because nothing fully encapsulates the vibe of this song. I also think that if you like Tyler, The Creator you’ll like this song.
3. NORMAL – I love this song for the message. The lyrics talk a lot about the normalization of performing, rather than feeling able to be yourself. While it feels generalizable to all people, there are a lot of lyrics that are specific to the experiences of Idols. Because they go through an insane amount of exploitation and are just worked into the ground, and this song really helps to better understand the experience, and that it’s not in fact normal.
   • If you like “human” by Christina Perri, you’ll love “NORMAL”. They have loosely similar styles, but their messages are very similar; they both speak to the person behind the fame, in a sense, as a reminder that artists are people too.
4. Body to Body – This song is just so good. The beat? The adlibs? The rap and vocals? I feel like this song shows the range in the members voices very well. It’s very energetic and encapsulates the feeling of seeing them back together as seven very well.
   • If you like “Power” by Kanye West, you’ll love “Body to Body”. I don’t know much about Kanye, but in this song there’s some cool vocals in the back, and “Body to Body” features similar vocals. They also have a very similar hyped-up vibe and style.
5. Hooligan – I’m a sucker for when musicians include iconic laughs in their music, and this song has it in the chorus. Every time. Not only that, but it’s just such an amazing mix between the two halves of the group; the pretty vocals and the iconic raps. I feel like it encapsulates the group’s vibe so well.
   • If you like Doja Cat (literally any of her songs), or “90210” by Travis Scott, you’ll love “Hooligan”. This song has a very similar vibe to a lot of Doja’s music, in that there’s a very cool blend of pretty vocals and beat-heavy rap lines; and “Hooligan” and “90210” have similar styles.
6. they don’t know ’bout us – I am an absolute sucker for “old sounding” intros. You know the ones, where artists take older music and use it in the intro and then completely spin it on its head. In this case, I don’t think the intro is an actual older song, they just mimicked the style. But the base drop? The beat? This is another one that would absolutely be higher up, but alas.
   • If you like “Love Lies” by Khalid and Normani, you’ll love “they don’t know ’bout us”. They have a very similar energy, in that they both mix slower and faster vocals.
7. 2.0 – The meaning (to me) is exactly how it sounds and I love that. This song symbolizes the group’s embracing of the changes they underwent through military service, and their commitment to growth. It’s also another one with an amazing intro (I am forever impressed by Suga’s vocals).
   • If you like Charlie xcx’s more upbeat songs like “Click” and “Everything is romantic”, then you’ll love “2.0” They have very similar styles, in that they are very much party anthems.
8. Merry Go Round – It starts slow, and highlights V’s absolutely delicious vocals, and then you get hit with this incredible beat. If it weren’t for the super cool meanings I find in all of the above songs, this one would be so much higher.
   • If you like The Neighborhood’s album “(((((ultraSOUND)))))”, you’ll love “Merry Go Round”. Almost every song in that album, but particularly “OMG”, have a very similar vocal style and energy as “Merry Go Round”; I’d probably say this is the most exact comparison I’ve made so far.
9. FYA – Another smashing intro, and another one with awesome adlibs. The beat is MAGNIFICENT, and (kind of like Hooligan) it mixes both the vocal and rap line’s talents together really well. I also feel like this song really encapsulates the excitement of the comeback.
   • If you like “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, you’ll love “FYA”. They both have a very intense, hyped energy. They’re both very much party anthems.
10. One More Night – This song feels very old BTS, and it places as high as it does because I am an absolute sucker for a throw-back. Which I think is super cool, because this song symbolizes the desire to stay in the excitement and romance of a “fantasy”.
    • If you like The Weeknd, but particularly the song “Love Me Harder”, you’ll love “One More Night”. I feel like I keep repeating myself, but these songs have both a similar vibe and a similar sense of a mysterious romance, almost.
11. SWIM – I’m going to be honest, I didn’t love this song at first. And not in the sense that I didn’t like it, but I just didn’t fall in love with it immediately like I did the others. But the more I listen to it, the more I love it, which might also be because they had my favorite actress star in the music video (shout out Lili Reinhart). It’s also another one with a really pretty intro.
    • If you like “Good Days” by SZA, you’ll love “SWIM”. They have very similar vibes, and energy. They also, both have very pretty vocals. I’d even go as far as to say they have similar overall messages of navigating personal growth.
12. No. 29 – This track is just a bell. Literally. So it’s probably weird that I don’t have it on the bottom. But I do have a reason! And that reason is the meaning behind why BTS included this. The sound is of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, which is considered South Korea’s National Treasure No. 29, hence the name. The duration of the song is exactly how long it takes for the toll of the bell to fade out, and its inclusion was designed to signal a shift from more hype to a more quiet, mellow scene. Including this feels like such a beautiful cultural moment, and I really appreciate it.
    • If you like bell related asmr, specifically the ones that use Gongs and really big bells- first and foremost I’m impressed. And second, you’ll love “No. 29”. I feel like this one is kind of self-explanatory.
13. Please – This song also has a similar vibe to “old BTS” and it is SO good. It features the vocal line so well, and highlights the softer side of the rap lines vocals, which I absolutely love! It also very much reminds me of Love Yourself era BTS.
    • If you like “Focus” by H.E.R., you’ll love “Please”. “Focus” is a little slower than “Please” in terms of beat and style, but the quality of the vocals is very similar, in that they both sound very pretty.
14. Into the Sun – This song literally feels like summer, like the very end of the school year. First day of summer vibes. I also just love the style. But this is another one that I just didn’t fall in love with immediately. Again, I didn’t not like it, it just took a couple listens for me to fully appreciate. The chorus though? Absolute banger, like roll down the windows, open the sunroof, and just drive.
    • If you like “As It Was” by Harry Styles, you’ll love “Into the Sun”. Their styles are close, and the pacing is slightly different, but they both have a similar “summer vacation” energy.

Overall, this album is absolutely phenomenal. In all honesty, I got my hopes up for this comeback and I was NOT disappointed.

If feels important to mention that I, in no way, have a “least favorite”. I wish I could lump them all together at number one and leave the rest of the list blank, honestly. I also know that a lot of people don’t listen to BTS, because they don’t know if they’ll like it. To aid with this, I’ve made a special list of similar songs and artists for each song from ARIRANG, so that you can be the judge of your own music taste and see what clicks!

Also, a fun fact about the “SWIM” music video: BTS broke their own record by garnering 1 million views within the first 4 minutes of its release.