CIX make comeback with new EP ‘OK Episode 1: OK Not’ and music video for title track ‘458’

K-pop boy group CIX dropped their fifth EP “OK Episode 1: OK Not” led by the title track “458” on Monday.

As its title suggests, the EP is part of a series. CIX launched the prologue of the “OK” series with their first studio album “OK Prologue: Be OK” in 2021.

As stated in a recent press release, CIX’s newest EP focuses on “the internal troubles and struggles to find the nature of love. Specifically around the concept that a person who is making desperate efforts to win their lover’s heart, a person needs to face oneself in the conflict between reason and instinct, and sometimes the need to break the rules.”

Rule-breaking is apparent in the darker visuals of the music video, a change of pace from the typical bright K-pop color schemes associated with summer.

While discussing CIX’s latest comeback with NextShark, lead vocalist BAEJINYOUNG explains the contrast between their newest release and their previous EP.

“We mostly talked about youth in the previous album,” BAEJINYOUNG says. “In this [new] album, we wanted to show the mature side of youth through love, in addition to emotions like pain or emptiness that are derived from love. That is why we came back with a more intense and sexier concept than the previous album.”

Leader BX adds more context for the new EP by comparing it to group’s “HELLO” series, saying, “Before the ‘OK’ series, there was the ‘HELLO’ series, which was a story about best friends being in a difficult or painful situation.”

“In the ‘OK’ series, we’re going to narrate why they’re in that situation and show the process of how they prepare to be saved,” he continues. “If the last album marked the beginning of the ‘OK’ series as a prologue, this album is the first episode for an official start of the ‘OK’ series.”

In addition to the title track “458,” “OK Episode 1: OK Not” has three side tracks: “Without You,” “Bend the Rules” and “Drown in Luv.” Member HYUNSUK recommends listening to “Drown in Luv” because it’s a track “you can comfortably listen to, so I want to listen to this song with our fans, FIX!” Meanwhile, vocalist and visual YONGHEE suggests checking out CIX’s older albums and listening to “WAVE.”

“I’d like to recommend ‘WAVE’ which was the title song from our previous album! It’s one of our summer songs that came out around this time last year. If you listen to the song along with our latest album, you’ll be able to feel our different charms,” YONGHEE says.

While CIX weren’t directly involved in production this time around, main vocalist and dancer SEUNGHUN shares that they are working on songs for future releases.

“There is no song that our members participated in this album, but BX has been working on songs and I have been continuously working on songs! We are always working on our songs whenever we can, so please look forward to it!” he says.

Besides their recent comeback, CIX kept busy with their first overseas performances since they made their debut. They recently concluded their U.S. “REBEL” tour, which ran from April to May across six cities.

CIX debuted in July 2019 under C9 Entertainment with their EP “Hello Chapter 1: Hello, Stranger.”

Featured Image via C9 Entertainment

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