First Impressions Of BTS’ New Arirang Album, As Shared By Local ARMYs

If you thought last Saturday was just any other weekend, you’re clearly mistaken. Reuniting for the first time since 2022, the world-renowned seven-piece K-pop juggernaut BTS performed at Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square to celebrate the release of their highly anticipated new album, Arirang – marking an iconic comeback on March 21, 2026. 

The album, which was released on March 20, signified the end of a four-year BTS drought. While the boys kept us fed with solo bangers and exciting collaborations with international artists during that time, there was nothing ARMYs craved more than seeing all seven members reunite on one stage. Hence, you would expect the frenzy it caused when it was announced that BTS would not only be performing their new album live in Seoul, but that this performance, BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE, would also be livestreamed on Netflix for fans around the world.

The 14-track fifth studio album features songs produced by some of the world’s most influential producers, namely Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Tame Impala and Mike Will Made-It, with many also citing Arirang as a “full-circle moment” for the band. We spoke with ARMYs at the BTS Comeback - Arirang Release Party held by The Bora Dot in Singapore to find out what their first impressions of the new album were.

See also: BTS’ Most Stylish Fashion Moments and BTS Is Getting A Netflix Documentary For Their Upcoming Comeback. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BTS’ NEW ARIRANG ALBUM

Melody, Student, Suga bias

“I love it. Oh, I love it. Such a romantic vibe from them. We’ve been waiting for so long, and hearing them all together, it’s just so emotional. I’ve got to watch their live comeback performance on Netflix again later tonight.”

Ferby, Works in hotel sales, RM bias

“I love that each member contributed to the album. It feels like a team effort given to ARMY. It’s not just solo work – it’s all seven of them. It feels nostalgic, like a mix of emotions.”

Gauri, Systems manager, Suga bias

“I loved it. The first song I listened to was Swim, and I liked the message. It has been consistent – I keep going back to it. I also liked Into the Sun, and Animals, because it’s Suga’s favourite.”

Alia, Works in marketing, Jung Kook bias

“It gives me Dark & Wild (BTS’ first studio album) energy, and I love that because it’s nostalgic. I’m a hip-hop girlie, so Dark & Wild is the album for me. I love their hip-hop roots. I love that they’ve gone back to it. I love how they structured it as well: half club banger-type songs, and the other is – I feel like they heard us, because we love Louder Than Bombs. I feel like all the slow songs are like that, but with different layers. It’s just so cool. Some of them are slowly growing on me – maybe not my favourites at first. But after watching them live, I’m like, “Okay, this is my favourite. No, no, that one’s my favourite.” It changes everyday.”

“Hooligan. I mean, that’s Jung Kook’s song, but it also sounds so J-Hope and so rap-line, but it’s still so Jung Kook. And then you’re listening to Into the Sun – and I love Into the Sun and I’m really cross that they didn’t sing it (during their live Netflix performance) – but that’s V’s writing, and it’s so them. I’m so proud. And if you’ve been on that journey, you’re like, wow, this is amazing.”

“Arirang sums up everything. We’ve been through all their solo eras now, and I’m pleasantly surprised but also super proud that you can hear the echoes of their solo work. But for them to bring it all together – it’s this amazing amalgamation of each of them as individual artists, but also their ability to come together as a band. This is the BTS we’ve been waiting for. I’m just so proud.”

Bel, Special needs educator, Jimin bias

“I can see the changes. I’ve only been an ARMY for about five years, but I watched everything within those five years, from the beginning, Run BTS – everything, really everything. When I listened to Arirang at work, I noticed the change. But it’s a good change. Before, you could immediately tell, oh, this is BTS. But now, when I hear their songs, I’m like, okay, is it Jimin? Is it Jungkook? You can hear the maturity. Their voices, to me – that’s what really stands out.”

Sabrina, Office worker, Loves the whole rap line

“It’s a banger. Listening to Arirang, I can tell that they’ve really improved and grown both musically and vocally. They raise the bar every single time. They can’t be categorised as just K-pop anymore.” 

“Every single is very well made and produced. It’s not just something that you’d want to hear on TikTok for a few seconds, and that’s it. Nowadays, the industry moves so quickly with songs just coming and going. You don’t really feel the music, and it’s rare to find a song that lasts. However, I believe that BTS can bring longevity into the industry with their meaningful lyrics that transcends all generations and cultures. It’s really amazing that seven boys from Korea could really make this and be relatable to the world. They really show that music transcends language. It doesn’t matter even if they speak in Korean. It’s 2026 now, we can find everything, we can translate everything. There’s no reason to not open your world. ”

Jade, Civil servant

“You thought they were good, they just got better. Someone on Twitter said that the album isn’t something that you want to just grab a 15-second TikTok reel off from; it’s something that you really need to sit down with, sit with the lyrics and understand what they’re saying to appreciate it – and that’s what I love about BTS songs.”

Joy, Works in events, RM, Suga and J-Hope bias

“When I was listening to each song for the first time, I thought to myself, “Oh, this is good. That’s my favourite.” Then the next song comes and I would think, “No, this one’s better.” And the same continues for the third and fourth song – it keeps getting better and better. Ultimately, I feel like I can’t choose which song I like best, the whole album is just really good.”