Earlier this year, YH Entertainment withdrew their “trainees” from ZEROBASEONE (Zhanghao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin and Han Yujin) and EVNNE* (Yoo Seungeon) to create the new male group, AND2BLE. Today, the group officially debuted with the single Curious and their debut mini-album, Sequence 01: Curiosity.

*YH Entertainment also withdrew Ji Yunseo from EVNNE, who ended up leaving the company soon after.

Curious is most enticing through its verses. The bold, thumping beat and powerful vocals from Zhanghao and Yoo Seungeon made for a very memorable start to their new chapter. Similarly, the thumping beat and Zhanghao created a really nice flow, while we got a little more from the other members through strong vocal work that followed. To me, the verses were a good showcase of their talents and skills, with their vocals definitely feeling refreshing. Curious ends up being more typical when it comes to the choruses. I did like how they maintained the bold energy in the central piece, but the chanting delivery was very ‘done before’, and the instrumental didn’t feel as exciting as the thumping beats at the start of Curious. After the second run of the chorus, the producers focused on a future house EDM instrumental piece that I have a feeling a few people might describe as loud and noisy. It closes out Curious, and I liked how they blended it with the “Da dda dum” hook from the very start of the song and choruses. This just makes the ending feel cohesive without having to rehash the standard chorus, and it doesn’t detract from the idea of offering something a little “different and new” to keep Curious engaging.

Curious‘s lyrics depict “the group’s confidence and ambition to face the changes brought by dangerous curiosity at the moment of a new beginning without fear” (from Soompi). Some digging around yields the following description from Chosun for the video: “The released video depicts the members waking up with a curious gaze in an experimental composition like a fantasy movie. The mysterious atmosphere, including the strange eyes of the five members staring at the front and the wing-shaped objects, added to the sense of immersion.” With all of this in mind, I am still not sure what the music video is about. But despite that, I do like this mysterious atmosphere, the industrial vibes and the members’ visuals throughout the video.

Performance-wise, it looks good. There is some cool footwork from the members, and I liked the hip-hop motif they brought to the choreography. It isn’t until the EDM instrumental break that the members show off more of their performance skills via an impressive dance break.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10