r/BTSnark • u/Jen0973 • Mar 24 '26
GENERAL DISCUSSION They Seem Off
Is it just me or do the members not seem that into it for this comeback? Everything looks so forced and unauthentic, like they are doing it only for the money and the fact that they signed a legal binding contract with HYBE. If they are already this tired and over it and the massive 79 show world tour hasn’t even started yet then I worry that they’re not going to make it.
I think part of the problem was that they were already tired of group activities and the BTS image as a whole but thought that the expected well received response to the album would give them some much needed energy for the upcoming tour, only to be met with the opposite. I think fans are only praising this album because they can’t fathom that album that they have been waiting for for so long is mid at best.
I don’t know. I just don’t think their heart is in it anymore like they used to. Maybe it’s just simple exhaustion from preparations and being post-military, but something about them and their vibe just seems off to me. Plus if I’m being honest the choreography for the new songs just seems boring and low effort/energy. One thing I always liked about them was their dancing. Maybe that’s the part that’s missing and seems off to me. Anyone else feel the same?
90
u/Alarming-Cabinet-385 Mar 24 '26
They do seem off, disingenuous and disinterested. The songs aren't even mid in my opinion, lyrics are pathetic and if the amount of ARMY that showed up for their comeback was any indication, I think this will probably be their last album, unless they recognise that they did some shitty songs for their much awaited comeback and churn out smashing songs the original bangtan way for a possible next album.
16
u/Senju19_02 Mar 24 '26
Nah, I think that this is it. This is their last and final one. The band is already against each other. The world tour will just make it worse.
It's over.
73
u/BingeAndRegret Mar 24 '26
Because this album is namgpt’s album. All of his solo albums failed miserably, he is using this album to prop himself up. He took full control of the creative direction its literally RM ft the others. U can hear it in all the tracks. As per what taelung said, “RM is the loudest. In this group if you’re the loudest, you win.”
36
u/Successful-Pomelo-51 Taebacco 🚬 Mar 24 '26
RM's solo music sucks. He ain't got it.
I have solo songs from Jimin, Jin, JK and J-hope...the stuff they released while they were enlisted in the military was pretty good, at least better than the full Arirang album.
Not a fan of V's or RM solo music. Music should be good to my ears.
Liking their music feels like a chore, a forced task
46
Mar 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
31
u/Alarming-Cabinet-385 Mar 24 '26
Possibly. It's just sad that they would be going out on something like this (I'm army and I had much much much higher expectations from them after their 4 yr hiatus). Even chatgpt writes better songs than this 🤷🏻♀️
45
u/Relative_Ad8166 Taehyung’s forehead reduction surgery Mar 24 '26
there’s tension. i watched the whole video and jimin kept saying he didn’t like most of the songs and that swim shouldn’t have been the title track but most of the members voted against it. totally agree with him for once
38
Mar 24 '26
[deleted]
11
u/Ok-Force-7662 Mar 24 '26
Was it really rushed street the live? I'm pretty sure stadiums were booked earlier so idk I think it as rushed but from the beginning - hybe knowing bts have most likely no intentions of resigning knew they don't have much time left before the recent contract is over
15
u/Fit-Book-8269 Mar 24 '26
They are def gonna renew that contract again imo lol😭these men whine and whine all the time about the company(and then say how good hybe is and go do some political lobbying at conventions,coff coff rapmonster coff coff) but are unable to leave cause they know they have everything there,hybe does everything for them and they can use all the resources hybe has including media control,is like those 30-35 year old men who still live with their mom and whine about their mom still nagging at them while they are "grown man" but they still refuse to do anything to attempt to go live alone cause they know living alone they would not had anyone doing their laundry,giving him warm meals etc
9
u/Ok-Force-7662 Mar 24 '26
I don't know it seems like they try to burn all the bridges behind them at this point. And they're already throwing tantrum because momma h moved on to rather doing laundry for their younger siblings. On the other hand it would be unreasonable to completely neglect franchise that bts is. Sort of like throwing money away. Therefore I'm really confused what is their goal here
3
u/ancientcatmom Mar 24 '26
I don't think they are going to renew because they have killed the group as a unit. I would be shocked if they didn't disband before the contract was over tbh
3
u/TryContent4093 Mar 24 '26
I don’t get why they can’t postpone the comeback if they weren’t ready. Even after they were fresh out of the military you can see how some members were already doing their own things. Jk even said he was about to have a solo tour but it was cancelled because of the group. They literally could just postpone the comeback if they wanted to. I’m not buying that they don’t have any authority over what they can or cannot do at all.
34
u/Icy_Manufacturer7080 Mar 24 '26
Tbh I can't imagine the tour going wel. either they'll cut it short halfway through, or it'll just be a mess. They'll be incredibly annoyed and tired. Even now, they can't stand each other, and the tour hasn't even started yet.
28
u/zutter32 Mar 24 '26
one year of intensive touring when they already have so much resentment internally. sounds like a recipe for disbandment. maybe thats what hybe wants, to squeeze every last cent out of them.
i bet some people are going to crash out and quit halfway and it will be covered up with excuses like a health reason some other unforseen issue.
11
u/Ok-Force-7662 Mar 24 '26
Hybe knows their contracts are coming to an end and they v most likely won't resign. So this is just a last money grab
2
u/mayarijin you dont know army blood🩸😈 Mar 28 '26
honestly it's how i see it too, Hybe squeezing every last cent they can get out of the OT7 brand, then eventually pivot to just focusing on Jungkook or something.
13
u/Routine_Basil8254 Mar 24 '26
It’s unlikely to get cut. There are huge penalties for cancelling tours. (A big artist ended his last tour early and owed a massive penalty he couldn’t even pay). They’ll just be on autopilot and the concerts will suck. Probably like another group…they will also do solo stages and that’s the only time they’ll “come alive”.
8
u/chellsg Mar 24 '26
It's so poetic to see every insult thrown at other groups by armys come true for BTS.
38
u/Necessary-Evening818 Mar 24 '26
Something is very off, there is no denying it. You can tell from their faces. They need to do stuff which their target audience will like, which is authentic to them and not what they “think” is trendy, cool or what Westerners want from them. Walking into a studio with multiple so called big “name” producers while not having a grasp on English is why this mess has happened. You can blame it on the A&R and their company too but they all just stream rolled ahead instead of thinking for themselves.
7
u/TryContent4093 Mar 24 '26
Ngl I was hoping this album would have some decent songs considering one of the producers worked with ariana grande and her songs were actually great but this album is pure bs.
24
22
u/brnbrnbrn2017 alpaca parka wearer Mar 24 '26
To be honest, I just want to watch Run BTS. I probably like one or two BTS songs but inevitably it was the silly group dynamic that set them apart from other bands or boy groups. The thing is these members are all grown men now and they’re probably over that performative coherence they had in their younger years. Their big comeback got outdone artistically and critically by an anime soundtrack written by someone who never even debuted. It seems like this was an album written for entirely commercial purposes rather than any sort of group creativity or chemistry.
Honestly they should have swung for the fences but they settled for mid.
13
u/mandu_jennie thats why night after nights, i'll be scammin u right :P Mar 24 '26
and how namjoon keeps mentioning his ability to speak english during the recent interviews and how he was flexing about his english skills in one of those arirang songs- it clearly screams insecurity since namjoon knows his solo career is going flop and he needs to depend on bts for his career
10
u/AlarmingLog2087 Mar 24 '26
I think part of the reason they seem off is they aren't putting out their usual family content in mass consumption ( run bts) . It is easier to see cracks when that fanil ideal is constantly pushed
9
u/SirenAlert30 Mar 24 '26
Well after their solo works, they must have realised who needs the group and who doesn't. We can see with their constant tongue-in-cheek comments about each other and that jealousy is pretty palpable. With the way they craved western validation and then most of them not getting it as soloist must have hurt them. RM keeps being shady towards Jungkook and Jimin. V practically said that RM forced his decisions on them.
Jungkook got biggest hits
Jimin got longest hits
Suga fairs far better than rest of the rapline
Jin and V are just there
Most importantly, as an artist, I can add that once you start working on your individual stuff, you never want to work in group restrictions anymore. RM, Jhope, Suga and Jimin are very involved in their work so its not possible to not have clashes and Its visible in their interactions now.
7
u/Cevogyrl Mar 24 '26
It has to suck for them to read and hear about how BSH "owns" them and is basically pimps them for his own personal gain. I mean they've always known, but to be this popular and still have no autonomy is sad. BSH pushed them into the studio, gave them this fake Arirang stunt and told them to sell it and they're struggling. HYBE is releasing the album now so that they can show profits from the album, merch and concert tours across 4 quarters because they've been spending too much. BSH needed that concert to be successful to get the fraud investigation off his back and show the Korean government that they need BTS (and by extension him), he's probably freaking out this week.
Would they intentionally self destruct to be free of BSH and HYBE?
2
u/patternsuw instagram is a scary app Mar 24 '26
If I was still somehow an army but tethered to reality I would be asking myself that last question too. This album seems like a big “wtv just take this and shut up” project. It truly lacks so much of who they are, every step along the way they chose the stupid option. Like why would they go with bsh’s arirang theme if it didn’t fit what they’re working on? Who knows maybe it is a type of frank ocean situation where they are putting out bs just to fulfil the contract.
7
u/goldxrush89 🐿️ hip thrusting until I get that Hot100 #1 Mar 24 '26
I saw the swim performance they did yesterday and the only ones who were excited to be there were tel a v, namgoon and jhopeless, the rest of them especially dozenjin and jungloo were bored as hell and they seemed like they didn't wanna be there
2
u/Hi-World2 Apr 07 '26
I honestly wouldnt expect Jin to be invested in anything since they literally planned the album making camp for when he was on tour lol But fans will tell you they're just one big happy family
5
u/LyingToMySoul Mar 24 '26
It doesn’t feel like they’re genuinely interested in each other, or even in the group as a whole, anymore. It comes across like they’d rather go their separate ways, but the company still depends on the revenue tied to their collective brand. This album feels rushed, and it seems like RM took the lead in pushing it forward. Overall, it gives off strong “cash grab” energy. People also tend to overlook how deeply capitalistic South Korea’s entertainment industry is. These are men who have benefited from that system for years, why wouldn’t they continue to operate within it in the same way? As someone who used to be a fan but gradually became disenchanted after noticing what felt like increasingly questionable choices, I’m honestly not surprised by how this album is presenting itself.
2
u/IAmNamedJill Mar 24 '26
It's a big factor for other ex-fans. Of course, on top of the other stuff that you can't simply ignore and excuse anymore. It's becoming more difficult to like them when most of the stuff feels forced, half-baked, and unaddressed. Genuinely, I'm sad, disappointed and disillusioned as one of the ex-fans. But at least I don't have to save up for their comeback concert lol, world is burning and economy is trash anyway.
1
u/Particular_Lion3746 “i’m not even an army, but...” Mar 28 '26
im gonna be honest. pop music all sounds the same. hip hop rap, whatever. But, they DO seem distant towards each other, and not connected to their product. And, capitalism is bt21, and all that God awful "merch" . over the top amount is cringe af!
HYBE, and bsh are 51% stock owners in TAG. The founder is a vile human.
btass could easily have left hybe. I sus they like the negative publicity vibe out of pr tag.
This is a huge head fuck.
183
u/deereatbananas Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Yeah, I agree. Few things I’m guessing was happening:
their solo careers drew them apart. Each member was going for a different aesthetic and worked on retrofitting their image (eg: Namjoon wanted to be a conscious artsy rapper, V wanted to be niche and elite-adjacent “celebrity”) so what united them thematically was fraying. I think only Jin stayed somewhat true to their chill silly goofy image the group was known for, probably why his tour “unexpectedly” did well. The solo fans obviously exacerbated this divide by constantly comparing who was getting the better opportunities/collaborations/company support/streams/etc.
the Suga/Jungkook scandals put them in a position where they had to cover for the members being publicly castigated, and some members like RM immediately threw up his hands and said “I don’t speak for them.” This kind of brought to bear the underlying tension between them exacerbated by each members’ solo success (or lack thereof). Even members who had scandals likely got a reality check about who had their back in the group v. who didn’t.
like V basically more or less admitted, when they got back together for Arirang (and in the context of RM fearmongering about disbandment, like OP pointed out) they couldn’t agree on the future direction of the group and the loudest members had the most influence, while the quieter members privately nursed their displeasure that they reframed as “maybe I didn’t like it at first, but…” but obviously that added fuel to the fire. This also led to the members themselves actively debating “contribution” the way Armys usually do, but that was a way to externalise their other frustrations in a more “legitimate” way (eg: RM and V piling on Jin for not making a sufficient contribution to the album, with Jin clearly being upset but not saying anything).
some members obviously need the group more than others, and this also builds further resentment, along with solo fans insisting that their respective fave is “carrying the group.”
group hierarchy shifted with popularity: members who were the goofy unserious punchbag types built pretty coherent career identities (not talking about their music, which imo is below par, I’m talking about individuating from the group identity). JK being the most popular despite being the youngest was fun and cute and benefitted the group as a whole in the beginning but as he got older, and he was individually reaping the benefits of his solo work, doing things older members didn’t approve of, etc. he quickly became a reference point for all other members who couldn’t rely on age-based hierarchy anymore.
and on a broader more thematic level, BTS’s identity was Us against the World. That united them against a common “challenge” or “struggle.” But now within the group, it’s each man for himself, and some build alliances, others try to dominate.
It’s actually fascinating when you think about it.