BoyNextDoor is back and asking 'WHY..' in latest EP

K-pop

Published: 04 Sep. 2023, 19:11 Updated: 04 Sep. 2023, 19:53

BoyNextDoor is back and asking 'WHY..' in latest EP

Boy band BoyNextDoor perfomrs during a press showcase held Monday ahead of the release of its first EP ″WHY..″ [KOZ ENTERTAINMENT]

Since its debut in May, boy band BoyNextDoor has branded itself as a group of friendly and approachable, everyday guys. They are now back, singing about their confused feelings as they grapple with the aftermath of breaking up with their first love in their latest EP "WHY.." that dropped Monday.

The boy band’s six-track EP “WHY..” features three brand new tracks — “Crying,” “But Sometimes” and “ABCDLOVE” — alongside three tracks from the band’s debut EP — “But I Like You,” “One and Only” and “Serenade.”

“The story in ‘WHY…’ continues from our debut single ‘WHO!' where we express our honest feelings of a breakup that people around our age could easily relate to,” member Riwoo said during a showcase held on Monday at the Yes24 Live Hall located in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, ahead of the album's release.

Boy band BoyNextDoor at a press showcase held Monday ahead of the release of its first EP ″WHY..″ [KOZ ENTERTAINMENT]

“We prepared both albums together and we treat them as one [big] album,” Woonhak added. “If you keep that in mind when listening to our new album, I think you’ll be able to see the connected storyline.”

BoyNextDoor also continued its streak of being a self-producing boy band, with Jaehyun, Taesan and Woonhak partaking in all three new songs.

“We’ve tried to include the honest yet complex feelings of experiencing a first breakup; it’s different from other breakup songs in that it’s rooted deep with the colors of BoyNextDoor,” Taesan said.

“Everyone has different ways of reacting to breakups,” Jaehyun explained. “I think people our age will find it hard to accept it like a true adult. That’s the feelings we wanted to convey in the lead track, the raw feelings that only young people can have.”

The three members also explained that they tried to incorporate the way they speak in real life into the songs they sing, to make the songs more relatable to their listeners.

Producer, singer-songwriter, rapper and founder of KOZ Entertainment Zico has participated in the band’s album production yet again.

“Producer Zico gave us a lot of advice during the production of the album,” Jaehyun said. “It’s our first time working with him as we wrote the lyrics together […] and producer Zico gave us advice, as a fellow artist in the industry.”

Boy band BoyNextDoor at a press showcase held Monday ahead of the release of its first EP ″WHY..″ [KOZ ENTERTAINMENT]

Members, while happy with the moniker "boy band produced by Zico" among the general public, hope they will be called by different titles in the future.

“Getting mentioned as the boy band produced by ZIco is good, as we are being talked about at the same time, but I do wish we get the moniker of ‘BoyNextDoor’ who you can trust to listen to,” Riwoo said.

“I think we are a band that grows with fans, and that itself is a good title to have,” Jaehyun said.

To find out more about BoyNextDoor, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]