Though destined to disband at the end of this year, project boy band Wanna One promised fans that its golden age has just begun with its new album.

The 11-piece act, which consists of winters of the second season of the audition program “Produce 101,” returned with its second EP “0+1=0 (I Promise You)” on Monday, marking the group’s first release since the EP “1-1=0 (Nothing Without You)” in November.

With the new album, the group said, it is determined to make this year its “golden age.”

The EP “0+1=0 (I Promise You)” contains the lead track “Boomerang,” a bombastic electro trap number in which the members long for love to make its way back to them like a boomerang.

Wanna One poses during a press conference for its new EP “0+1=0 (I Promise You)” in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

The song’s music video centers on the wilder and more powerful side of the group, featuring the members, all clad in black outfits, performing energetic dance moves against the backdrop of dark rooms and basements.

“Fans would be able to see different sides of us in the new album. We got more powerful and mature,” said Kang Daniel during a press conference for the new EP in Seoul on Monday.

Many of the group’s previous works had emphasized the members’ mellow and youthful image through bright sounds like those heard in “Beautiful,” “Wanna” and “To Be One.”

The seven-track album also includes the up-tempo dance track “Gold,” the exhilarating electro-pop track “I.P.U” and synth-tinted “We Are.”

“I.P.U,” an acronym for “I Promise U” and a song dedicated to fans, was prereleased on March 5 prior to the album. The song’s release date coincided with the 333rd day since the group made its first public appearance.

Ever since its debut last August, Wanna One has grown to become one of K-pop’s most sensational acts. Its debut EP “1X1=1 (To Be One)” in August last year and its reissued edition “1-1=0 (Nothing Without You)” in November last year became best-selling K-pop debut albums of all time with their combined sales.

Spurred by its domestic fan base, the group has been featured in major TV programs, magazines and commercials. It also won awards for best male group, best new male artist and best of next artist at the 2017 Mnet Asia Music Awards.

Having undergone intense competition and yearslong training before their breakout debut last year, the members reflected on their eight months of showbiz life, describing the period as a “dreamlike” experience.

“If there’s anything that has changed over time, I think I got more comfortable in front of the camera and learned how to express our emotions to fans,” said Ong Seong-wu.

Asked what the group thinks about the predetermined lifespan of the group, Lee Dae-hwi said, “We don’t try to think about the end. We just want to focus on the present.”

He didn't reveal details on renewing their contracts with the agency, saying “we are not talking about the contract issue yet.”

On Wednesday, two of the group’s new songs from the new album “Gold and “Boomerang” were leaked on several social media platforms. The group’s agency warned of legal actions against the source of the leak. Currently over 700,000 copies of the new album have been preordered.

The group is expected to drop several more songs before it disbands on Dec. 31.




By Hong Dam-young (dyhong@heraldcorp.com)