&TEAM, HYBE’s first Japanese group (Yuma, Maki, Harua, EJ, K, Taki, Nicholas, Fuma, Jo) took their first step into the world music market.
&TEAM, which is under HYBE Labels Japan, released their debut album “First Howling: ME” at midnight on December 7th. Headed by general producer Bang Shi Hyuk, this album, featuring the strongest HYBE writers who worked with BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), contains the first journey of boys who have realized their inner voice that wants to challenge and grow.
The first track is the title song “Under the skin”, a combination of emo punk and hip hop. Nine boys sing about the moment when they realize each other’s existence and unite as one through a howling they hear from somewhere. The lyrics “Even if I’m alone is impossible / I want to meet and get to know you” and “I want to resonate and prove each other” reveal the identity of nine people with different personalities as a team to connect various worlds.
The song, which was pre-released on November 22nd of last month, has been on YouTube’s most popular music videos in 6 countries/regions, and is attracting worldwide attention, surpassing 3 million views in just two days after the music video was released.
The second track, “Scent of You”, reinterprets the new jack swing genre that was popular in the early 2000s in a modern way, depicting the moment when one is instinctively attracted to a “you” who shares the same thoughts. On December 7th, the music video for “Scent of You” was released on the HYBE Labels YouTube channel, drawing attention. In the video, &TEAM perfectly performed the groovy hip-hop choreography, and caught the eye with a tight synchronized dance even with 360-degree camera work.
“Buzz Love” (バズ愛) draws attention as general producer Bang Shi Hyuk directly participates in the songwriting process. It is a song that expresses the feelings of a boy who falls in love and is thrilled. Cute lyrics such as “My heart is excited like popcorn” and a bouncy melody deliver eargasms.
Finally, the last track, “The Final Countdown (&TEAM ver.)” is the signature song &TEAM’s pre-debut program “&AUDITION – The Howling -“, and a cheering song for everyone facing a new challenge.
Meanwhile, the global group &TEAM will hold a debut showcase on December 8th at 8:25 pm (KST). The event will be held at the Tokyo Gymnasium with a capacity of 10,000 people. This event will be broadcast live worldwide simultaneously on the HYBE Labels YouTube channel, providing real-time English subtitles for overseas fans.
Source: daum