ALL(H)OURS Sets The Clock And Tone For EP Album, “VCF”

ALL(H)OURS “VCF”

EDEN Entertainment

Could you pass ALL(H)OURS Vibe Check?

ALL(H)OURS, the K-pop group from EDEN Entertainment, has released their latest EP/mini-album, VCF (short for “Vibe Check Fail”).

“Vibe Check” is a Gen Z slang for assessing the general mood or energy of the atmosphere, situation, person, or place. It’s essentially gauging your feelings of comfort in that situation and moment. It’s often used to isolate people who may not feel like they fit in.

As part of the fifth-generation of K-pop stars and being Gen Z themselves, ALL(H)OURS – comprised of Kunho, Youmin, Xayden, Minje, Masami, Hyunbin, and ON:N – wants the world to know that they get to define the mood and attitudes around them. If you don’t fit the “vibe” or fail the “vibe check,” it’s okay. Just own who you are and be proud of it.

ALL(H)OURS took that narrative back, creating their own version of “vibe check-ing.” Youmin shares, “We are really adding the ALL(H)OURS color to that term, and creating the new meaning that translates to we create our vibe check. Even though we might be failing at what’s trending right now, we are still adding our new colors and new charms for [ourselves]

.”

Kunho, the leader, adds, “As a Gen Z group, we really wanted to pull it up and really convey this theme in our way. We are creating the new trends and charms that we can showcase to everyone. We really wanted to add a new interpretation to that phrase.”

Fresh off their European World Tour, the septet calls over Zoom from their EDEN Entertainment offices in Seoul, filled with high energy and rockstar good looks. Like the title track, they’re “READY 2 RUMBLE,” preparing their EP promotions.

The hybrid trap track is filled with rumbling energy, setting up to be a hype song. It feels like a great fighter or workout jam – even one that motivates you to prepare for the day. While recording the song, Youmin imagined boxers in a ring, filled with confidence and coolness to fight.

“I try to think of that imagery in my head when I was working on this album,” he explains. “We really wanted to convey our colors through this album.”

The album marks a turning point for ALL(H)OURS, who debuted in 2023, as they begin to reveal new and different sides of themselves that their fans and the industry haven’t seen before. Kunho says the tracks do have the same energy and determination as their previous releases, but their strength lies in their live performances of these songs.

“We have never been out of sync,” Kunho explains. “Ever since we’ve debuted, this is something we always want to keep – and have been keeping so far. Even [when] we are feeling a bit weak, we still have to go up there and show a live performance because that’s what the audience expects from us. They are there to see our performances. There’s no excuse for that. We are always talking about confidence and pride in our name. When people look back on fifth-generation K-pop idol groups, we want ALL(H)OURS to be remembered as the group that always performs live and excels in every live performance data.”

They take a lot of pride in their live performances of these tracks that help them stand out, using the term “LiDeALL” or “라디올” (pronounced Lah-di-al), which is an abbreviation of “Live Default ALL(H)OURS” in Korean. It’s a term they use to remind themselves that performing live is always the default when they take the stage.

“That is something that we are always trying our best, and we feel like that’s our greatest [asset] that we can present as a group,” says Kunho.”So we are ready and determined to showcase powerful energy and our color through those live performances, especially through this album.”

Below, ALL(H)OURS breaks down their new EP/mini-album, what VCF means to them, their ever-changing concepts, and what the fans – called min(ut)e – can expect.

LAURA SIRIKUL: How excited are you about releasing this new EP? Tell me more about VCF.

KUNHO: From Smoke Point, our third mini-album that was released earlier this year, we wanted to talk about our ideal type of idol [that we want to be] and what we want to achieve as an idol goal of ours. But, for VCF, we wanted to talk more about the path ahead [and] what we wanted to do next. We have more certain goals and more directions that we [want] to show. It is our turning point as a group.

XAYDEN: It feels surreal that we are releasing our fourth mini-album, because it really feels like it was just yesterday that we debuted. It really feels surreal. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s a reality for us.

Many of your songs go hard. The beats are always really intense. I heard it in “READY 2 RUMBLE” and “DO IT.” Can you tell me about the genre and concept you were aiming for?

KUNHO: These tracks definitely do have that “ready-to-go” energy. We carried those two songs alongside the other three B-side tracks included in the album – “VCF,” “GOOD JOB,” and “La Vida Loca.”

MINJE: As for the genres, we wanted to blend the easy listening genres and the old school hip hop [together] as well. Those are the main focus that we really cared for when preparing for this album. We wanted to make sure that we are still mixing in our true ALL(H)OURS color and uniqueness into it. I think there will be another point a lot of listeners can really enjoy with our album.

This is your fourth EP released within your two years of being a group. What makes this EP mini-album different from the others?

YOUMIN: Our previous albums are more focused on showcasing our energy and determination as a group. For VCF, each track has a unique personality. This album presents a very fresh shock to anyone who is listening to it. It’s going to be a very different sound and very fresh for each song. It’s got a great personality and uniqueness to each of the tracks. I believe that many people will find these songs highly addictive and catchy as well. It can appeal well to the general public as well.

XAYDEN: I want to add that it’s only been just under a year since our youngest member, ON:N became of legal age. Through this album, we are going to be able to showcase a different level or side of sexiness that we haven’t been able to showcase so far.

KUNHO: Through our various performances around the world and our European tour, we have experienced a lot of stages so far and connected with many of our fans at the same time. That really gave us more confidence, seeing so many fans cheer for us and sing along with us. That really helped us to gain a lot of energy and [enthusiasm] in ourselves. That really affected our mindset preparing for this album as well.

You mentioned that you’re all adults now, and fans can expect to see more sexy concepts. Can you elaborate on that?

MASAMI: All the members have become of legal age this year. We really want to showcase a sexy concept. We are not making up that sexy concept. We really want to capture the more natural, sexy aura that comes from us. I think fans can look forward to the kind of aura we are trying to convey through this comeback and the types of new, sexy sides we will be showcasing.

YOUMIN: On top of that, we are definitely interested in exploring more sexy concepts in the future. We are also interested in continuing to challenge all the concepts we’ve never tackled before. For example, “READY 2 RUMBLE” is a different sound, but it’s kind of similar to what we’ve shown before. However, in terms of the song “DO IT,” it features a new jack swing flow and a more modern beat and sound. It’s a great combination of retro and current time music, and what is trendy at the moment. That was a great fusion of different sounds and trends over time. It’ll be great whenever we get more opportunities to explore more blending or fusion of different genres and sounds in the future.

Is there a song or lyric from the album that means a lot to you or one that you keep thinking about?

HYUNBIN: My favorite would be [the unit song] “GOOD JOB.” I remember when we were working on that song while on tour. We had a lot of schedules for the tour while working on the music. The members participated in writing the lyrics while we were moving or during breaks. Those memories make it special for me. It really evokes a lot of memories while we worked on the song. Xayden contributed to the melody of the music.

ON:N: My favorite or most memorable is “DO IT,” because it’s got a very bright melody. It’s popping and has a very fun beat. It’s similar to the musical dramas and styles that I personally enjoy in real life.

MINJE: I think of “DO IT” a lot because of its addictive and repetitive lyrics and beat. My favorite part from “DO IT” is when we sing ‘Can can do it Can can can do it’ because it really spreads out positive energy, making me feel like I am able to do anything and everything I want.

ON:N: That [line] brings up a lot of confidence. It feels like a cheering message for me. It’s got a good line that we can share with our fans so they can gain confidence and feel like we are always cheering them on as well.

MASAMI: My favorite is actually the vocal unit track, “La Vida Loca.” Even though I’m not part of the vocal group – I didn’t participate in it, but it makes me happy. It makes my ears happy every time I listen to it. Not only is it a good song to listen to, but it also really highlights our members’ individual vocal colors, coming together beautifully in this song.

I’ve seen many of your music videos, and the dance choreography is always amazing. With each new music video, the choreography looks more intense than before. How do you prepare for each comeback? How do you level up on your dance moves?

ON:N: We always try to create something more difficult and complex for every comeback, especially in our careers. We want to make sure we are always improving. We want to share how much we have grown and progressed since the last comeback. To achieve this, we learn from our instructors and directors. We go through [a lot of] group and individual practices. We practice [watching] famous choreographers and monitor our old choreography. That’s how we usually go about practicing our choreography, especially for the “READY 2 RUMBLE” performance. There is a part where we are all doing freestyle. I think that is a great expression of the music and adds a nice touch to the overall performance of the track.

YOUMIN: For “READY 2 RUMBLE,” I want to point out that in the second verse, there is a restrained sexiness that really shines through from Masami. I hope you look forward to that. That is a highlight of the choreography. It’s become our tradition in the choreography and performance. In the final part, typically in the third verse or the last chorus of our song, we absolutely go crazy – and that continues in this track. There is a part where we are really shaking very hard at the end of the choreography.

HYUNBIN: It’s a powerful choreography, but it does have some cute moments, which is rare to see from our performances. That will create a special memory for our viewers. I hope they look forward to cute or aeygo moments from our members from “READY 2 RUMBLE.”

XAYDEN: We also want to highlight that we participated as much as we could in the choreography. We shared a lot of ideas and thoughts on it.

Now that you’ve been together for two years, what are your goals now? Do they differ or remain the same when you first debuted?

ON:N: The individual goals might differ for each member, but as a group, our goal has always been that people like our performance and presence. That’s why we started this career. We love performing and getting attention from the audience, cheering us on. That’s why we are still here and continuing [this journey]. That is our general goal we want to achieve as a group: people really enjoy who we are and our presence in our performances.

KUNHO: Through the European tour, we met many fans up close in person. That really inspired us to go out to even more countries. It has become our dream to visit more countries around the world and go on a U.S. tour someday. [During our tour stop in] Madrid, we visited the stadium for Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. My first impression was that it was a huge stadium. As a visitor, I was mesmerized by it. Later, I got really motivated that it’ll be cool if we could perform for our min(ut)e and people who love our music there. That has become our new goal after visiting that stadium.

YOUMIN: Ever since we debuted, we’ve been wanting to showcase our determination. It remains to this day that we are always dedicated to showing [who we are]. We always have more to share with everyone. That’s why we continue to work hard, because we want to showcase many more things. We have our potential and passion to share. That’s why we continue working hard.

Now that you’ve traveled to Asia and Europe. What can we expect for the U.S. fans in North America?

XAYDEN: It might be coming very soon. That is something we’ve always been looking forward to: visiting the U.S. and meeting our American fans. During our European tour, our fans loved the energetic and powerful performances. Their reactions were just great. We think it would appeal very positively to our American fans as well. If we go on tour in the U.S., it’ll be a great opportunity for us to meet our existing fans, but also make more new fans and have the general audience start [learning about us after] our performances.

KUNHO: It might not come, or it might come sooner than you expect. That is something that I want to mention, it might or might not happen sooner than you expect. We’ll be waiting for that day.

When you do plan on coming to the U.S., please be aware of American fans and barking. Have you heard of this trend that has been happening at K-pop concerts?

KUNHO: Yes! Absolutely. We actually heard the barking from our European fans. We’ve known about it, but we never expected it from our fans. It was great. It was passionate and very loud. When we first heard it, it totally caught us off guard. We were so happy. It was unexpected that we missed our timing to enter our MENT (the moment when the group addresses the crowd) during the performance. We were just looking at each other, and we needed to say something. Their love and cheers were so loud, it made us really happy. Because we had that experience, we will be able to enjoy that – or even bark ourselves – during the U.S. tour.

MASAMI: I remember when I first heard it during our European tour; it made me so excited. I actually joined the barking with the fans. So, I’m ready to do that once again if we go on a U.S. tour.

ALL(H)OURS’ fourth EP/mini-album, VCF, is available now on all streaming platforms and for purchase online and select retail stores.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.