K-Pop Strengthens Newcomer Forces at New Year’s…ENHYPEN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, and idntt Sub-units Release Music One After Another

The K-pop market is reviving with the arrival of the new year. Starting in January after the end of the holiday off-season, major groups, sub-units, and newcomers are all making Comebacks one after another, bringing renewed energy to the industry.

EXO will release its 8th studio album, “REVERXE,” on the 19th, resuming group activities for about 2.5 years. Having debuted in 2012 and now in their 13th year, EXO is still regarded as a group representing K-pop’s third generation. The title track, “Crown,” combines Atlanta trap drums, heavy metal guitars, and EDM synths, using genre-blending sounds to highlight EXO’s signature energy. The album includes a winter song titled “I’m Home” and a performance track called “Back It Up,” for a total of 9 tracks.

SEVENTEEN’s vocal sub-unit, consisting of Dogyem and Seungkwan, will release their 1st mini album, “Soya-gok,” on the 12th. Meaning “a love song sung at night,” the album delivers delicate storytelling about emotions between encounters and separations. It calmly portrays everyday moments of love, including weariness, misalignment, and new beginnings, and is expected to showcase the two members’ strong vocal skills and expressive abilities, giving them a distinct presence separate from the main group.

ENHYPEN will make Comeback after about 6 months with the release of their 7th mini album, “THE SIN : VANISH,” on the 16th. Announcing the start of the new series “THE SIN,” inspired by the concept of “sin,” this album further expands the group’s unique dark fantasy worldview. Since their Debut, ENHYPEN has built a global fanbase through expansive worldviews and dazzling performances, achieving triple million-seller status with their 2nd studio album, “ROMANCE : UNTOLD.”

Newcomer group ALPHA DRIVE ONE will officially debut on the 12th with their 1st mini album, “EUPHORIA.” Formed through Mnet’s “BOYZ2PLANET,” which concluded in September last year, they gained attention as “super newcomers” by appearing on a major award show just 100 days after forming the group. Their pre-release track, “FORMULA,” performed well on major domestic and international charts right after its release, receiving positive responses in global markets such as Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Modhaus’s mega boyband project, idntt, shows another direction of expansion at the beginning of the new year. Designed to grow gradually with a target final size of 24 members, the project started last August with the Debut of the 7-member sub-unit unevermet. This week, with the addition of the 8-member sub-unit yesweare, idntt has expanded to 15 members. The members of yesweare demonstrate a more confident attitude in their new album, moving away from unevermet’s theme of discovery. The title track, “Pretty Boy Swag,” features a groovy instrumental combining bass, electronic guitars, and brass, along with a large-scale synchronized choreography created for all 15 members.

As the newcomer forces in the K-pop market grow stronger, the activities of major artists, the Debuts of new groups, and the various sub-unit activities of existing groups are expected to inject fresh vitality into the industry.