Xdinary Heroes Return as 5 Members After Gun-il's Exit, and They Won't Polish It

Xdinary Heroes dropped their ninth mini-album, IMPULSE, at 6 p.m. KST on the 12th, and it is the first release since leader and drummer Gun-il left the band in August. The group is now a five-piece: Jungsoo, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon.

JYP Entertainment has no word on a replacement drummer in the material, and the band didn't spend the press cycle on the departure. They went with a theme instead: desire.

Rough edges, on purpose

The members said they wanted to express the many layers of human emotion through the idea of desire. Their message, via JYP: whatever feeling arrives, positive or negative, accept it as it is and don't deny your own state.

That extends to the sound. By their account, they picked a deeper, more mature mood over smooth, over-polished finish, and they described the album as brighter and fresher than the previous one. The focus, they said, was on letting each player's and vocalist's energy come through naturally.

"Showing the emotions only this period of life allows, even if a bit clumsy, seemed the best way to express it," the members said.

The title track and the tracklist

IMPULSE has seven songs. The title track, Obsessed with Youth, deals with youth and longing: its thrill, its instability and its fading brilliance. The members said they connected deeply with it because they are living through that same pull between hope and anxiety. O.de singled out one passage of the lyrics as the best capture of youth's feeling, reading it as a paradoxical confession that even spent time keeps you alive.

The other tracks named include Give Up The Ghost, Slashhh!, u and me in arguments and You Right There. The members are credited on every track, which keeps the self-producing band identity intact.

Jungsoo recalled the relief when the theme of You Right There came together. Gaon added a twist to its lyrics through the phrase "If i could." Breathe in, Breathe out gets a lyrical acoustic arrangement.

On the louder side, Gaon and Jun Han pointed to u and me in arguments, a minor-key heavy rock track with rough distortion, promising release for fans of heavy, sharp textures. Jungsoo and Jooyeon recommended Give Up The Ghost, aimed at the physical give-and-take of live shows.

Festival stages as foundation

The band has built its profile on big stages: Lollapalooza Chicago, the opening slot for MUSE's Korea show and Busan International Rock Festival. Lollapalooza Chicago, their first large overseas festival, stands out. "The overwhelming emotion and happiness of that day are still vivid," the members said, adding that they still wear the Lollapalooza T-shirt.

For a band that just changed its lineup, that is a telling choice of memory. The 'we're fine' message is coming through the amps, not the statements.