New releases to heat up August music charts

A handful of K-pop acts are vying to control domestic music charts during the sweatiest season. From rookies to heavyweights, many artists are gearing up for a spin next month.

Following is a list of singers who are ready to showcase their new summer anthems that will allow music lovers to unplug from pandemic-triggered fatigue. 

Astro

Astro is ready to switch on the summer button with the release of its eighth EP, “Switch On.” The sextet revealed a snippet of their album through a series of teaser content, including their comeback poster and individual concept photographs, on their official social media account last week.

Fronted by lead track “After Midnight,” the group is returning to douse the heat with their summer album on Aug. 2

Somi

Jeon Somi has K-pop buffs brimming with excitement by returning to the music scene. The up-and-coming female soloist is releasing her new single “Dumb Dumb” to make the scorching sun even brighter for fans.

Adding to the excitement, the singer‘s agency the Black Label showcased several scrapbook diary-inspired teaser posters last week, leaving many fans curious about the upcoming track.

With blond hair that evokes Barbie doll vibes, the perky yet “cool girl” single is set to release Monday. 

Golden Child

Golden Child is ready to excavate some gold in the summertime with the group’s second studio album, “Game Changer.”

As the name suggests, the meaning behind “Game Changer” is directed toward an important person or an event that could completely overturn the results or flow of something.

The 10-member boy band is ready to delight fans with the release of the second LP on Aug. 2, returning about six months after its fifth EP, “Yes.”

Weeekly

Rookie girl group Weeekly is gearing up to hit the music scene with their vivacious charms. The septet is ready to make a mark among K-pop fans on Wednesday, after the release of their third mini-album, “We Play,” in March.

Leading the album is “Holiday Party,” which talks about the bliss of spending time with your loved ones. Also, the main theme of the album centers around “A Midsummer Night‘s Dream,” conveying the memories and excitement of a trip during the torrid season. 

Sunmi

Solo queen Sunmi is returning to claim her throne with her third EP, “1/6” on Aug. 6.

Fronted by the main track, “You Can’t Sit With Us,” the upcoming EP will be her latest print following the release of her second album, “Tail,” in February.

The “Gashina” singer took to her official social media to announce her return Tuesday. A poster of her mini album, with the phrase “On the moon where gravity is one-sixth, the weight of anxiety is one-sixth?” adds to the question of what the singer will bring out through her album this time. 

The Boyz

Boy band the Boyz are bracing for their first activities since appearing on Mnet K-pop competition ”Kingdom: Legendary War.“ The 11-piece boy band is coming out with the group’s sixth EP, ”Thrill-ing,“ on Aug. 9. The K-pop act previously released the album “Chase” in September, with lead track “The Stealer,” which landed well on major local charts. 

ONF

ONF is ready to fizz this summer with the release of a first-ever full-length album for the band, ”Popping,“ on Aug. 9. The fast-rising act unveiled a glimpse of the digital cover of their upcoming summer pop-up album through a teaser Tuesday. The six bandmates had frosty-looking scouts uniforms with gloves and goggles tailored to them, exuding a vibrant and young spirit. 

Ha Sung-woon

Singer-songwriter Ha Sung-woon is dropping his first repackaged album, ”Select Shop,“ next month. The latest print is a repackaged album of his fifth EP, ”Sneakers,“ released in June. The album is the first of its kind since the versatile singer made his solo debut on Feb. 28, 2019. Preorders began Monday, and the album is set to be released on Aug. 9. 

Park Ji-hoon

Solo singer Park Ji-hoon will hit the music scene with his fourth EP, ”My Collection,” on Aug. 12. The soloist revealed a poster of himself staring at the camera in a plaid suit for his mini album. The fourth EP marks his first return as a singer in 2021, after he dropped a full album, “Message,” last November. The singer recently appeared in KBS drama “At a Distance, Spring is Green.”

CIX

Rookie boy band CIX is ready to take the K-pop scene by storm with its first full-length album, “‘OK’ Prologue: Be OK,” on Aug. 17. This will be the two-year group’s return after nearly five months since completing the “Hello” series with the fourth EP, “Hello Chapter 0. Hello, Strange Dream,” in February. The upcoming print will mark a new chapter in the band‘s journey, according to the label. 

Tomorrow X Together

Tomorrow X Together will drop a repackage of its second studio album, “The Chaos Chapter: Fight of Escape,” on Aug. 17. The band will unveil a rearrangement of “The Chaos Chapter: Freeze,” which had shaken the global music scene when it peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.

The band‘s second LP rang the bell to their “The Chaos” trilogy. The repackage of the group’s second LP will revolve around a boy who freezes out after being blitzed by the world. 

Cravity

Cravity will land with fans on Aug. 19 with the group’s first-ever full-length album, “The Awakening: Written in the Stars.” On Tuesday, the K-pop boy band released a cryptic teaser for its upcoming new sound, hinting that the release will be “part one” of the group‘s first album. Further details are expected in the coming weeks. 

Stray Kids

The Stray Kids are ready to make a splash on the K-pop scene with their second studio album, “Noeasy,” on Aug. 23. The music is the first from the band since it notched first place on Mnet’s survival program “Kingdom: Legendary War” in June.

The upcoming album will be a follow-up to their first studio album, “Go Live,” which was dropped last June. Last month, the eight-piece act delighted fans with their single, “Mixtape: Oh,” which brought band member Hyun-jin back after a four-month hiatus. 

Jay B

Jay B of Got 7 is returning as a solo artist by releasing his debut EP on Aug. 26, including the solo single “Switch It Up,” released in May. This is the singer‘s first album since he tied the knot with hip-hop record label H1ghr Music in May. Further details of the seven-track project have yet to be revealed. 

Dates to be determined

The COVID-19 pandemic stood in the way of BTOB’s return after Min-hyuk tested positive for the coronavirus. The band was set to release a new album on Aug. 9, but it has been postponed for the time being.

Red Velvet is also coming back after nearly 18 months, with Wendy rejoining the team after her injury. The summer queens will be celebrating their seventh anniversary in a long-awaited return in August.

Hyo-yeon of Girls’ Generation, beatmaker and producer Gray and CL are also ready to light up the summer charts with their new releases as well.

By Park Jun-hee (junheee@heraldcorp.com)