Xdinary Heroes explores desire, youth in 9th mini album 'IMPULSE'

Xdinary Heroes is releasing its ninth mini album IMPULSE on Monday alongside the lead single Obsessed with Youth. Centered on desire, instinct and the complex emotions of youth, the seven-track project presents a sleeker, more mature evolution in the band’s sound and visuals. The members describe raw emotion, hope and anxiety as central to the album and cite Lollapalooza Chicago as their most memorable stage.

The five-member group consists of Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon.

Members contributed to the credits for several IMPULSE tracks, including You Right There, Give Up The Ghost and u and me in arguments.

The band plans to perform with unfiltered energy rather than polished perfection, emphasizing the natural force of its vocals and instruments.

Lollapalooza Chicago was especially meaningful because it was the group’s first massive overseas festival and a long-held dream stage.

Published Oct 12, 2026 11:02 am KST

Updated Oct 12, 2026 11:12 am KST

A promotional photo of K-rock band Xdinary Heroes' ninth mini album “IMPULSE” / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

K-rock band Xdinary Heroes is making a bold return to the global music scene with the release of its ninth mini album "IMPULSE" on Monday.

The five-member group — Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon — has established a unique footprint in modern rock with their explosive instrumentals and self-produced tracks. The band has also performed on prominent stages — from Lollapalooza Chicago to opening for British rock icons Muse in Korea.

Xdinary Heroes is releasing its newest mini album alongside the lead single, "Obsessed with Youth." Centered on raw instincts, longing and the chaotic beauty of youth, the seven-track project reflects the band's growth both visually and musically.

Below, the members share the inspiration behind the album, their songwriting process and memories from their biggest performance milestones.

Q: With your new mini album "IMPULSE," you explore instinctual emotions. What message did you want to share most, and how have your music and visuals evolved since your last release, "DEAD AND"?

Xdinary Heroes: We wanted to use "desire" as a keyword to express a wide spectrum of human emotions through our music. Our message is about accepting whatever emotions come your way — whether positive or negative — and staying true to your heart. Visually, we put a lot of thought into showing a deeper, more mature side of ourselves this time. You will definitely notice a sleeker and more refined transformation in both our style and our sound.

Q: The lead track, "Obsessed with Youth," deals with contrast — the thrill versus the instability of youth. Which emotions resonated with you most while working on it?

Xdinary Heroes: The overwhelming sense of hope combined with underlying anxiety resonated with us the most. We also felt a burning desire to grow even further. This song captures the feeling of pouring everything you have into the present moment just to reach the future you dream of. Because it holds such complex emotions, we hope listeners can truly relate to it.

Q: How did you express those conflicting feelings of passion and uncertainty in your performance and sound?

Xdinary Heroes: Because we are currently navigating youth ourselves, we naturally immersed ourselves in those contrasting feelings. Compared to our previous work, this lead track has a brighter, more refreshing mood, so we focused on letting the natural energy of our vocals and instruments shine. Rather than aiming for polished perfection, we felt showing raw, honest emotion — even if it feels a bit unrefined — was the best approach. We plan to bring that unfiltered energy to the stage.

Q: All of you contributed to the credits for several tracks on "IMPULSE." Are there any particular lyrics or parts that stand out to you?

Jungsu: When we were working on "You Right There" and landed on the phrase "you right there," I knew right away that we had hit the mark. It felt like we finally captured the core theme of the song.

Gaon: I love the line "I wanna hear your voice, calling my name" in "You Right There." I also added the phrase "If I could" as a lyrics twist to give listeners an emotional lingering effect.

O.de: In the title track "Obsessed with Youth," my favorite line is "Every season that passed, every youth that was wasted, Keep me alive, yeah / So I wanna be obsessed with youth." It captures the essence of young emotions so well. Also, "Breathe in, Breathe out" originally started as a grand, heavy track, but reinterpreting it with an acoustic arrangement gave it a delicate, charming color.

Q. Which side tracks are you most excited for fans to hear?

Jungsu: "Give Up The Ghost." It blends a refined, grand atmosphere with our intense energy, and I cannot wait for fans to experience that synergy.

Gaon: "u and me in arguments," which is a heavy rock track featuring an explosive band sound. It is one of my personal favorites, so I am very curious about how fans will react.

O.de: "You Right There." It has a relentless, fast-paced progression that grabs your attention right away.

Jun Han: "u and me in arguments." The minor scale paired with rough distortion gives it a super heavy texture. Anyone who loves gritty, powerful rock will enjoy it.

Jooyeon: "Give Up The Ghost." From the moment we made it, it felt like a track meant for the stage. I cannot wait to perform it live and share that high-energy moment with our fans.

Q: As a prominent K-pop band, you have performed at major festivals, opened for Muse in Korea, and played Lollapalooza Chicago. Which stage remains the most memorable?

Xdinary Heroes: Every single stage holds a special place in our hearts. But Lollapalooza Chicago was especially meaningful because it was our first massive overseas festival and a dream stage we had looked up to for a long time. The emotions and excitement from that day are still vivid. In fact, we still wear our Lollapalooza t-shirts all the time!

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Xdinary Heroes将于周一发行第九张迷你专辑《IMPULSE》，同时推出主打单曲《Obsessed with Youth》。这张包含七首歌曲的迷你专辑以欲望、本能和青春期复杂的情感为主题，展现了乐队在音乐和视觉呈现上更加流畅、成熟的进化。成员们表示，专辑的核心在于真挚的情感、希望和焦虑，并称芝加哥Lollapalooza音乐节是他们最难忘的舞台。

这个五人组合由 Jungsu、Gaon、O.de、Jun Han 和 Jooyeon 组成。

成员们为多首 IMPULSE 曲目贡献了创作功劳，包括《You Right There》、《Give Up The Ghost》和《u and me in arguments》。

乐队计划以未经修饰的能量而非精雕细琢的完美来表演，强调其人声和乐器的自然力量。

芝加哥 Lollapalooza 音乐节意义非凡，因为这是该乐队首次参加大型海外音乐节，也是他们长久以来的梦想舞台。

发布于2026年10月12日上午11:02（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月12日上午11:12（韩国标准时间）

韩国摇滚乐队Xdinary Heroes第九张迷你专辑《IMPULSE》的宣传照 / 图片由JYP娱乐公司​​提供

韩国摇滚乐队 Xdinary Heroes 将于周一发行第九张迷你专辑《IMPULSE》，强势回归全球乐坛。

这支由五名成员——Jungsu、Gaon、O.de、Jun Han 和 Jooyeon——组成的乐队，凭借其极具爆发力的器乐演奏和自主制作的歌曲，在现代摇滚乐坛独树一帜。他们也曾登上过众多知名舞台，从芝加哥 Lollapalooza 音乐节到在韩国为英国摇滚传奇乐队 Muse 担任开场嘉宾。

Xdinary Heroes即将发行最新迷你专辑，主打单曲为《Obsessed with Youth》。这张包含七首歌曲的迷你专辑以原始的本能、渴望和青春的混乱之美为中心，展现了乐队在视觉和音乐上的成长。

下面，成员们将分享这张专辑背后的灵感、他们的创作过程以及他们最重要的演出里程碑的回忆。

问：你的新迷你专辑《IMPULSE》探索了本能的情感。你最想传达的信息是什么？与上一张专辑《DEAD AND》相比，你的音乐和视觉风格发生了哪些变化？

Xdinary Heroes：我们想以“渴望”为关键词，通过音乐表达丰富的人类情感。我们想传达的信息是：无论情绪是好是坏，都要接受它们，并忠于自己的内心。在视觉方面，我们这次也花了很多心思，力求展现我们更深沉、更成熟的一面。相信你们一定会注意到，无论在风格还是音乐上，我们都变得更加流畅、更加精致。

问：主打歌《痴迷青春》探讨的是对比——青春的激情与不稳定。在创作这首歌的过程中，哪些情绪最能引起你的共鸣？

Xdinary Heroes：歌曲中蕴含的强烈希望与潜在的焦虑感最能引起我们的共鸣。我们也感受到一种渴望不断成长的强烈愿望。这首歌捕捉到了那种为了实现梦想的未来，将一切倾注于当下的感觉。因为它包含如此复杂的情感，我们希望听众能够真正感同身受。

问：你是如何通过表演和声音来表达激情与不确定之间那种矛盾的情感的？

Xdinary Heroes：因为我们自己也正处于青春期，所以自然而然地沉浸在那些对比鲜明的情感之中。与我们之前的作品相比，这首主打歌的基调更加明快清新，因此我们着重展现了人声和乐器本身的自然能量。与其追求完美无瑕，我们觉得呈现最真实、最真挚的情感——即使略显粗糙——才是最佳方式。我们计划将这份未经雕琢的能量带到舞台上。

问：你们都参与了专辑《IMPULSE》中几首歌曲的创作。有没有哪句歌词或哪一部分让你们印象特别深刻？

郑洙：当我们创作《You Right There》这首歌，最终确定了“你就在那里”这句歌词时，我立刻就知道我们找到了感觉。感觉我们终于抓住了这首歌的核心主题。

Gaon：我喜欢《You Right There》这首歌里的那句歌词“我想听到你呼唤我的名字”。我还加入了“如果我能”这句歌词，作为歌词上的一个转折，希望能给听众带来一种久久萦绕的情感效果。

O.de：在主打歌《Obsessed with Youth》中，我最喜欢的一句歌词是“每个逝去的季节，每个虚度的青春，都让我活下去，是的/所以我想要沉迷于青春”。它完美地捕捉到了年轻人的情感本质。另外，《Breathe in, Breathe out》最初是一首气势磅礴、节奏强劲的歌曲，但用原声乐器重新编曲后，却赋予了它一种细腻迷人的色彩。

问：你最期待歌迷听到哪些未收录曲目？

郑秀：“《Give Up The Ghost》融合了精致宏大的氛围和我们强烈的能量，我迫不及待地想让粉丝们体验到这种协同效应。”

Gaon 的新歌《u and me in arguments》是一首重摇滚歌曲，乐队演奏极具爆发力。这首歌是我个人最喜欢的歌曲之一，所以我很好奇歌迷们的反应。

O.de：“你就在那里。”它节奏紧凑、快速推进，立刻就能抓住你的注意力。

Jun Han：“你和我吵架。” 小调音阶搭配粗粝的失真效果，赋予了这首歌一种极其厚重的质感。任何喜欢粗犷、强劲摇滚乐的人都会喜欢它。

珠妍：“《Give Up The Ghost》这首歌从创作之初就感觉像是为舞台而生的。我迫不及待地想要现场表演这首歌，与粉丝们分享那份高能量的瞬间。”

问：作为一支知名的韩国流行音乐组合，你们参加过许多大型音乐节，在韩国为Muse乐队担任开场嘉宾，并在芝加哥Lollapalooza音乐节上演出过。哪一场演出让你们印象最深刻？

Xdinary Heroes：每一个舞台在我们心中都占据着特殊的位置。但芝加哥Lollapalooza音乐节意义非凡，因为这是我们第一次参加如此大型的海外音乐节，也是我们一直以来梦寐以求的舞台。那天的激动和兴奋至今仍历历在目。事实上，我们现在还经常穿着Lollapalooza的T恤！

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。