Fan Chant: Xdinary Heroes Break Down Their New Album Troubleshooting Track by Track
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Welcome back to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. This week, Xdinary Heroes talks through all the songs on their new album. As always, if you haven’t already, feel free to subscribe to my companion newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered right to your inbox each week!
Xdinary Heroes have landed their latest comeback with the release of Troubelshooting, the band’s first full-length album. For anyone not yet familiar with Gun-il, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han, and Jooyeon, there’s so much to love about the act, one that falls firmly under the “band” categorization — the members of Xdinary Heroes write their own music and play their own instruments.
As a part of JYP Entertainment in Seoul, Xdinary Heroes are K-pop adjacent, but they operate under sub-label Studio J, and this full-length project is another showcase of their pop-punk, rock-infused style. “Through Troubleshooting, we want to show our diverse musical colors and excite fans for our future works,” shares Jungsu.
As the band is so deeply involved with the music-making process, it made perfect sense for them to shed light on each song on the project, from the energetic opener of “No Matter” to the focus 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 from it,” 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 their breakdown of each song on Troubleshooting.
“No Matter:”
Gun-il: When we were working on the song, we didn’t plan to use it as the first track, but after completing it and comparing it with the other tracks, we found that it fit best as the opener.
Gaon: While working on the song, I thought that the song had so much energy that it could have been a focus track! It is a strong and energetic track, so it felt like it would be the most XH-like, intense opening of the album.
“Little Things:”
Gaon: When listening to this song, I feel a vibe similar to My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” or [the band] Official Hige Dandism. 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 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 boundless. So, I put effort into creating melodies and arrangements that would reflect that theme.
O.de: I aimed to express the energetic rock sound with a darkness of XH.
“Paint It:”
Jungsu: I believe the second verse of the song has a Queen-like vibe to it. We worked hard and tried to be perfect even from the demo to capture the chorus and emotion of that part.
Jun Han: I remember discussing and developing the guitar with Hwang Leen during the recording.
“Money on My Mind:”
Jun Han: When we wrote this song, our main goal wasn’t for people to deeply connect with lyrics. We just wanted to create something enjoyable and exciting to listen to. We hope many people will simply enjoy it.
Jooyeon: I hope this song gives listeners energy and a sense of freedom from the stresses of life.
“Dreaming Girl:”
Gun-il: I wrote the melody first. While working on the lyrics, I kept the emotions I felt when creating the melody in mind.
O.de: 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: Just like with our previous ballads, Jooyeon and I both worked on the melody. We aimed for a more holy and heartbroken feeling this time, drawing inspiration from songs with similar emotions.
Jooyeon: Imagining what can be matched with the piano and guitar chord, I thought of the impermanence of life, especially regarding our parents. This led to the creation of a beautiful yet melancholic song.
“Walking to the Moon:”
Jungsu: This song has a lively and cheerful vibe, but it also requires high notes in the chorus. So, the most important thing is to convey energy and vibes without looking strained. We focused a lot on this point, and it ended up being one of the longest recordings for this album. Also, since each word carries a different feeling, we changed some words during recording sessions.
Jooyeon: I was pleasantly surprised by Jun Han during the recording of the intro of the third verse chorus part.
“MONEYBALL:”
Gun-il: While we want to share all our songs with the audience, but I’m looking forward to “MONEYBALL,” as it would be even better for the live performance.
Gaon: I felt that “Moneyball” was meant for a sing-along since we worked on the song. It would be incredibly fun to perform live and sing along with our fans.
“Night of Fireworks:”
Gun-il: We decided to end the album with this track because its melody, lyrics, and overall mood are perfect for closing the album.
O.de: I thought the mood and lyrics of the song made it a beautiful ending to our first full album.
I Want Your K-Pop Opinions
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Fan Chant: Xdinary Heroes Break Down Their New Album Troubleshooting Track by Track
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