The Boyz
Cre.ker Entertainment/BB Korea
K-pop group The Boyz are back with their new mini-album THRILL-ING to encapsulate the thrill of summer. It’s their first project since their appearance on the Mnet competition show Kingdom: Legendary War and since their last album CHASE, which was released 11 months ago.
The Boyz’s new six-track EP represents the various emotions associated with the word “thrill” in the unique style of the band, and each track depicts the different emotions of excitement, fear, exhilaration and trepidation. The song “THRILL RIDE” kicks off with the bouncy rhythms of excitement, which stretches to the more dynamic sound of “Out of Control.” The album also includes a breezy midtempo number with romantic lyrics called “Dancing Till We Drop,” as well as the signature track of the dream series “Nightmares,” with surreal sounds presenting the emotion of fear while offering an unexpected twist to the mix. The musical journey of the album is completed by “Merry Bad Ending” with the impressive synth sounds of a heartbeat and “B.O.Y (Bet On You),” which illustrates the excitement of a summer night.
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Among the six tracks, “THRILL RIDE” was unanimously chosen by all members to inspire the mini-album’s title. Q said: “When I first listened to ‘THRILL RIDE,’ I knew this was the song we could all enjoy on any stage.” Indeed, anyone who watched their performance of the song would agree that it is a feast for the eyes and ears with the catchy lyrics of “th-thrill ride, th-thrill ride” and the stylish choreography known as the “rollercoaster dance.” The music video also showcases a playful side of the boys for the entire four minutes, making it feel like being on summer vacation with bright and electrifying visuals of poolside sun loungers, the sunny basketball court and the amusement park.
While the previous albums REVEAL and CHASE focused on the more powerful side of each member, the new album is able to highlight the energetic and mature images of the boys with a hint of their playfulness.
Debuting in 2017, the 11-piece act gained much more public recognition by winning on the Mnet competition show Road to Kingdom. They were the runner-ups on the sequel Kingdom: Legendary War, where their song “KINGDOM COME,” which they performed in the final round, nabbed the No. 7 spot on the Billboard K-pop 100 — their first-ever song to hit the top 10 on a Billboard chart. It definitely marked one of the most rewarding moments for them, as three years of participation in competition shows and hard work on seven albums as a team had finally paid off.
Following the remarkable achievements after the debut, fans’ expectations for THRILL-ING are higher than ever — and those expectations seem to have already been met. “THRILL RIDE” debuted at No. 81 on the Billboard K-pop 100 and has topped the iTunes Songs chart in 16 countries. The first-week album sales of 520,000 units are more than double the unit sold with the fifth EP CHASE. Not to anyone’s surprise, all these impressive records are only the beginning for a band with a very promising and thrilling future.
Watch Billboard Korea‘s interview with The Boyz below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO7sURG15iQ&t=2s