XLOV are back with new music! The group’s third EP, ‘i=!’, came out on October 28 at 6 p.m. KST, and earlier that day the members met the press at a showcase at Cube Convention Center in western Seoul.
The eight-track EP is led by not one but two title songs. ‘Hush’ is a dark, intense pop track that weaves traditional East Asian sounds into its striking strings, and its music video matches that energy with traditional imagery and a touch of horror. The other lead, ‘Tooth Gem Chiwawa’, goes the opposite way: dreamy hyperpop telling the story of a wolf raised by a chihuahua who goes through an identity crisis.
The album’s theme is the pressure and fear of facing a big, life-changing choice. Leader Wumuti, who also produces for the group, told reporters, “This album began with the question of what would have happened if we had made a different choice.”
‘i=!’ arrives five months after XLOV’s second EP, ‘I, God’, which sold more than 220,000 copies in its first week, the group’s best first-week number so far. Managed by RBW’s StrangeLab, XLOV debuted in January last year with members Wumuti, Rui, Hyun and Haru. And the goal for this era? “Our goal is to win first place on a music show,” Rui said.
If you’ve been following along, this is the full release behind the ‘Hush’ teaser we shared earlier, and XLOV also have their first US tour coming up in December. Press play on the ‘Hush’ MV below.