Welcome back to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, followers, and newbies. This week, Xdinary Heroes talks about all the songs on their new album.. As always, if you haven't already, feel free to subscribe Head over to my complimentary newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered straight to your inbox every week!
Xdinary Heroes has made its latest comeback with the release of Troubleshooting, the band's first full-length album. For anyone not already familiar with Gun-il, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon, there's a lot to love about the act, one that falls firmly under the “band” categorization: Xdinary members write Heroes your own music and play your own instruments.
Part of JYP Entertainment in Seoul, Xdinary Heroes are K-pop adjacent, but operate under the Studio J sub-label, and this long-running project is another showcase of their rock-infused pop-punk style. “Through TroubleshootingWe want to show our various musical colors and excite fans for our future works,” Jungsu shares.
Since the band is so deeply involved in the music-making process, it made perfect sense for them to shed light on each song on the project, from the energetic opener “No Matter” to title track “Little Things” and beyond. “We put a lot of thought and effort into our work, so I hope you enjoy our music and feel good vibes,” says Jun Han. “There are so many colorful songs,” adds Gaon.
Watch the band’s new music video for “Little Things” below and read on for the breakdown of each song on Troubleshooting.
“It doesn't matter:”
weapon-il: When we were working on the song, we weren't planning on using it as the first track, but after completing it and comparing it to the other tracks, we found that it fit better as an opener.
Gaon: While working on the song, I thought it had so much energy that it could have been a centerpiece track. It's a strong and energetic track, so it seemed like it would be the most intense and XH-like opening of the album.
“Little things:”
Gaon: Listening to this song, I feel a similar vibe to “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance or [the band] High official dandyism. Our band has been influenced by this genre since we were young, so I think we naturally incorporated that vibe into the song.
Jun Han: I learned a lot from “Sister's Barbershop” while writing the lyrics because they have a style that I admire.
“UNDEFINED:”
jungsu: I remember working on this song as an extension of “Break the Brake,” wanting to convey the message of being limitless and limitless. So, I strove to create melodies and arrangements that reflected that theme.
Ode: My goal was to express the energetic rock sound with an XH darkness.
“Paint it:”
jungsu: I think the second verse of the song has a Queen vibe. We worked hard and tried to be perfect even from the demo to capture the chorus and the emotion of that part.
Jun Han: I remember discussing and developing the guitar with Hwang Leen during recording.
“Money on my mind:”
Jun Han: When we wrote this song, our main goal wasn't for people to connect deeply with the lyrics. We just wanted to create something enjoyable and exciting to listen to. We hope a lot of people just enjoy it.
Jooyeon: I hope this song gives listeners energy and a sense of freedom from the stresses of life.
“Dreamer girl”
weapon-il: I wrote the melody first. As I worked on the lyrics, I kept in mind the emotions I felt when creating the melody.
Ode: As Gun-il said, we wrote the melody first. Since the melody sets the mood, I wrote the lyrics to the melody.
“until the end of time:”
jungsu: As with our previous ballads, Jooyeon and I worked on the melody. This time we looked for a holier and more heartbroken feeling, drawing inspiration from songs with similar emotions.
Jooyeon: When imagining what can be combined with piano and guitar chords, I thought about the impermanence of life, especially when it comes to our parents. This led to the creation of a beautiful but melancholic song.
“Walking to the Moon”:
jungsu: This song has a lively and happy vibe, but also requires high notes in the chorus. So the most important thing is to transmit energy and vibrations without appearing tense. We focused a lot on this point and it ended up being one of the longest recordings on this album. Also, since each word carries a different feeling, we changed some words during the recording sessions.
Jooyeon: Jun Han pleasantly surprised me during the recording of the introduction of the chorus part of the third verse.
“MONEY BALL”
weapon-il: While we want to share all of our songs with the audience, I'm looking forward to hearing “MONEYBALL” as it would be even better for the live performance.
Gaon: I felt like “Moneyball” was meant to be sung since we worked on the song. It would be incredibly fun to perform live and sing along with our fans.
“Fireworks night”
weapon-il: We decided to end the album with this song because its melody, lyrics and general mood are perfect to close the album.
Ode: I thought the tone and lyrics of the song made it a beautiful ending to our first full album.
I want your opinions on K-Pop
Later this week, I'll be sending out our first mid-year survey on Fan Chant. If you want to participate and mention your favorite releases of the year so far, go ahead and subscribe. here.
New music from RM
RM, photo courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC
As a big fan of IndigoI'm really looking forward to seeing this second full-length project from the BTS leader. Here's what we know so far about the album.
Recording song of the week:
ZICO's music is consistently SO catchy, and this bop featuring Blackpink's Jennie is no exception.
thanks to our partners at consequence.net