Xdinary Heroes 101 before 'IMPULSE': from 'Happy Death Day' to 'Voyager'
Ahead of the ninth mini album 'IMPULSE' on October 12, we picked six songs from the debut to this spring's title track, with one spot to listen for first in each.
At 6 p.m. KST on October 12, Xdinary Heroes release their ninth mini album 'IMPULSE'. The band debuted in December 2021 on Studio J, JYP Entertainment's band label, and the members have taken part in writing lyrics and music on their albums throughout. Since August, they have been a five-piece: Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon. We picked six songs, from the debut single to this spring's title track, and noted one spot to listen for first in each. All timestamps follow JYP Entertainment's official music videos.
At a glance
| Year | Song | Album | Listen first for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Happy Death Day | Debut digital single | 1:08, where the drums drop out for 13 seconds |
| 2023 | Freakin' Bad | 3rd mini album 'Deadlock' | 0:02, a voice with no intro |
| 2023 | Break the Brake | 4th mini album 'Livelock' | 0:00, every instrument from the first second |
| 2024 | Little Things (어리고 부끄럽고 바보 같은) | 1st full album 'Troubleshooting' | 0:24, drums and bass all at once |
| 2025 | Beautiful Life | 6th mini album 'Beautiful Mind' | 3:50, 20 seconds without drums or bass |
| 2026 | Voyager | 8th mini album 'DEAD AND' | 0:28, the wait for the voice |
2021 'Happy Death Day'
The debut song, released on December 6, 2021. The drums knock first at 0:03, and the voice follows at 0:08. From 1:08 to 1:21, the drums drop out for 13 seconds, and at 2:28 they drop out again for the same length. The band built places to catch its breath into the song from the very start. Apple Music
2023 'Freakin' Bad'
The title track of the third mini album 'Deadlock', released on April 26, 2023. The bass is there from the very first moment, and the voice comes in at 0:02. It skips a long intro and gets straight to the point. At 2:04, the drums and bass stop for two seconds and the voice steps forward. Apple Music
2023 'Break the Brake'
The title track of the fourth mini album 'Livelock', released on October 11 the same year. The drums and bass come in together from 0:00, and the voice joins within a second. True to its title, it sets off with no brakes, and apart from about five seconds without drums at 1:36 and the ending, it barely stops running. Apple Music
2024 'Little Things (어리고 부끄럽고 바보 같은)'
The title track of the first full album 'Troubleshooting', released on April 30, 2024. According to the album notes, it's a pop punk song carrying a message to one's clumsy past self and friends, and every member took part in all the songs on the album. For the first 23 seconds there's only a small voice and a gentle backing, then at 0:24 the drums and bass come in all at once. The sound suddenly gets much louder, so it's worth turning your earphones down beforehand. At 2:44, the opposite happens: the drums and bass stop, and only the gentle backing flows for about 20 seconds. At 3:04 the voice returns, and at 3:14 the band comes back all at once. Apple Music
2025 'Beautiful Life'
The title track of the sixth mini album 'Beautiful Mind', released on March 24, 2025. The album notes single out heavy riffs and twist after twist as the song's hallmarks. The voice comes in first at 0:03, and the drums only arrive at 0:11. From 3:50, for almost 20 seconds, the voice steps forward without drums or bass. Apple Music
2026 'Voyager'
The title track of the eighth mini album 'DEAD AND', released on April 17 this year. It compares a resolve to keep sailing, even past the point of no return, to the Voyager 1 probe. The drums and bass run from the very first moment, but the voice only comes in at 0:28. Near the end, at 3:10 and 3:37, the drums and bass drop out again and the voice stays in front. From the same album, 'X room' came out first on March 25. Apple Music
'IMPULSE' on October 12
Seven songs: the title track 'Obsessed with Youth', plus 'Give Up The Ghost', 'Slashhh!', 'u and me in arguments', 'You Right There', 'Love in dystopia' and 'Breathe in, Breathe out'. In the instrumental live sampler released on September 28, the members play the album's songs one by one, and at the end all five play the title track together. The main photo is from that scene. It comes out on October 12 at 6 p.m. KST.
엑스디너리 히어로즈Xdinary Heroes엑디즈입문 가이드컴백IMPULSE밴드
Share
Sources
NONOL Editorial
The NONOL Magazine editorial team — we hear it first, then pass it on.
Keep reading
Before 'GO HARD': a MEOVV starter guide, six scenes from 'MEOW' to 'DDI RO RI'
Ahead of the single album 'GO HARD' at 6 p.m. today, we picked six title tracks, from the debut song 'MEOW' to June's 'DDI RO RI', with one scene to watch first for each.
NONOL Editorial·
Five RESCENE songs on the Bugs weekly chart, for 10 weeks: scenes to watch first, from 'LOVE ATTACK' to 'Runaway'
Five of the 100 songs on the Bugs weekly chart for the last week of September are by RESCENE. In the 10th week of all five being in the top 100 together, we lay out the rank history and a scene to watch first in each song.
NONOL Editorial·
WE MEET, WE LEAVE, WE MEET AGAIN: 7 things you missed in I.O.I's 'Suddenly' music video
The title track of a mini album about a story that reconnected after ten years. As the drums drop out at 2:28, the ten stand in a row, and after 34 seconds of "la la la," 'WE MEET AGAIN' appears at 3:16.
NONOL Editorial·