Xdinary Heroes have once again demonstrated their boundary-breaking creativity and distinctive sonic identity with their latest release, Beautiful Mind. The seven-track EP delves into a more rock-opera-inspired sound, further evolving their already rich sound.
With Beautiful Mind, XH seeks to be a voice for those facing adversity, with Gaon specifying, “Our message is that we must find our beauty in the midst of that chaotic world.” This continues the group’s depth established in their debut full-length album, Troubleshooting, where we had our last conversation with the band.
Since then, they’ve embarked on a tour, released multiple singles, and dropped another EP. Now, we reconnect with the group to discuss this new chapter and the mindset they brought into the creation of Beautiful Mind.
A quick introduction to the band: each member is a powerhouse in their own right, yet together, they shine even brighter. Xdinary Heroes is composed of Gun-il (drums), Jungsu (keyboards, vocal), Gaon (guitarist, vocal), O.de (synths, vocal), Jun Han (guitarist) and Jooyeon (bass, vocal)
The conversation has been edited for clarity.
Our conversation began with a reflection on their journey since their fifth EP, LIVE and FALL, and how closing that chapter shaped their mindset for Beautiful Mind. We asked what made this new era particularly special, and Gun-il highlighted the innovative spirit they embraced, emphasizing the thought process behind their evolution.
GUN-IL: LIVE and FALL was an album where we tried many different things. We had a heavy metal track like ”iNSTEAD!” and “Save me,” which was a completely different mood. I think because of our efforts to try new things and many different things, our fandom grew. After all those tries, we thought hard about what should the next step be, what else is there to do for us? After much thought, the culmination was this album, which is another new attempt by us.
And Beautiful Mind truly marks a new chapter for Xdinary Heroes, not only in sound but also in storytelling. From the title song, “Beautiful Life” itself, to the visuals of the music video—where the members grow increasingly battered and bloodied as the narrative unfolds—their artistic evolution is one to watch.
The incorporation of George Orwell’s 1984 quote in the pre-chorus (“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”) is also a touch that adds to the depth of the already rock-opera-like feel of the track.
Watch the music video for “Beautiful Life” below!
In an era dominated by fast-consumed repetitive music, Xdinary Heroes continue to defy that standard, pushing boundaries with each release. But what is their message?
THE KNOCKTURNAL: XH is all about a good message! The Beautiful Mind mood film was no exception as it opened with a scream battle between Jungsu and Gaon—pure chaos! Were you trying to confuse us? I have a feeling that’s the whole concept: confusion, chaos, yet still beauty. Fans are already praising the creative direction, and I feel like Xdinary Heroes is a group that values concept-building. Can you tell us more about how this theme ties into the album?
GAON: I think the message that ties our mood film and the title song is the coexistence of chaos and beauty. Our message is that we must find our beauty in the midst of that chaotic world. In the beginning scene, the screaming scene, it may come off as shocking. But at the same time, if you look at it from another perspective, it can also be beautiful, that screaming scene. Finding beauty in the midst of chaos is the message that we wanted to convey with our mood film and the title song.
JUNGSU: If you watch the mood films, we are showing three words, and we give each word a certain image and the scenes are devoted to each word. Beautiful Life when you first look at it, when you first listen to it, and watch the music video, it can seem chaotic, but if you pay attention to little details and each aspect of the song, it has many beautiful things and it can be interpreted in many different ways.
Watch the ‘scream battle’ and Beautiful Mind Mood Film below!
The Beautiful Mind EP showcases seven tracks, each with its own distinct sound while maintaining a cohesive flow from start to finish.
The opening track, “FIGHT ME,” feels like the cinematic introduction to the album, followed by the track “more than i like,” which shifts gears with a nostalgic, airy sound. Each song carries its own distinct twist – THE KNOCKTURNAL wanted to dive deeper into the creative process, their ever-evolving sound—including a track influenced by J-Rock—and which songs resonated most with the band.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: An exciting aspect of Beautiful Mind is that each of you participated in composing and writing all seven songs, collaborating with other talented artists—including one of my favorites, SAAY! You all have such BEAUTIFUL MINDS! What was it like working on this EP?
GUN-IL: This album required a lot of thought from each of us because we already tried so many different things. So what else can we show that is new to our fans?
The title “Beautiful Life” came about based on our common thought that we wanted to create a song—make a song—that’s kind of like rock opera, inspired by our favorite bands. This album and song really combined all six of our favorites and our tastes.
For the lyrics, as you said, we collaborated with SAAY. We wanted to focus on the message of our songs, as we always do. The message is so important for us as a band. So, the lyrics for “Beautiful Life” came out thanks to collaboration with SAAY and other artists, and also, of course, our own effort. We are very proud of the end result.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Your sound continues to evolve with each release. Were there any new influences or genres you experimented with on Beautiful Mind that you hadn’t explored before?
GUN-IL: One of the tracks, “George the Lobster,” was influenced by J-Rock, and we wanted to create l J-Rock kind of sound. The result came out to be very interesting, and I think it would be really fun to play live. And this time around, we wanted to emphasize the sound of synthesizers and keyboards.
GAON: This album, shows the efforts we took to improve the genres we have already tried in our previous albums. For example, our alternative-rock tracks got heavier than previous albums this time around. We really wanted to show our optimal strength.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: And, of course, we need to talk about the tracks! As always, Xdinary Heroes delivers a dynamic mix—rock, ballads, and everything in between. With the title track, Beautiful Mind, tying it all together, which song is each member’s favorite and why?
JUNGSU: My favorite is the third track, “more than i like.” I like this song because it feels like an extension of our previous song, “AGAIN? AGAIN!” Our band, XH, doesn’t really sing a lot of love songs, but “AGAIN? AGAIN!” and “more than i like” feel like exceptions. And I feel like “more than i like” is a more grown-up version of “AGAIN? AGAIN!” So that’s why it’s my favorite.
O.DE: My pick is the same as Jungsu’s—“more than i like.” If you look at the lyrics and genres—I like all the songs that are included in our album—but I picked this song because it’s the most captivating song when you actually listen to it. It really captures your ears, so that’s why it’s my favorite.
JOOYEON: My favorite is the last track, “BBB (Bitter but Better).” I like it because the bass is really emphasized in this song.
GAON: My favorite is the 4th track called “Diamond.” This song leaves no room for boredom. It finishes before you even know it. From beginning to the end, it’s just exciting.
JUN HAN: My favorite is also “BBB (Bitter but Better).” I think it’s approachable and accessible to listeners.
GUN-IL: And for me, I have to say the title song “Beautiful Life” because there isn’t a single part that I don’t love about this song. From the message to the sound and to the music video that we filmed. I believe that the music, the kind of music that I listen to is a music that has a message inside of it. Of course, all our music has a message inside it, but I think the title song “Beautiful Life” has a strong, philosophical message inside of it.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: When listening to the album, I couldn’t help but wonder—‘George the Lobster?’ I love the lyrics that rhyme rockstar with lobster, BUT what’s the story behind that title?
GUN-IL: When we first listened to this track, we decided that this song requires very fresh, new, and shocking lyrics. We explored various themes that would be suitable for this track that are new and lobster came up. We thought… ‘No rock band has ever sung about lobsters, so it would be very fresh for the music bands.’
I personally really like lobster, I like it as a food, but also I like how it breaks its mold to keep growing. I thought that when I heard the keyword lobster, ‘Oh man, it really fits extraordinary heroes because XDINARY HEROES always tries to grow and break its mold to make even better music. So I thought, ‘Maybe we can impersonate XDINARY HEROES into a lobster and write a song about us portraying a lobster.’
Following the release of Beautiful Mind, Xdinary Heroes is set to perform their hearts out on their 2025 World Tour and at Lollapalooza! We asked, with such an iconic lineup at Lollapalooza, are there any artists you’re excited to see?
GAON: I am really looking forward to seeing KORN, as a band, all of us really love their music. They’re really famous for their strings, so I’m really excited to see them. I know that we are going to be representing K-Rock at Lollapalooza, but I also hope that we can show that we are just ONE of many amazing K-Rock bands that exist in Korea. I hope that we can show that to the world.
JUNGSU: I am personally very excited to see Olivia Rodrigo live. As XH, I know that we will be representing K-Rock at the festival, but there’s another K-Band called Wave to Earth. They’ll be joining us on the stage at Lollapalooza, so I think together, I hope we will really represent the K-Rock scene on the world stage.
To close our conversation, we asked the group to leave a message for their fans, the Villains, and the readers.
O.DE: I hope our music can make those who are facing difficulties, obstacles and challenges feel that they have the energy to bounce back by listening to our music. I just want to say to our fans and the readers, we love you.
GUN-IL: We’re always thankful for finding us, listening to us, and getting to love us because the consistent support and love from Villians is what maintains us. As always, thank you so much, and we will always do our best to pay back the love that you guys are giving us.
Once again, Xdinary Heroes have crafted an even more evolved sound with their Beautiful Mind EP and are now set for a performance frenzy. The band has announced its highly anticipated tour, which will include seven major U.S. stops this August.
This news follows their exciting addition to this year’s Lollapalooza lineup, taking place in Chicago’s iconic Grant Park on Thursday, July 31st. General on-sale for the 2025 World Tour begins Tuesday, April 1st, at 3 PM local time on LiveNation.com. Check out the tour dates below!
Xdinary Heroes 2025 World Tour Dates:
May 2 – Seoul – Olympic Hall
May 3 – Seoul – Olympic Hall
May 4 – Seoul – Olympic Hall
May 5 – Seoul – Olympic Hall
May 17 – Bangkok – Samyan Mitrtown Hall
May 31 – Kuala Lumpur – Zepp KL
June 14 – Busan – BEXCO Auditorium
June 21 – Jakarta – Tennis Indoor Senayan
June 25 – Surabaya – Grand City Surabaya
July 11 – Taipei – Zepp New Taipei
July 20 – Daegu – BEXCO, East Wing, Hall 4
July 26 – Singapore – The Star Theatre
August 2 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
August 5 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
August 8 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
August 10 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
August 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
August 16 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
For more of XDINARY HEROES:
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Photo Credit: JYP Entertainment
