There’s been a renaissance emerging. The bad boys of K-Pop have had their time and then some; now the leather garb and chanted choruses are being whittled out in favour of happier vibes. EVNNE are one of the few who have recently shed their “cool” image for a sunnier one. We find the anthemic fervour of their latest comeback HOT MESS better suits their boyish charm anyway. (Though we cannot deny how well Park Hanbin rocked a tooth gem in their “UGLY” days.)

Prior to its release, EVNNE sat down with media to share their excitement about this next chapter of theirs, biting their tongues against any potential spoilers, and instead inclining to delve into the process of it all. And with a comeback this vibrant, bravo to the boys for keeping lips tightly sealed. Ji Yunseo was able to give us the gist of what it’s all about: “Our album HOT MESS’s concept captures EVNNE’s positivity of having fun even in messy and chaotic situations.” And it shows. In the titular song’s music video the boys have cheeky dispositions, everything is fabulously silly, and Keita is packaging deliveries at the Delulu Cake Shop. The fashion is just as kooky; emulating K-Pop fans themselves with plushies worn on their belts. 

For a song that is definitely not trying to be inspired by the 80s, HOT MESS features a surprising spoonful of 80s music elements. Nevertheless, the whistle toots and cowbells are the perfect dressing on a track that is advertised as the pinnacle of “fun”. The 180 they took from their previous style seems like it had been incredibly easy for the boys, and Jeonghyeon explained why: “Our fans really love our goofy and playful side, like joking with each other, so I’m so glad that we are finally releasing an album and title track that can truly convey our nature and characteristics. We’re definitely looking forward to sharing that.”

Such lightheartedness can be found in all the vocal moments of Birthday, the unequivocally sunny indie-rock of Love Like That, of which the rock elements only increase as the album goes on, and the heartfelt hand-swayer Youth. Whether it was intended or not, HOT MESS as a whole solidifies that EVNNE are simply at their best with lighter concepts. “Our expressions have become freer and more bold, and our stage presence has gotten stronger,” Park Hanbin mused on their evolution as a team, despite their being a less-than-permanent project group. He continued: “I think we definitely improved a lot as a group and noticed our own growth.”

Read More: EVNNE on Their Second EP “Un: SEEN”

And it seems that the members are really playing into their individual strengths on this release, more so than before. The ever-charismatic Keita gleaming whenever he’s in the center spot of the choreography is one example; Seungeon’s ridiculously tough notes that he makes look easy are another. When it comes to the boys’ talents, there are no notes. 

“I felt proud of Seungeon,” Ji Yunseo shared of his teammate. “We spent a lot of time together since our trainees days, and we were both passionately learning and working hard on songwriting and composing. In [HOT MESS], he was, for the first time, in charge of the full lyrics for the song Youth. It’s such a cool achievement and I want to congratulate him on that. The song delivers a beautiful story about youth and essentially EVNNE, so seeing his progress and work makes me incredibly proud. I truly want to give him a big round of applause for his hard work!”. The boys are evidently where they’re meant to be. Their increased involvement in the making of the release is evidenced by it simply suiting them so much better. 

So if HOT MESS is about making the most of messy situations, with the boys anthemically declaring their being “a mess” in the title, do they live up to it in real life? Park Jihoo makes his case: “One time, we thought we were going to miss the cue because the platform we were standing on to rise above the stage moved slower than everyone was expecting, so when we did get on stage, we were a little confused at first. But we just got into it because the song already started, and we instantly decided to give it a go. Eventually, we had so much fun on that stage.” Perhaps we could all take something from EVNNE’s philosophy; as long as you’re having a good go at it, it is indeed okay to be a little messy. 

Written and interviewed by Maddie Armstrong (Roundtable interview)

Featured image © Jellyfish Entertainment

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}