After four long years of patiently waiting, BTS is finally back in action. As both a long time ARMY (the official BTS fandom name) & K-Pop fan, I have to say… This album was worth the wait. Indulge me for a moment and imagine me, a 5’1 Latina, up at the ungodly time of four-o-clock in the morning, working. I had my speaker on my right side, sugary coffee on my left, and phone clutched in my right hand. After impatiently waiting for my Bluetooth to connect, I scrolled with what I can only describe as a lack-of-sleep induced lightning, trying to find the album I had pre-saved. Could I have just searched it like any other sane person on Spotify? Yes. But that is not​ ​​ ​what I did. Instead, I looked around like a mad person, until I found what I was looking for. I felt my chest tighten, just enough to let me know that my anticipation was settling deep within my body. After taking a deep breath and shaking off the little excited jitters, I flipped off the shuffle and pressed the first track on the album. 

Body to Body 

Despite never having the luck to see the group live, I felt this track’s opening would make for a      great opening song for their upcoming tour. It’s beginning builds excitement, and starting out with member Hobi was such a treat. While he is not my bias (term for one’s favorite member) in the group, he, like the rest of the group, is amazing. I knew that the moment I heard his voice, this track was going to be a fun one to dance to. From the beat to each member jumping in on the track, this song was exactly what I would find myself dancing to while working. The ending half of the song was by far the most surprising part of the song. BTS sampled the Korean folk song ‘Arirang’ in the end, incorporating a wonderful piece of culture within their opening track. According to “The Sejong Cultural Society”, “Arirang, (the word is nonsensical, generally implying the cultural sensibilities of longing and suffering), is a representative Korean folksong, known as a Korean elegy that speaks of the sentiments and life of the everyday people.” As a non-Korean person, I felt there was this palpable sense of pride when this part of the song fully came in. It starts in the background and by the end of the song is the main focus, giving the listener a dose of this song. Overall, this track was fun, opening the metaphorical doors for the next tracks to come 

Hooligan 

The moment this track began, I immediately knew it would be added to the playlist I listen to when I am feeling myself. It is an electric track, incorporating the spit​ ​fire rapping that I always enjoy. This song, when listening to the album again in my car on my lunch, had me swaying to the beat, ready to learn the Korean lyrics to rap along with them. And during the writing of this, that currently stands to be exactly the case, with both ARMY and many other K-Pop idols jumping on the song to dance to. 

Aliens 

By the time this track began, I had a feeling a lot of these songs would end up being hype songs. This one not only had that hype feel but definitely had underlying messages I would need to revisit later when ARMY translated the songs. Upon that revisit, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. This song is, in my opinion, a response to a popular notion of these seven boys being​,​ just as the title says, aliens. As someone who has been with BTS when they began to climb in popularity, I have seen the atrocious comments that create public discourse over this group. Racism is very prominent to this day when involved in discourse over BTS‘popularity. Looking at the lyrics, member J-Hope has a pre-chorus rap line that goes, “Oh my god do I look too funny?”. This direct call out within the worldwide industry that sees them forever as foreign is put on display within this song and as a fan, it was such a wonderful addition to the album. 

FYA 

This song was simply meant for jamming out to on the road. It’s heavy, fun and jam packed with lots of references to pop artists like Britney Spears and Micheal Jackson. If you play this while cleaning, you will end up dancing. Play this in the car? Expect to have your volume turned up to the max while laughing along with the members in the song. 

2.0 

This song was another that had me dancing! I am excited to see that this has a music video as well that came out recently, that gave ARMY a little taste of that silly BTS behavior. Overall, another song to jam out to. 

No.29 

​​From the moment this song began to play , I was immediately confused. You see, this song is not really a song, but simply a bell and the sounds of what seems to be wind for the rest of the track. This track stirred up a lot of discourse though, as many didn’t understand why it was chosen to be included. Come to find out that the bell one hears and that wind I mentioned was actually still the bell. This bell is the Divine bell of Seongdeok, one of Korea’s national treasures. No.29 to be exact. According to Hannah Abraham in the Forbes article, ​​“Why Is Track 6 On BTS’s ‘ARIRANG’ Silent? The Meaning Behind ‘No. 29’”, “The track serves as a structural and emotional pivot.” Each of the tracks above were meant to be heavy in beat, with a distinct hip hop sound. This song serves to stop the listener in their tracks and prepare them for the upcoming switch in sound for the rest of the album. For me though, it served as a wonderful chance to further invest myself in another culture’s history. ​​​ 

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BTS has proven time and time again with their references that the messages or stories they use are intentional and this is just one of those moments. It connects the listener to something outside of themselves. 

Swim 

Swim began as the first single that would be released before the album dropped. It also, in terms of K-Pop music systems, would serve as the “title track”. In the Korean industry this would serve as the main promotional song for a group, as well as the song that would receive a music video. In the industry a title track would also serve as the track groups would go on music shows to perform. This song, when compared to all the other title tracks released before this album, is definitely a switch up. In terms of song choices, the group goes with for albums, they usually choose much faster and harder beats with powerful energy. This song, however, goes against that usual formula. I did not have an issue with this in the slightest though. I felt it showed a beautifully mature side of the group, focusing on a softer and lighter tone. After No.29 this would be the start to the switch up in sound for the album. 

Merry Go Round 

In my opinion, this track was a hug to all members of the adult ARMY. This song speaks of this continuous cycle, the merry-go-round if you will, and the pain that comes with it. I feel this song connected with me because of that feeling of emptiness you can get from a never-ending routine. As a full-time student and full-time employee, I get burnt out so easily. Deep down I hate this cycle of getting up, working, going to school, eating, going home, resting and doing it all over again. This song felt like a comforting track, one that helps push that feeling of lethargy out into the open with beautiful vocals and relatable rap verses. 

Normal 

Normal is a track from BTS about the fame experience. From the perspective of the biggest boy band around the music scene in this day and age, we see just a glimpse of the hardships they go through. Lyrics like that of the chorus go, ​​“Kerosene, dopamine, chemical-induced. Fantasy and fame, yeah, the things we choose. Show me hate, show me love, make me bulletproof. Yeah, we call this shit normal.” BTS is, like many artists, out in the public eye, and with that comes both extreme love, and hate. Both of which can be detrimental and amazing. They chose fame, but this song feels like an open letter to the world, showing that fame isn’t always glitz and glam, even if it was the path they ultimately decided they wanted to walk on. 

Like Animals  

This song feels like one I would hear in an edit of two characters from a show that are going through a hard time. Funnily enough, this song is one I would pretend I was in a music video for. By this I mean the over-the-top dramatic longing face with the imaginary rain falling on the window while looking out the window of one’s car. Can anyone relate? No? Just me? 

They don’t know ‘bout us 

This song was one I was hoping to hear in some capacity. By this, I mean a song calling out the industry for thinking they know what and who BTS is. Like Normal, this song is another one talking about fame. This time though, it is in reference to the many times they have been scrutinized by the public opinion. Rapper Suga has my favorite line in the song, specifically, “Your nosiness is as big as the Pacific Ocean, and you act all slick about it.”. I think it is a call out to anyone in the media or around that has this incessant need to stick their nose in BTS’ personal lives and tear any choices they make apart. The execution may not be heavy in terms of diss tracks like that of their previous songs (specifically any of the cypher tracks from old albums), but it leaves an impression. 

One More Night 

One more night feels like a chill club song, with pretty lyrics talking of longing. While not as slow as some of the other tracks, it definitely belonged in this half of the album with the switch up in style. Overall, I don’t have too much to say about this track specifically, but I liked it! 

Please 

This song is your quintessential love song. Vocals that are smooth as honey filled my headphones with sweet words that have me thinking they are the male leads in a romantic TV drama. This song has been on repeat for me, especially as I am a sucker for the sweet words in the song. 

Into the Sun  

Into the Sun is in my opinion, very reminiscent of the message Mikrokosmos (an older BTS track) sends. The song describes going from the dark and into the sun, with the members singing of following the listener along their journey.  I interpreted this as another comforting song for ARMY, one to remember their worth and that BTS is wishing for brighter days for them, even through the darkest of moments. This was the perfect way to finish off the album, leaving a sense of calming ease behind. 

By the end of this 41-minute album, I felt this sense of whole-hearted happiness wash over me. I knew that what I just listened to was the result of tireless efforts from the group. This album was worth the wait. While I may not have resonated as passionately with every song, I will say this: every track leaves you with something to feel. Whether it was wanting to dance and rap or pretend I was in the world’s most dramatic music video, each song hit that BTS “checklist” for me. I wanted an album that contained every piece of the BTS I have grown alongside. And I can say that I give it my own ARMY stamp of approval. While no two people will have the same opinion of this album, I can say that I did appreciate the love, dedication and hard work that the boys put in for this album. So, in the end, I will leave it with this: Welcome back BTS and thank you for this album.