Xdinary Heroes, the rock band known for its gritty sound, have returned with a new mini-album, 'DEAD AND'.
It arrives about six months after October's seventh mini-album, 'LXVE to DEATH,' and features seven tracks co-written by the members that live up to fans' expectations.
At a Seoul café on the 15th, the band described 'DEAD AND' as a wistful record about breakups and the lingering ache that follows. Since every track centers on farewells, they encouraged listeners to savor the lyrics, which explore different kinds of goodbyes.
Leader Geonil said they chose the theme of parting because “our last album, 'LXVE to DEATH,' sang about the feelings and situations at the start of love. As a natural follow-up—if there's a beginning, there's an end—we decided to focus on farewells.”
The title track, “Voyager,” was inspired by Voyager 1. The song imagines leaving Earth on a space mission and looking back at the planet. Gaon said he imagined drifting away from Earth would feel like a kind of goodbye. Jeongsoo added another layer: “When a star dies, it gives birth to another star as it dies,” explaining that memories of a lost friend led him to wonder whether that friend had become another star — an idea he wove into the lyrics.
Each song uses vivid metaphors to convey distinct emotions. The opening track, “Helium Balloon,” came from a dream Geonil had. “I was working on a melody late at night and was half-asleep when I played the song. In my dream, I saw a single balloon rising endlessly into the sky,” he said.
Geonil interpreted the balloon as a metaphor for parting: once someone lets go, the balloon drifts away regardless of intention.
The pre-release single “X Room” drew its concept from the X Room segment on the reality show Transfer Love ('환승연애'), where participants can view photos, notes and pre-interviews tied to their exes' memories.
Odd elaborated: “The X Room visualizes ex-couples' memories by plastering them across the walls. If I were in that situation, I’d feel sad. I got really absorbed watching it.”
Jeongsoo said the song’s direction emerged while discussing the objects in the X Room. “We wrote the lyrics thinking that the things and spaces infused with a lover’s memories will be emptied forever when the relationship ends.” Jooyeon added, “Those objects and spaces disappear if no one remembers them — that reminded me of us. If no one remembers or knows us, we vanish. I immersed myself in that idea while singing.”
The record also represents a new challenge for the band. Where their earlier sound leaned on two guitars, bass and drums, DEAD AND foregrounds lush synthesizer work. Word is Odd even practiced through the Lunar New Year holiday to prepare.
Jooyeon recalled recording the pre-release single “X Room.” He had worried for Odd because the parts were far more demanding than before, but once Odd began recording, Jooyeon realized his concerns were unfounded. “Having completed such a difficult task so well, I feel our possibilities have expanded,” he said.
Interview continued in Part 2...
Photo: JYP
