Enhypen promises not to bite you in bloodthirsty EP — and touring 'ballroom' pop-up

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Enhypen promises not to bite you in bloodthirsty EP — and touring 'ballroom' pop-up

Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 16:46 Updated: 08 Jun. 2025, 17:27

SHIN HA-NEE
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Boy band Enhypen poses for photos during a press event at Maison Enhypen, set inside the Seoul Museum of Art underground bunker in western Seoul on June 7. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

Enhypen is on a roll, with its sixth and latest EP, “Desire: Unleash,” now setting its sights on the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

But the seven-member boy band believes it has much more to prove.

“We all have a strong desire to prove ourselves,” said Jake during a press event at Maison Enhypen Seoul, an experience zone set up in collaboration with Spotify at an underground bunker in western Seoul on Saturday. “Because it is a shared motivation among us, it brought us to come this far and continues to drive us forward.”

That's how the older members feel, at least — some of the young-ins are just here to have fun. “Our biggest priority above all is to deliver a good album and great performance,” said Ni-ki, the youngest member. “It’s great to set records, of course, but my biggest ambition is to show an even better version of Enhypen.”

Boy band Enhypen poses for photos during a press event at Maison Enhypen, set inside the Seoul Museum of Art underground bunker in western Seoul on June 7. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

The band's album “Desire: Unleash,” released on Thursday, June 5, is its first new music in seven months. The album racked up 2.18 preorders and sold 1.89 million copies on its first day of release.

“Bad Desire (With or Without You),” the lead track of “Desire: Unleash,” explores the concept of desire that drives one to turn the person they long for into, in a way, a reflection of themselves.

As the song's story expands on the group's signature fantasy world where all seven members of Enhypen are portrayed as vampires — who are in love with a mysterious girl named Sooha, a symbolic representation of the band's fans dubbed Engene — such desire manifests as an urge to bite, and thus transform their lover into a vampire.

The band has been consistently building upon a vampire-themed narrative and aesthetic since its debut, previously expressed through imagery like sharp fangs, blood packs, gothic-inspired styles and concept cinemas centered on its storyline.

The band's most recent effort, “Romance: Untold” (2024), landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The goal, this year, is to land at No. 1, Jake said with a smile.

Maison Enhypen Seoul, somewhat fittingly, is decorated like a vampire's mansion. Fans are invited to a “ballroom party”; an invisible bite mark is stamped on their wrists upon entry, and they draw another invitation at random to select a “partner.” The venue is an underground bunker that was initially built in the 1970s for national emergencies, and the Seoul Museum of Art has used it for public exhibitions since 2017.

Enhypen and Spotify jointly host a pop-up exhibition titled ″Maison Enhypen″ set inside the Seoul Museum of Art underground bunker in western Seoul. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

Each section of the venue has a unique theme, with Easter eggs hidden for fans who want to take a peek into Enhypen’s Spotify playlists. Costumes worn by Enhypen members at their recent Coachella performance are displayed in Dress Room, and white, floaty fabrics adorn the Fabric Room, where “Loose,” one of the B-sides of “Desire: Unleash,” plays on repeat. The Balloon Room, filled with shimmering silver balloons, loops “Helium,” another B-side track written by member Jay.

Enhypen and Spotify jointly host a pop-up exhibition titled ″Maison Enhypen″ set inside the Seoul Museum of Art underground bunker in western Seoul, which runs from June 5 to 14. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

“Enhypen’s dedication to its fans is in line with Spotify’s vision to bring artists and fans closer together,” said Park Jung-joo, head of Music at Spotify Korea.

The pop-up next heads to Tokyo from Saturday to Tuesday, then Jakarta, Indonesia, from Thursday, June 12, to June 16.