With the countdown underway to Arirang’s March 20 release, BTS have unveiled the 14-song track list for their anticipated comeback album.
“Swim” will serve as the title track and the anthemic “Into the Sun” will close out the album, the band announced on Tuesday. The tracks were produced and written by some of the biggest names in music, including Mike WiLL Made-It, Flume, Diplo, El Guincho, JPEGMAFIA, and Ryan Tedder, among others.
The project stands to serve as a culmination of the journeys V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, and J-Hope have taken so far in their 13-year run, which has seen them embark on solo projects. In reuniting for their first album since 2020, the members had a very “hands-on approach” in the creation of the album, with RM having a hand in every track except for the interlude.
The band noted that SUGA and J-Hope are credited on multiple tracks, including “Body to Body,” “Merry Go Round,” and “Normal.” Jimin was involved in the creation of “they don’t know ’bout us” and “Into the Sun”; V worked on “2.0” and “Into the Sun”; and Jung Kook helped create four songs, including “Hooligan.”
The album title derives from a traditional Korean folk song, “Arirang,” with the band landing on the name for its strong resonance with their current journey. “The new release explores universal emotions of longing and love and will resonate with the worldwide audience as a timeless legacy across generations and cultures,” BTS explained in a previous statement.
BTS will mark their comeback with a massive world tour, kicking off in Goyang, South Korea on April 9. They’ll arrive in Tampa, Florida in late April before wrapping up the U.S. leg of their tour in September in California. Those who didn’t manage to score a concert ticket, or simply can’t wait to see BTS back in action, can catch a screening of BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ Live Viewing, which will show in theaters this April.
ARIRANG Track List
1. “Body to Body”
2. “Hooligan”
3. “Aliens”
4. “FYA”
5. “2.0”
6. “No. 29” (interlude)
7. “Swim”
8. “Merry Go Round”
9. “Normal”
10. “Like Animals”
11. “they don’t know ’bout us”
12. “One More Night”
13. “Please”
14. “Into the Sun”
