“So we reach the moon, hand in hand / you and me, we on and on,” BTS declares in “Body to Body,” the first track on their newly released, chart-topping album titled “ARIRANG.” This sentiment has been a constant throughout the band’s career: They will never stop working hard and reaching for new heights – as a group, as musicians and as individuals.

BTS, a seven member K-pop group composed of members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, debuted on June 13, 2013 with the album “2 COOL 4 SKOOL.” Although they came from a small, lesser-known company, their talent and hard work stood out in the K-pop industry, bringing them a loyal and steadily growing fanbase. In 2020, BTS caught the attention of people worldwide with their Grammy-nominated hit single “Dynamite,” which made them the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100. The group currently holds seven #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles and five Grammy nominations. The group’s influence is not limited to music, as they have been recognized for their positive impact through projects such as their UNICEF “Love Myself” campaign and speaking at the White House in 2022 on anti-Asian hate. “ARIRANG” is their first group album since June of 2022, when BTS went on hiatus to focus on solo works and fulfill their mandatory military service.

“ARIRANG” is the creation of many different producers and songwriters such as Mike WiLL Made-It, JPEGMAFIA, Diplo, Pdogg (one of BTS’ main producers) and of course, BTS. The producers each bring different sounds to the table, with the result being genres and styles that BTS has never explored before.

“This album is particularly special because every member played a meaningful part in bringing these songs to life,” said RM in a Spotify message to fans. “‘ARIRANG’ is an album that encapsulates our identity as BTS.”

Over the course of BTS’ career, their music has discussed various themes such as youth, romantic love, self-love and understanding oneself. In “ARIRANG,” the members explore different aspects of who they are: their love for performing, their lives as celebrities constantly under the spotlight and their own individuality as human beings.

The album opener, “Body to Body,” immediately stands out as one of the best tracks on the album. The song instantly catches the listener’s attention, with RM’s confident rapping, Jimin’s rich vocals and a captivating drum accompaniment. With lyrics like, “I need the whole stadium to jump / Put your phone down, let’s get all the fun,” the song reflects BTS’ love for performing.

Another standout on the album is the title track, “SWIM.” The song begins quietly, with only vocals and a minimal, arpeggiated electronic instrumental, then slowly builds in intensity through RM’s rap part until it reaches the chorus, where it returns to an amiable, calming sound. The song’s lyrics are all in English, telling the story of love even through the hardships of life.

Soothing, wistful vocals float above a dreamy accompaniment in “Merry Go Round,” which was produced by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. The song is lyrically one of the most introspective tracks on the album, using the metaphor of a merry-go-round to describe the feeling of being stuck in a loop without progressing.

“NORMAL,” meanwhile, explores the struggle of living life as a K-pop idol and celebrity. “Wish I had a minute just to turn me off,” Jin sings, while RM wonders, “Runaway, pushing me, pulling me / said you wanted all of me, but what is even all of me?” The striking bassline and vocals further accentuate the refrain of “Yeah, we call this sh*t normal,” emphasizing how their version of “normal” is very different from ordinary people’s “normal.”

“Like Animals,” a grunge-influenced pop-rock song featuring a distorted electric guitar solo, is a slightly darker change of pace after the bright, punchy sound of “NORMAL.” Hypnotic vocals paired with the rap line’s grounded cadences enhance the quiet, but no less intense emotions: The song is about letting go of society’s expectations and returning to the raw, free, “animalistic” form of nature.

In the midst of the western hip-hop and pop influenced songs, BTS make sure to pay homage to their Korean heritage. The album’s name, “ARIRANG” (아리랑), is a Korean folk song, and the group features a sample of its melody in “Body to Body.” In “No. 29,” the tolling of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok provides a pause for breath midway through the album. Additionally, BTS make multiple references to Korean culture in their lyrics: In “Aliens,” they mention Jungmori Jangdan, a traditional Korean rhythm, and in “Hooligan,” they use the word “eolssu” (also utilized in their 2018 song “IDOL”), which is an interjection used in pansori (a type of folk music).

However, some aspects of the album feel much less sincere and impactful. Throughout the whole album, autotune and vocal mixing are used stylistically to create an intentionally processed sound. Autotune is generally used to correct vocals to stay on pitch, but it is also used artistically to achieve a certain sound or energy, especially in hip-hop and EDM music. However, in “ARIRANG,” it masks the vocals, taking away the clear “BTS” sound that fans know and love. This is particularly noticeable in “Into the Sun,” where the use of vocoder (an audio processor) completely obscures the vocals to the point where it becomes difficult to distinguish the members’ individual voices.

BTS’ music is typically known for its lyrics, with RM, BTS’ primary lyricist, playing with devices such as literature references, wordplay and poetic phrasing. This album’s lyrics, though, don’t feel up to par. They are predominantly in English, which isn’t a negative thing on its own, but this caused many of the lyrics to feel cliché and unoriginal. Additionally, songs like “Hooligan,” “FYA” and “2.0” feel overly repetitive, with choruses only repeating one or two English phrases over and over again. This is especially apparent in songs like “they don’t know ‘bout us,” where the chorus is entirely “They don’t know ‘bout us, they don’t know ‘bout us,” and “2.0,” with the rap line’s refrain which simply repeats words like “pop,” “knock” and “rah.”

Throughout “ARIRANG,” BTS experimented with new sounds, genres and production styles, synthesizing American hip-hop, pop and R&B influences. While some of these experiments were more successful than others, there is no doubt that BTS’ legacy is still ongoing. As they say in “Into the Sun,” the final track of the album, “Even if we run out of time / I’ll chase the feeling / Never too far behind.”

Rating: 3/5