On March 20, 2026, BTS released their highly anticipated comeback album, Arirang. And as someone who has been a BTS fan—an “army,”—since 5th grade, I sprinted to listen to Arirang as soon as it came out! So, after listening to the album, which I will admit wasn’t my very favorite BTS album although it was still super good, I have decided to rate the songs below!
Rating scale:
10 = perfect song (EX: Pied Piper by BTS)
1 = unlistenable song (EX: Karma by JoJo Siwa)
“Body to Body” – 9.5/10
I love the instrumental, the vibe, the vocals, and the inclusion of Arirang (Korea’s unofficial national anthem)! The only reason I took half of a point off is because the chorus sounds a little empty sometimes. But overall, I love it!
“Hooligan” – 7/10
Listen, I truly, with all my heart, love BTS. With that being said, parts of the lyrics and instrumental in this song are…questionable. Namely, the “hahahahahahahahaha” and the sound of, like, sword slicing(?) included in parts of the song. I will admit that after listening to the song multiple times, these parts have grown on me. But either way, I’m taking off three points because of the random laughing and the sword slicing. On the other hand, I adore the chorus, the other parts of the instrumental, and the vocals!
“Aliens” – 9/10
I love the funky beat, the vocals, and the message behind the song! I took off a point because, like with “Body to Body,” the chorus is pretty empty and the beat doesn’t change for basically the entire song (even though it still is pretty interesting). I also wish they showed off their vocals a little more.
“FYA” – 9/10
I LOVE THIS SONG ITS SO HYPE!!!! The instrumental is actually so addictive to listen to—it makes me want to get up and dance. Also, despite the heavy instrumental, BTS still serves vocals! The only reason I took a point off is because the lyrics are very repetitive and don’t have a deep meaning or anything like that (which, I will say, goes well with the overall vibe of this song).
“2.0” – 8/10
I like the instrumental, and the vocals are pretty catchy; however, the vocals themselves aren’t super impressive, and the chorus is, again, pretty empty. Because of this, I’ve taken off two points. Overall though, it’s a really nice song!
“No. 29” – N/A
This “song” is just the sound of the Korean national bell rung once, and the rest is silence. So I can’t really rate it.
“SWIM” – 10/10
This song is perfect. The instrumental, the vocals, the vibe, the chorus—everything about this song is heaven to my ears! I can’t take a single point off, because this song is just too good!
“Merry Go Round” – 10/10
Gosh, this song is just so gorgeous and ethereal. You can really tell this song was co-produced with Kevin Parker (Tame Impala)! Besides the stunning instrumental, the vocals themselves are so peaceful and heavenly; and the message behind the song is equally touching! Truly, I can’t think of a single thing wrong with this song. For BTS fans, this is like “Spring Day”’s descendant!
“NORMAL” – 8.5/10
I love the message behind the song and the vocals, but the beat is just too simple and repetitive for me. I still love the song, but I took a point and a half off because of the constant and simple beat.
“Like Animals” – 10/10
The instrumental for this song is genuinely one of the best I have ever heard. The electric guitar, the drums, everything about it—its all just so incredibly addictive! On top of that, the vocals in this song are arguably the best out of the entire album. I love everything about this song, so it gets a 10/10 from me!
“they don’t know ‘bout us” – 9.5/10
I adore the rhythm, the vocals, and the vibe of this song! I took half a point off because the beat is a tad repetitive, which I’ve noticed among a lot of the songs on this album. Overall, I absolutely love this song!
“One More Night” – 9/10
This song had kind of a house music vibe, and I heavily mess with it! The only reason I took a point off is because I’m not the biggest fan of house music and the vocals could be better.
“Please” – 10/10
This song is extremely reminiscent of the Love Yourself tracks, and I love it! The instrumental is super chill and catchy, the vocals are soft and sweet, and the overall vibe is super nice! I don’t have any complaints about this song.
“Into the Sun” – 4/10
All I’m gonna say is this: the autotune was too much.