All luminous things come to an end, and every ending holds the seed of another beginning. On their new album DEAD AND, Xdinary Heroes confronts the feelings that linger after loss and disappearance. Through music, they explore what might reconnect from what’s gone and offer a heavy yet tender consolation to young people standing at the threshold of farewell.
Though the title points paradoxically to an end, the band’s gaze stretches past the dead end toward something more enduring. The seven tracks, shaped by a rigorous commitment to music’s essentials, register a bold move: to let Xdinary Heroes become a genre in itself.
This eighth mini-album features contributions from every member across seven songs — the title track "Voyager," "X room," "Helium Balloon," "No Cool Kids Zone," "Hurt So Good," "Rise High Rise," and "KTM" — weaving varied stories of parting into a single arc.
“I think the album’s main theme — farewell — carries more weight than on our previous records. We spent a lot of time thinking about how to express that farewell in diverse ways. Each of the seven tracks contains a different kind of goodbye, so listeners will find different layers to discover. Sonically, we tried a lot of interesting experiments. The most noticeable shift is that synths are much more prominent. Where we used to rely on drums, bass, and guitar for a rock sound, this time we leaned on synths to achieve something more unique and grand in scale.” (Gaon)
“If the previous album was about loving like it’s the last thing, the natural next emotion to examine was farewell. It wasn’t a calculated turning point; it just felt like the most organic story for us to tell.” (Geonil)
On the title track "Voyager," the foregrounded synths expand Odd’s role. The arrangement is built around a central synth line, with the other parts supporting it.
“Because the synths are so flamboyant, the performance presented real technical challenges. It required a different approach from what we’d done before, so it took time to adapt. We even gave up Lunar New Year holiday time to keep practicing in the studio. We prepared with the intention of bringing out the synth parts properly.” (Odd)
“This time synths are much more emphasized. Instead of producing a rock sound primarily with drums, bass, and guitar, we used synths to create a more distinctive, larger-scale sound. We stripped back other parts so Odd could shine with more elaborate playing, and we arranged things simply to highlight him. Sonically, we reinforced the low end to let the highs cut through more clearly.” (Gaon)
“As the bassist, my mid-low range often overlapped with Gaon’s. For this record we aimed for a deeper low end and spaced our sounds apart. Seungmin took on the sharp high tones, which made the overall balance clearer.” (Jooyeon)
The lyrics use Voyager 1 as a metaphor, capturing a resolve to shine again even while heading toward an end. The farewell the song describes isn’t a final halt but a transition — a drift and dissolution that leads into another form of continuity. Each member articulated that feeling from a personal angle.
“'Voyager' is about completing a mission and setting out on a new journey. We began with the image of moving farther from Earth and thought that the act of distancing itself could feel like a goodbye.” (Gaon)
“When I first sketched the imagery, I started with the idea that when a star dies it can give birth to another star. I focused on that image of an outburst creating something new. I also recalled a farewell I experienced — a friend I could no longer see — and I wrote the lyrics imagining they might have become another star somewhere.” (Jungsu)
“I believe if no one remembers you, you effectively disappear. That idea resonates with my own motto: if people stop remembering us, it’s as if we don’t exist. I immersed myself in that thought while singing.” (Jooyeon)
The members do more than perform: they’re involved across songwriting and production, building their own narratives. The emotions and experiences that surface during the process are embedded in the music, and those creations become assets that fuel future work.
“One of the biggest rewards of being in a band is being able to turn youthful feelings and moments into art. It’s neither common nor easy, so compressing those moments into a form denser than a diary feels meaningful. I sometimes rewatch our songs or music videos to find inspiration for the next album. The past self inspires the present self, and that’s a real help.” (Gaon)
“We keep making music and releasing work, and through that process we grow. The songs we once made were works we were proud of at the time — I see them now as sketches that will remain with us.” (Junhan)
When the six members — Geonil on drums, Jungsu on keyboards, Gaon and Junhan on guitars, Odd on synth, and Jooyeon on bass — bring their distinct colors together, Xdinary Heroes’ synergy becomes raw and powerful. Their roles interlock like gears, strengthening the band’s identity while expanding its musical range.
“The greatest appeal is that six of us can pick up instruments and make a single piece of music. Being able to move people with that music is incredibly rewarding. Each member brings different ideas, and that can push the music in unexpected directions. The fact that all six of us think differently is a point of pride.” (Gaon)
“I’m proud of every member. I sometimes wonder if we’d be the band we are today without even one of them. Looking back at past performances, I see things we wished were better and things we did well. That mix only deepens my affection for the team.” (Geonil)
Xdinary Heroes have expanded their footprint quickly: playing Jamsil Indoor Stadium, launching a second world tour, appearing at Lollapalooza Chicago, and opening for Muse in Korea. They’re headlining more festival stages, and their profile is rising. The band regards this moment as pivotal.
“Frankly, we’ve felt a growing interest in us this year, and we’re very grateful. At the same time, we wanted to prepare this album carefully. Any release at this point naturally becomes a turning point, so we focused on how to make this one have a positive impact. We put extra care into it, which makes this album feel especially dear to us.” (Geonil)
“Watching Muse, I felt their sound quality and artistic identity were clearly distinct. It showed me what the dignity of a legend looks like. Seeing that made us want to become a band that listeners of all ages can love.” (Geonil)
What drives the band? It’s visible in how they approach music and performance.
“The word that runs through our group is 'fun.' Playing our music with joy and making performances that are fun is our primary goal.” (Gaon)
“Personally, I’ve valued sincerity since our debut. That includes sincerity in how we treat music and a hope that listeners might find the same comfort and growth in our songs that we once found in music when we were young.” (Geonil)
Rock and band music are still sometimes seen as difficult or distant from mainstream tastes. Xdinary Heroes chose not to force their sound into a prescribed mold of mass appeal. Instead, they doubled down on the music they’d been building. As a result, more listeners have found them, and that momentum has begun to operate as a form of popularity. For the band, mainstream appeal isn’t a fixed benchmark — it’s something they shape themselves.
“When we record and work, we try not to take shortcuts. Even when it’s hard, we immerse ourselves and see it through. We’ve thought about popularity a lot, and to us popularity simply means many people liking your music. Our goal is to make our music so it can become popular on its own terms.” (Jooyeon)
“A lot of people assume mainstream music must be bright and easy to listen to, but in the ’80s and ’90s powerful sounds were central too. When a genre matures, it becomes something people want to hear. Our task is to make our music more accessible to a broader audience.” (Junhan)
The band’s aim with this album is clear: maintain their musical principles while reaching more listeners.
“We didn’t set a strict commercial target when we began preparing this album; we focused on the music itself. Now that the release is imminent, natural expectations have surfaced. One is a good showing on streaming charts — we’d especially like to enter Melon’s chart at a high position. We also hope many people listen to the title track 'Voyager,' and, more broadly, that more listeners discover our music.” (Geonil)
“I heard Voyager 1 is about to reach 1 light-day that NASA will mark. Since our song is called 'Voyager,' I thought it would be amazing if they played our track there, if they liked it.” (Gaon)
© Dailyan Co., Ltd. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited.
- Legal risks still hang over Bang Si-hyuk, but HYBE music credits 'HitmanBang' [D: Music View]
- Unchild throws down the gauntlet in the pop scene
- Jung Soojung — her beauty hasn’t faded
- Could a Korean Coachella become real? The K-pop industry's 'Big Four' agencies prepare a joint venture
- Turbo 'Choice' [X’s Pop for Z (97)]
