“No Matter” what Korean Boy Band Xdinary Heroes has to troubleshoot – from their music or their recent world tour, “Break the Brake” – The six of them, Gun-il, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han, and Jooyeon, all have taken time to release their first full length album Troubleshooting.
The desire to perform and create music aren’t the only “Little Things” that makes Xdinary Heroes special…
Each member brings a unique skillset to the table, forming an incredibly well-rounded band. Gun-il, the leader, on drums – while Jungsu plays on the keyboard. Gaon lays down rhythm guitar riffs, while O.de adds depth with the synthesizer. Jun Han takes the lead on guitar, and Jooyeon, the youngest member, holds down the low end on bass. All six members contribute vocals and raps, making their music truly collaborative.
This 10-track collection showcases the band’s signature high-energy instrumentals and unique sound. It kicks off with the electrifying and hyped track “No Matter” and takes listeners on a journey through various genres, culminating in the ballad-like tracks such as “Walking to the Moon” and “until the end of time” – proving their duality.
Xdinary Heroes recently sat down with The Knockturnal for a revealing interview. They delved into their debut full-length album, Troubleshooting, shared experiences from their “Break the Brake” world tour, and even sent a special message to their dedicated fan base, Villains.
The band took a collaborative approach to Troubleshooting, handling production, songwriting and composing their parts (as usual). During the interview, they revealed their personal favorites from the album and discussed the unique challenges of creating their first full-length project, following their successful run of three mini-albums, “Livelock,” “Deadlock” and “Overload.”
Gaon, believes Troubleshooting is their most accessible album yet. Want to hear for yourself?
Check out the song on various streaming platforms and check out the music video for the title track “Little Things” below!
The Knockturnal: The 10 songs on Troubleshooting flow together so well, maintaining a consistent energy from start to finish! With a high energy opening track like “No Matter” – boosting listener confidence all the way throughout the tracks, which song is each of your favorites, and why
Jooyeon: My favorite is the 8th track called “Walking to the Moon.” It’s very musically different from all the songs we’ve done so far so that’s why I like it so much!
Jungsu: My favorite track is the 10th track called “Night of Fireworks.” I love the vibe of this song, but the lyrics and the bridge is what I want to say to our fans so I really hope our fans enjoy that song as well as other songs on the album.
The Knockturnal: Composing your own music – I am sure comes with challenges. Each song from Troubleshooting carries a distinct and meaningful message. Did you experience creative challenges while working on the album? If so, how did you overcome them? Or should I say TROUBLESHOOT them?
Gun-il: There are a lot of moments when we feel stuck, whether we compose or write lyrics for the songs. But we overcome them by communicating with each other and we end up helping each other.
O.de: After we write the songs, before the recording session, we gather and talk about the songs and we try to be on the same emotional level before recording. That is how we overcome those challenges.
The release of Troubleshooting has been met with excitement from fans and newcomers alike. The music video showcases the band’s talent, while the recently released “Mood Film” offers a glimpse into their acting abilities. Inspired by both the film and Villains ‘ enthusiastic response, we delved into Xdinary Heroes’ preparation for this diverse content.
The Knockturnal: Speaking of Troubleshooting the recent ‘Mood Film’ came out, and Villains loved it! This mood film in particular struck me with a serious vibe that got playful throughout. From the filming process of the mood film – can any of you recall any moments from the video shoot that stood out to you!
O.de: The particular moment that sticks out to me is my part; it was shot really early in the morning and I vividly remember on that day it rained and snowed a lot and it was very windy. So I still remember vividly how it felt on my face.
Gaon: My scene was shot at this terminal and a lot of elderly were there and asking who I was. I felt very shy and embarrassed at that moment.
Xdinary Heroes have been juggling a lot lately! While promoting their debut full-length album, Troubleshooting, they’ve also been on their “Break the Brake” world tour that kicked off last year in Seoul.
The tour was filled with, connecting with fans globally, showcasing new songs and high-energy performances that had never been seen before. We had the chance to ask them about their favorite tour memories, backstage traditions and where they’re most excited to perform next.
The Knockturnal: Your “Break the Brake” world tour has been going on for quite a while! From kicking things off in Seoul last November to your recent stop in Bangkok, how has the experience of traveling and connecting with fans been? Most importantly, how has performing live for Villains with your instruments and vocals been?
Gun-il: First of all we were really happy to see so many fans so far away from where we live, it was amazing to see that. Performing live – it was really heartwarming to see how music can play as a medium to communicate between us and the fans.
The Knockturnal: From your travels, have any of you experienced any funny or memorable moments with your travels to Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, and other locations? I would love to hear! It could be anything from new foods to beautiful sights.
O.de: Going to many different locations was really nice to witness the different cultures and feel the vibe of each city.
Jun Han: The food was very memorable! In many Asian countries they use many types of herbs and that really stuck out to me. Especially when we visited Thailand the food was very acidic – I remember that quite vividly.
The Knockturnal: With all your recent performances – Do you have any backstage traditions or routines that get you pumped up before a show? Or any stretches cause your instruments require lots of physical work!
O.de: I tend to move around a lot while on stage so in order to avoid any injury I definitely do stretching before going onstage.
Jun Han: I try to get my focus and energy up, I try to get into the zone. I listen to music and I think any non-linguistic activity helps a lot. Each member listens to their favorite songs.
The Knockturnal: With your upcoming concert scheduled for April 19-21, the momentum of your live performances continues! While you’re visiting so many cities on the tour, are there any dream destinations you’d love to perform at someday?
Jooyeon: I think it is shared by many bands around the world, but our dream also is to perform at Wembley Stadium one day!
Gun-il: This is my personal dream! I used to live in Boston and the very first concert that I visited was a Muse concert and it was at TD Garden – and ever since I saw the Muse concert at TD Garden – It has been my dream to perform there as well!
Their electrifying live performances, showcasing their talent on various instruments had us wondering if the band members developed any personal favorites among the songs they performed for Villains on tour.
The Knockturnal: You guys have insane high-energy performances that showcase your incredible skill with instruments and vocals. I was wondering – Does each member have a personal favorite song to perform live, and why?
Jungsu: My favorite song to perform is a song called “Paranoid.” The melody and the lyrics really speak to me, I can really be myself performing the song on stage.
Jooyeon: My favorite song to perform is “PLUTO.” I love it because in terms of performance and singing it is my favorite song to perform.
O.de: My favorite song to perform is “Bicycle.” When we perform this song I really feel that we are in unison as a band and the audience – we all bang our heads together! It’s really fun to perform!
Jun Han: My favorite is “Freakin’ Bad.” It is relatively easy to perform live instrumentally and it also really pumps up the energy!
Gaon: My favorite is “AGAIN? AGAIN!” This is probably the brightest song from our discography. When I perform this song I feel like I am more excited than the audience!
Gun-il: It’s really hard to pick one song, my favorite changes from time to time. But at the moment my favorite song to perform is “checkmate” because the harmonies are really important for this song and when it goes right it just feels so good and the energy goes up right at that moment!
Now that we’ve delved into the whirlwind of Troubleshooting and the “Break the Brake” tour, let’s shift gears and get to know Xdinary Heroes on a more personal level.
Stirring up some questions tailored specifically for each member, drawing on their experiences as part of the band, both on tour and throughout their journey as Xdinary Heroes – with a few fun ones thrown in there specially for Villains.
The Knockturnal: Jooyeon – The ‘<Troubleshooting> Mood Film’ incorporates acting, and you have been getting so much praise for your acting skills recently! How was the experience of stepping outside your comfort zones, showcasing your acting skills alongside the music, and seeing fan reactions to this new side of Xdinary Heroes?
Jooyeon: It was my first time acting such intricate emotions on camera and I am just really happy that fans liked it! I think through this experience I am more than willing to challenge myself with acting in the future and I am looking forward to it.
The Knockturnal: For both Gaon & Jun Han – The two of you share a scene in the recent ‘<Troubleshooting> Mood Film’ where you share headphones – and it had me thinking about what the two of you are currently listening to! Any songs you want to shout out that you like or have been on repeat recently?
Jun Han: I’ve been repetitively listening to Linkin Park’s “QWERTY” and “Friendly Fire”
Gaon: I’ve been listening to Conan Gray’s “Alley Rose.” I listened to it on the way here today as well!
The Knockturnal: O.de – In a recent concert vlog I saw you decorate a tour T-Shirt for your encore performance and it looked incredibly stylish and creative… Can Villains be expecting more of your artsy side or any future merch designs from you?
O.de: I have great interest in that are, if the opportunity comes to me I will definitely and gladly participate in the merchandise and so forth!
The Knockturnal: Jungsu – Xdinary Heroes is known for its collaborative songwriting process. As someone who contributes significantly to the music, is there a specific song or performance from this era (Livelock, Deadlock, Overload) that you feel particularly proud of from a songwriting perspective? Perhaps a song that fans reacted to well or challenged you creatively?
Jungsu: I know that our band is known for our rock sound but we are also great in ballads and slow tempo songs. Our first ballad was our song called “Good enough” and that’s the song that really made ourselves known to the fans that we are good at this kind of genre as well – so I am really proud of that song.
The Knockturnal: Gun-il – If you could give any piece of advice to your predebut / pre audition self today – Knowing you’d be the header of Xdinary Heroes – what would it be?
Gun-il: There are so many but if I had to pick one I would say to myself don’t be too stuck up with your own way and try to listen to members opinions as much as possible with love and attention.
As we concluded our conversation with Xdinary Heroes, it’s clear that Troubleshooting represents a culmination of their achievements since their debut. We wanted to hear their reflections on this journey and their hopes for their dedicated fans, the Villains as they delve into this versatile full-length album – once again that you can listen to here.
The Knockturnal: Since your debut in late 2021 – has there been any specific moments where you have felt most proud of Xdinary Heroes?
O.de: Our efforts come to fruition on stage and every time we go on stage it’s our best moment. Our proud moments come when we go on stage, every time.
Gun-il: My most proud moment was when we were making this album – throughout the making process I really witnessed how each of us grew as individuals and group members. I saw each of our journeys and I am very proud of this album making process.
Gaon: Every time our concerts get sold out I am very proud.
The Knockturnal: From the tracks I listened to from Troubleshooting – I can already predict positive reactions from Villains! How do you all as a group hope fans react to the new album and are there any final words you’d like to share with Villains?
Jooyeon: I hope our fans feel that with each album – we are better than the last one!
Gaon: I would love it if our fans listened to this album and developed a desire to hear it live and come to our concert!
O.de: I hope this album gives some sort of consolation to the Villains that need it and bring comfort to their lives!
Jun Han: I hope that the fans love each track on this album and find it interesting and enjoyable to listen to.
Jungsu: I hope our fans feel that after hearing this album they know this is the reason we love XH so much!
Gun-il: I hope that Villains enjoy all the songs – not just the title song – as if they’re worthy of becoming a title song! And lastly I want to tell the Villains to anticipate our next album as well.
This is just the beginning of Xdinary Heroes exciting new chapter. Fueled by mutual inspiration and the unwavering support of their fans, the band promises to keep the energy high and the content flowing.
Their undeniable growth is evident in Troubleshooting, and we can’t wait to see what they create next! Check out more of Xdinary Heroes below!
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Photo Credit: JYP Entertainment
