Boy band CIX introduced its fifth EP “’OK' Episode 1 : OK Not” and lead track “458” during a showcase Monday at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul.

The five members — BX, Seunghun, Yonghee, Bae Jinyoung, and Hyunsuk — premiered the stage performance for “458.” A track titled after the famed Ferrari 458 sports car, the dramatic number sings about racing at full speed in search of what love truly means.

“458 is also the last three digits of the speed of light,” BX explained. “In this song, we wanted to express the keyword ‘instinct’ and ‘love’ in many different ways. There are many kinds of love, as well as many emotions within love, including a sense of emptiness. It contains a lot of mature emotions.”

“'458’ is an electro hip-hop number from the perspective of someone who has the instinct to run toward someone [they love], but also tries to control that instinct,” Hyunsuk added.

The music video is also full of striking imagery to match the song’s dramatic mood: vibrant red lights inspired by the iconic cherry-red sports car and crimson racing suits.

“We’ve never tried a racer-inspired theme, but we’ve always wanted to do something very conceptual like this,” said BX. “So when the theme was finalized, we were really excited.”

But since the song makes a direct reference to the Ferrari model, the lyrics will require a slight adjustment on television music shows.

“In the chorus, there’s a part that goes ‘go run in the Ferrari,’” said Seunghun. “On music programs [that don’t allow direct references], we’ll have to sing ‘go run in the misery’ instead. That’s our little behind-the-scenes story.”

The new EP, released on Monday, contains a storyline continuing from CIX's first full-length album "'OK' Prologue : Be OK" (2021) which dropped last August.

“I’m shaking nervously, but in a way that feels great,” Yonghee. “Since our fans, FIX, waited so long for our comeback, we’ll live up to their expectations with this release.”

“'OK' Episode 1 : OK Not” also includes tracks “Without you,” “Bend the Rules” and “Drown in Luv.”

“'Drown in Luv,' in particular, has great lyrics in my opinion,” said Bae Jinyoung. “Make sure you pay attention to the lyrics while listening to it.”

CIX, which stands for “Complete In X [the Roman numeral for five],” debuted in July 2019 with the EP “Hello Chapter 1: Hello, Stranger” and is best known for songs “Numb” (2019), “Jungle” (2020) and “Cinema” (2021). The band held its first solo concert in Seoul this spring before embarking on a tour of North America.


BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]