Before 'i=!', an XLOV starter guide: from the chessboard of 'I'mma Be' to the pawn promotion of 'SERVE'

XLOV releases a third mini album, 'i=!', at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28. We picked four of the songs that WUMUTI, RUI, HYUN and HARU have released since debuting in January 2025, up through their second mini album. The chessboard from the debut song carries all the way to the 2026 title track, and every album name hides a bit of wordplay. Times follow the official music videos.

1. 'I'mma Be' (2025)

The title track of the debut single. The album introduction on Bugs breaks down the group's name as an X carrying the meaning of 'an unknown, a negation' and a LOV holding 'an unfinished love'. At 1:18 in the music video, a hand moves a giant chess piece, and at 1:20 the members stand scattered like pieces on a chessboard-like floor. 8NUVO and WUMUTI are credited for the lyrics. Apple Music

2. '1&Only' (2025)

The title track of the second single album, 'I ONE'. According to the album introduction, 'ONE' is turned into 'Want', its Korean near-homophone, so the title can also read 'I want', and 'I.O.N.E' is written as 'l.O.V.E' to add the meaning of love. WUMUTI took part in writing the lyrics for every song on this single. From 1:10, the drums and bass drop out for 1.6 seconds and come back with 'We finna turn it up'. Apple Music

3. 'Rizz' (2025)

The main title track of the first mini album, 'UXLXVE'. The album name swaps the N and O of 'UNLOVE' for X, and the introduction explains it as 'a double negative: just as a negative times a negative becomes a positive, the possibility of turning into a positive'. A hip-hop R&B track built on an 808 trap sound, it drops the drums and bass for about three seconds after 'ALL IN' at 1:04, throws out 'Yeah, I got that rizz' first, and brings the beat back at 1:07.8. Apple Music

4. 'SERVE' (2026)

The title track of the second mini album, 'I,God'. The first line of its introduction reads: 'Even the most trivial and weakest being, upon finally reaching the end point, can choose anything it wants and be reborn.' It says the album brings back the 'chess' of the debut single and takes up the rule of 'pawn promotion', in which a pawn, the weakest piece, turns into another piece when it reaches the far end of the board. From 2:28, the drums and bass drop out for a little over 12 seconds, leaving only voices on lines like 'I know how to slay it' and 'I'm untouchable'. Meanwhile, at 2:34, people lie collapsed on a black-and-white checkered floor. WUMUTI, Mule and Lu took part in the composition. Apple Music

5. 'i=!' (October 28)

The description of the official trailer on YouTube says '2026.10.28(WED) 6PM(KST) RELEASE'. In the 18-minute highlight medley posted at midnight on October 11, the members sit on tiled steps answering questions that appear on screen, and title cards for 'CAT MOVE', 'HUSH', 'ALL TIED UP', '투스젬 치와와' and 'Silence' come up one after another. Topstarnews introduced 'Hush' and '투스젬치와와' as double title tracks, and 'All Tied Up' (RUI and HARU) and 'Silence' (WUMUTI and HYUN) as unit songs. The leader, WUMUTI, is also introduced as a producer in the album introductions, and the fandom name is EVOL (이불, 'blanket'). The music video teaser for 'Hush' followed at midnight on the 24th.