This month and next are shaping up to be a battlefield for the K-pop music charts.

If the first half of October was filled with solo singers, now is the time idol fans need to start getting ready to see the stars on stage. This fall might just be perfect.

The upcoming months’ music stages will be booming with various K-pop idols gearing up for their return to the stage.

The Korea Herald takes a look at five idol groups returning as a whole in October and November.

1. Stray Kids

JYP Entertainment’s super rookies, Stray Kids are gearing up for the Monday release of the album “I am YOU.”
The group recently heightened fans’ curiosity by releasing lyric videos for the tracks of its upcoming album. The lyrics have been written by the bandmates themselves.
The fact that Stray Kids are all excellent at producing has already been proven through a Mnet competition show of the same name.

(JYP Entertainment)

2. EXO

Nine-piece EXO is getting ready for yet another LP, slated for Nov. 2, exciting fans to see all the bandmates performing on stage.
“Don’t Mess Up My Tempo” will see the reunion of all nine of the group, who until recently had been pursuing other music projects or acting.
EXO is already known for its unrivaled concepts that the group brings up for each album, igniting fans’ curiosity as to what concept the band will cover on the next album.

(S.M. Entertainment)

3. Twice

Sweeping Japan until recently, K-pop sensation Twice is busy preparing for a return on Nov. 5.
Twice will be back on the scene just four months after latest Korean album “Dance the Night Away,” which reigned across local music charts as soon as it was released.
Twice, which marks its third anniversary, will be holding a fan meeting on Oct. 28 to show love to fans before the release of the new album.

(JYP Entertainment)

4. Gugudan

After a nine-month hiatus, Gugudan is returning as a whole with its third mini album slated for Nov. 6.
The group has come up with dreamlike concepts for each of its albums, reinterpreting fairy tales, movies and masterpieces in the color of Gugudan, leading many to look forward to the next story the group will tell.
The unit includes three members -- Sejung, Mina and Nayoung -- who had already marked their debuts in the group I.O.I, the top 11 finishers from Mnet’s TV competition “Produce 101.”

(Jellyfish Entertainment)

5. Wanna One

Wanna One, the group produced from the top 11 finishers on the second season of “Produce 101,” is releasing its album Nov. 19.
As Wanna One is a project group with 1 1/2 years of official promotional activities ending Dec. 31, the upcoming album is likely to be the last the band releases.
Chosen by the program’s viewers, the group has not only attracted local fans, but also showed great popularity with photos of global fans filling venues wherever Wanna One appeared on its world tour.

(Swing Entertainment)

By Kim Hye-soo (clairek@heraldcorp.com)