Song Review: BTS – Swim

I’ve been holding off on writing about this song and release for a while now so that I could really get my thoughts in order. Just like every other K-pop fan on the planet, I was incredibly excited for ARIRANG. I have been a BTS fan ever since I got into K-pop and for a long time, they were even my favourite group! Yet, recent years have tested that allegiance with musical choices that felt more corporate than artistic. Sometimes this worked wonders (yes I genuinely love this song). Other times, it did not. Yet, even with my open mind, the groups new project left me in the most confused state I have been in a long time. After a month of deliberation, my honest opinion on both the song and album is that the final product just isn’t very good. It feels incredibly half baked, unfinished and lacks the kind of inherent charm and character carried by almost all previous BTS releases. As someone who had BTS as their entry point into the industry as a whole, I’m presented here with a set of songs from a group I no longer recognise. I have felt the urge to discuss the album as a whole but I’m honestly at the point where I don’t really have too many productive things to really say. My though...