Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan

They're the rappers.

And then we've got Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, and V. They went on hiatus four years ago to serve their mandatory military duty in South Korea.

And all of them released solo albums as well.

But now they've returned as BTS.

They have this new album.

They've announced a world tour.

Let's listen and hear the tensions that this band is trying to navigate and what it might say about the future of this genre.

And I feel like we have to start with the first track off of Ari Rong.

classic bts in many ways we've got these heavy hip-hop beats and a in-your-face flow by rm and then when we get to the chorus jin and v take over with a soaring vocal

I mentioned that to some listeners, this album foregrounds Korean music.

But if I fast forward to a little later in this track, we're going to hear a reference to the title of this album.

Ari Rong will actually get the folk song of the same name that is associated with Korean history, culture, and identity.

Really striking moment in this opening track.

And I feel like we need to talk a little bit about this song, Are We Wrong?

And what it symbolizes.

Hey, Jin, what was your reaction when you heard this album title and then heard this interpolation of this Korean folk song in the opening track of the album?

Okay, and here's the English chorus.

When they sang Arirang?

Well, I'm watching the video of the opening ceremony and I'm seeing all these different cultures, you know, dancing along.

And I'm like, OK, this is sort of a sentiment of universalism.