Testing the waters; BTS resurface with SWIM

By Cami | March 24, 2026

SWIM was released as the title track from BTS’ latest album ARIRANG on 20 March, signalling the bands official return to the world stage after a lengthy four-year hiatus.  

Directed by award-winning Ukrainian Tanu Muiño, known for her work with other artists including Harry Styles (As It Was, Daylight), Yungblud (Fleabag) and Jungkook (Standing Next To You), the video has a strategically fleeting run time of 2:39, perfect for streaming and radio play in 2026.  Over far too quickly, the urge to set the video to repeat is barely a thought – the second a suggested video opportunistically queues up (side note; maybe I need to fix my YouTube settings), we’re rapidly exiting out to play it again.

Something that BTS talked about in their recent interview with Zane Lowe was a fear of being forgotten during their absence, of losing relevance in the fast-paced, attention hungry world of modern charts and streaming. For a band that hasn’t released music or appeared publicly as a group up until now (apart from pre-recorded promotion videos) the numbers don’t truly matter – even a fraction of this viewership, if those viewers received the message, is enough.

However, the SWIM music video garnered 5 million views in the first hour, then 33.3 million views in the first day, hitting #1 in 93 countries for streaming, and topping Global Spotify for consecutive days (three so far). And this impact is echoed across every social media platform – at the time of writing, the song already has millions of interactions, posts, reaction videos, dance covers, lyric translations and more, and it’s not slowing down with overseas (US) promotions commencing from this week.

Now, back to the video. Featuring Lili Reinhart (known for her long-standing role in Riverdale, as well as her more recent advocacy of endometriosis and LGBTQIA+ representation in the media) as the ‘heroine’, the video follows on from the first teaser set in the Museu de Marinha in Lisbon, Portugal.

From the opening, SWIM feels like a warm and familiar greeting. For long-time listeners, the sound of the waves in the museum scene trigger an immediate memory. Reminiscent of Sea (바다, a hidden track in all physical copies of their 2017 album, Love Yourself: Her), this song is also meant for ARMY and points to similar themes of journey, struggle, and triumph.

The video’s storyline follows the heroine’s lonely wandering, wild dancing and soulful tears; a portrayal of loss and grief, of questioning. In every scene, the BTS members quietly share her grief and wait for her, always together. In this dreamlike state, she doesn’t consider who’s steering the ship, staying the sails, facing the storm, finding the way – but BTS is there, unable to speak, unable to interact, but working tirelessly for her.

Swim, swim. This is how it all begins – BTS

Despite being a fully English song, SWIM almost carries too much heart to feel much like their past single releases (not to at all discount the success and joy of songs like Dynamite and Butter) and feels like a clear evolution from the more industry/commercial driven era of 2020-2022. As the mid-point of an album that explores BTS‘ roots in Korea and music, SWIM is an artful call back to the wistfulness and time-travelling atmosphere of HYYH (화양연화, ‘the most beautiful moment in life’), that references the costume drama and sorrowful reflection of Black Swan.

SWIM is also joyful in parts, embodied by the freedom of wildly cresting waves crashing against the bow of the ship crewed by BTS throughout. Their Penzance-esque scrubbing of the deck has them dressed ready for a pantomime or a whimsical Gilbert and Sullivan opera, in their crisp 1890s era sailor suits. By sprinkling in a little of their irrepressible playfulness, the group evokes memories of hope and a promise of things to come.

BTS’ use of historical and nautical imagery prompts the viewer to navigate layered metaphors of journeying, discovery, and teamwork. This album, ARIRANG, is about unity – seven stars in one sky, within a shared universe and culture, created together with ARMY.

At its core, SWIM is a graceful acknowledgement of their steadfast supporters. Through the heroine (if it has been your personal experience, as it has been mine) we acknowledge our collective journeys through COVID, military enlistment and various other trials of the last four years, and take a trusting step forward into the new and unknown. Any sorrow or pain felt over this time, the relative anguish of silence and absence where there was once happy chaos, doesn’t change, but BTS’ presence is no longer a ghostly brush against our memory – it’s something real once again, ready to catch us when we need it most.

Without spoiling our full album review (coming soon), ARIRANG is a statement. It’s a bold embrace offered by these seven men, at a challenging crossroads to navigate in their lives; if you accept it, celebrate it, or otherwise is up to you as the listener. But BTS is back, and more bulletproof than ever.

Watch the first live stage of SWIM in BTS The Comeback Live: ARIRANG(replay available on Netflix now; subscription required).

Written by Cami

Edited by Narelle