By now, BTS ARMYs across the world have already listened to the entire Arirang album — most likely multiple times. However, one track in particular left fans intrigued and a little puzzled: No. 29.
While tuning into it on their music apps, listeners were met with nothing but silence and probably a faint sound of bells. Surely, many initially assumed the app had crashed, or their headphones had stopped working.
Well, not quite. The one-minute-38-second track is, in fact, intentionally silent. It not a glitch, but a homage to Korean heritage. It features the resonant toll of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, an artefact cast in 771 AD and officially designated as South Korea’s National Treasure No. 29.
The officials of BigHit Music later confirmed on Friday that the track is ‘purely dedicated to Korean heritage.’ It has no beat, no vocals, but just pure history that remains as a fading entity in the backdrop.
BTS also dropped their first music video for the song Swim from their album Arirang, marking their much-anticipated comeback as a group after 2022.
Other tracks of the Arirang album include titles like Body to Body, Hooligan, Aliens, FYA, 2.0, No. 29, Merry Go Round, NORMAL, Like Animals, they don’t know ’bout us, One More Night, Please, and Into the Sun.
Netflix on Tuesday also dropped a trailer for an upcoming documentary chronicling their long-awaited return with their fifth studio album. The documentary is set to release on March 27.
