Unfortunately, “Arirang” falls flat on its arse compared to BTS’s previous effort. This is just extremely overproduced.

‘Body to Body’’is lifeless and buried under layers of vocal effects, while trying to set the mood with a traditional sample. ‘Hooligan’ is flat because the gritty sound and edge is lost to a synthetic finish. ‘Aliens’ and ‘FYA’ are too polished, so they don’t stand out. Oh, and they’re also victims of auto-tune.

‘SWIM’, which is supposed to be the standout track, may be catchy, but it feels hollow. By the time you get to ‘Into the Sun’, the experience has been ruined by the vocal effects, and that is the central issue with the entire record.

“Arirang” had great potential, with personal and emotional stories, but alas, they’re lost in the excess use of auto-tune. Everyone loves their humanity, and that’s what made them so popular. This is a huge step backwards. Utterly unlistenable thanks to auto-tune.

No rating