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Ciipher poses for a picture during “The Code” media showcase conducted in Seoul on Wednesday. (Rain Co.) |
Singer Rain’s boy band Ciipher on Wednesday dropped its third EP “The Code,” making a return in eight months since their last album.
The seven-piece band -- comprising members Tan, Hyunbin, Hwi, Keita, Tag, Dohwan and Won -- conducted a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the album’s release that day.
Spruced up in chic black suits, the boys performed the new title song “Fame” leading “The Code,” along with the sub-title track “You, Again” during the event.
“It’s our comeback in eight months, and we feel nervous standing on the stage in such a long while,” the band’s leader Hyunbin said in opening Wednesday’s event. “All the members worked on penning lyrics and songwriting during our break. We hope to show how much we’ve grown in the meantime.”
The title of the new album comes from the band’s slogan, “Crack the Code,” and the act says with the latest release they are finally unveiling their narrative of a fictional universe, which will continue through their upcoming music and activities.
“The big focus of the album was how Ciipher will unravel our story and finding our own colors,” Hyunbin said, adding, “We didn’t decipher the code in our first and second EPs. In the new album, we visualized the idea by showing ourselves wandering in a maze.”
Fronting “The Code” is title track “Fame” in the future-pop genre, which leads with a kitschy snapping sound infused with synth melody throughout. In it, the seven boys sing of taking their first step out into the world after unlocking the code.
“We had focused more on making the choreography easy for the public to follow, but with the new song, we prepared a powerful performance to prove that we are indeed ‘Rain’s boys,’” Hyunbin said about the title song.
Just as with their past albums, some of the members contributed to producing the title song. This time, Keita and Won took part in writing the lyrics of “Fame.”
The title track was selected through a blind test among various songs, including a few composed by the bandmates and others they had received from elsewhere.
Hyunbin said their latest work shows that “we have improved both musically and in terms of the story, so please take that into consideration when listening.”
The band performed the album’s sub-title track, “You, Again,” which Tag had self-handedly penned the lyrics for.
“It’s a beautiful song that sings of missing a past lover and wanting to go back to that time when we were still together,” said Tag, who also contributed to the composition of “You, Again.”
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Ciipher performs its new title song “Fame” from the third EP “The Code” during the media showcase conducted in Seoul on Wednesday. (Rain Co.) |
The album, comprising five tracks, also include songs “Slam the Door,” “On A Highway” and “I’ll Be There,” which the bandmates all took part in the lyrics-writing and composition. The last song is a fan song for the act’s fandom, Clue, in which Won had a major role in writing.
Debuting in March 2021 with the first EP “I Like You,” Ciipher made its name known as the boy band produced by super star Rain. Rain also attended the media showcase on Wednesday.
Thanking the producer, the band’s eldest member Tan said Rain comes into the office almost every day to monitor them.
“He always gives us thorough feedbacks on whatever we do, giving us the full support,” Tan said.
Ciipher’s third EP “The Code” and the title song “Fame”’s music video will be released at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
By Choi Ji-won (
jwc@heraldcorp.com)
