K-pop boy band EXO poses at a press conference Wednesday at SMTOWN@coexartium in Samseong-dong, Seoul. (S.M. Entertainment)

K-pop boy band EXO was set to release its third full-length studio album “EX’ACT” at midnight on Wednesday, announced the group’s agency S.M. Entertainment.

All nine members of the group were present at the press conference held at SMTOWN@coexartium in Samseong-dong on Wednesday, where they introduced their upcoming album.

The album consists of nine tracks including two lead songs -- “Monster” and “Lucky One” -- featuring various genres including pop, electronic and progressive rhythm and blues. World-class producing team the Stereotypes, Dem Jointz, songwriter Kenzie, Deez and LDN Noise participated in producing the album.

“We decided to present two lead songs which have completely different styles,” said the group’s leader Suho, explaining the aim was to satisfy the fans with different tastes.

“Monster,” written and composed by Kenzie and LDN Noise, depicts the story of a man and his excessive fixation on his lover, explained Chanyeol, adding that an intense and fascinating performance will be staged.

“It is EXO’s original style,” said Baekhyun, adding that their debut song “MAMA” is loved for its dark and intense mood as well.
The other lead song, “Lucky One” is an R&B punk dance tune composed by LDN Noise -- who is also responsible for SHINee’s “View,” f(x)’s “4 Walls” and Red Velvet’s “Dumb Dumb.” It tells the story of a man seeking his destined love.

K-pop boy band EXO poses at a press conference Wednesday at SMTOWN@coexartium in Samseong-dong, Seoul. (S.M. Entertainment)

Chanyeol of the group also participated in writing the lyrics of the track “Heaven,” proving the group’s improvement as musicians. “Heaven is used as a metaphor for the state of falling in love with someone,” said Chanyeol.

By Wednesday, more than 660,000 albums had been preordered, demonstrating the high expectations for the group’s upcoming album.

“We do appreciate that many fans have ordered the album even before its release, which is great support,” said Suho, adding they would be honored if the new album could also go on to become a million-seller.

As it is highly expected the group will top the charts, Kim Min-seok, who goes by the stage name Xiumin, promised to unveil a video showing him dancing as a 5-year-old.

The album features 11 tracks in total, including instrumental versions of the two lead songs. A Chinese version of the album will be also available.

Meanwhile, the group is scheduled to perform its new song on local TV music programs, starting with Mnet’s “M Countdown” on June 9.

By Jung Eun-jin (jej2403@heraldcorp.com)