BTS's 5th album 'ARIRANG' lands on 2026 best-of lists from Rolling Stone, NME, The Telegraph, and more

BTS's fifth studio album ARIRANG landed on five major international best-of-2026 lists in five days.

Complex moved first on June 12. The Telegraph followed on June 13, Rolling Stone on June 15, and NME on June 16. Salon also named ARIRANG one of the year's best, citing the album's dynamic sound and the members' storytelling.

Rolling Stone called BTS's comeback "the biggest news in the global music market in 2026" and wrote that the group "excellently implemented Korean characteristics in music" through ARIRANG. The Telegraph described BTS as "the face of K-pop" and noted the group returned to its hip-hop roots while weaving Korea's cultural identity into the music. NME, which introduced BTS as "the biggest boy band in the world," picked Body to Body as the album's standout recommended track and praised the record as a showcase of the group's ability to blend their home country's cultural heritage with global musical influence. Complex highlighted Hooligan and 2.0 as key tracks. Consequence named Hooligan one of the best songs of the first half of 2026; one source also lists SWIM alongside Hooligan in Consequence's selection, while other outlets mention only Hooligan.

Big Hit Music officially acknowledged the album's global performance on June 23.

BTS wrapped the Busan leg of the ARIRANG world tour on June 12–13. The European run opens in Madrid, Spain on June 26–27, covering 5 cities across 10 performances. The full world tour spans 88 shows across 34 regions, with Japan and Middle East dates still to be announced.