Enhypen's Dark Blood Took the Internet by Storm

On May 22nd, Enhypen had their comeback after ten months, a comeback that, as the title may suggest, has sparked quite a controversy online.

This is the group’s fifth comeback after their debut in 2020 with Border: Day One, whose title track Given-Taken has become iconic.

The album, called DARK BLOOD, consists of six songs, Fate, the title track Bite Me, Sacrifice (Eat Me Up), Chaconne, Bills, and Karma.

Enhypen was created through a survival show, I-LAND, and consists of seven members:

Not only the oldest member of the group but also the one who trained for the longest time, Heeseung is a great vocalist and a talented dancer! 

He also has perfect pitch and is working on composing his music, which he will hopefully have the chance to include in one of Enhypen’s future albums. 

Despite being very serious about his job, he is also hilarious and likes to ridicule himself to make others laugh!

Jungwon is the leader of Enhypen, despite being part of the maknae line, a role bestowed upon him through a vote. 

He is very mature for his age, an outstanding singer, and a great dancer! 

He used to practice Taekwondo until he discovered an interest in dancing. Members and Engenes often compare him to a cat.

He grew up in the States but speaks great Korean and great Japanese! 

He is often considered the “mom” of the group since he is the one who cooks and cleans more often.

He is also a great dancer and vocalist with a unique vocal color among those in Enhypen who trained the longest.

Like Jay, he didn’t grow up in Korea, and members often tease him for how he speaks, as he infamously has a solid Australian accent. 

He was among the members who trained the least, and through I-LAND and after the program, he improved his skills a lot, becoming well-versed both in singing and dancing! 

Other Enhypen members often praise him for always being positive and kind.

Besides being well-known for his looks, Sunghoon, before debuting in Enhypen, was already a famous ice skater, which originated in his nickname, Ice Prince. 

Despite being very introverted, he worked as an MC for Music Bank with IVE’s Woonyoung. 

He is also very skilled in dancing and singing.

Among the youngest members of Enhypen and the one who got the least training, Sunoo immediately showed incredible vocal skills and, through I-LAND, also managed to polish his dance skills. 

His members often tease him because “he is the cutest when angry,” he is also well-known among fans for being sweet but sassy.

Ni-Ki, born in Japan, is the youngest member of the group. He started dancing at the age of 3 and, still very young, joined SHINee Kids; for all these reasons, he is the group's main dancer. 

Through I-LAND, and since Enhypen's debut, his vocal skills have much improved, giving him more confidence in his voice. 

Members often complain about his liveliness, but he is also timid.

DARK BLOOD is an album with a very nocturnal vampiresque vibe, as the concept suggests. The songs are all very cohesive, except for Karma, the closing track, which surprises the listeners with its pop-rock instrumental. 

Overall, if you enjoy songs while driving at night, this new Enhypen album is everything you want and even more!

Here is the concept trailer, which explains part of the story:

Now let’s dive a bit more into each song.

Not one of the usual narrated intro that Enhypen used in many of their previous albums but a really addictive opening track, enriched with Heeseung mermaid-like background vocals.

The track introduces the listeners to the themes of this album: love, torment, being cursed.

As the seasons crumble, the green

Love became greed and erased itself

Erase even your selfishness

They trapped me in ruins like the deep sea

Oblivion

Where did that terrible curse come from?

Who inflicted this cruel punishment?

Now I realized

The fate that I devoted my life to

How could I forget?

A great title track, in my opinion, which perfectly encapsulates the concept of being vampires, by emphasizing their sexiness and capturing the audience's attention with an alluring choreography and a very upbeat rhythm.

The choreography, and more precisely the fact that members perform it with female back-up dancers, is what sparked heated discussions especially among Korean and Chinese fans, who even sent trucks in front of the HYBE building requesting to remove the female dancers.

International fans, on the contrary, showed their support to Enhypen and luckily the company did not make any changes in the choreography, which Ni-Ki also contributed in creating.

It’s you and me in this world

Again, come to me, tie me

If you are goin' to save me

Just come kiss me and bite me (Oh, babe)

It's you and me in this world

In this darkness, light me

If you'll give me a chance

Just come kiss me and bite me

Here is one of Enhypen live performances:

Here is the STUDIO CHOOM version:

The music video for this track was released on the 7th of June and it surprised every Engene in a very pleasant way, not only the choreography is very sexy but the video is really entertaining and the performance is amazing!

The song, as one might guess from the title, deals with Enhypen’s sins and their decision to sacrifice themselves for a love who gives them back nothing.

This endless agony and thirst

Punishment that defied fate

My arrogant oblivion and illusion

Swallow the river of Lethe

So dangerous

Full of darkness like a criminal

But here you are

Full of brightness and light

I beg you to kill me (Kill me)

Heal me (Heal me) deeper

My endless fallin' (Fallin') deeper (Deeper)

Oh, take my hand

Here is Enhypen live performance:

My favorite track on the album together with Bills, Chaconne is a song with a “trappy” R&B vibe whose name “Chaconne” literally comes from a type of Spanish dance style, which was born in the XVII century, that later became a whole music genre.

The song, here, uses the idea of chaconne, a dance, as a metaphor for something sinful that Enhypen cannot stop, they are now trapped in their sins and do not intend to escape.

Dance for me forever

Look at me in the broken mirror

And tune it with the feet

This beautiful moment I don't stop

Woah, again, chaconne now

Dance for mе, like you're drunk and fascinated by mе

I just wanna dance on, can't stop it

This is my world in the dark

Woah, again, chaconne now

Bills is an heartbreak song conceptually connected to Enhypen's previous track, Not for Sale, which is, in complete contrast, a song which talks about falling in love with someone.

Not only the lyrics, 

Sign on top of bills that are suddenly surging

The right price, I only learned through tears

I don't wanna let you go

Can we turn back, no time

The time piles on top of the love that needs to be repaid

The price of parting keeps getting more and more expensive

I just wanna let it go

Why don't you just let me go, me go?

but also some parts of the choreography refer to Not for Sale:

Here is the Band Live Version of Bills:

The last song on tha album and a great way to close it by disrupting everyone's expectations. This song not only has a strong rock component but its lyrics lose the melancholy of the previous tracks to substitute it with a very confident attitude, Enhypen “don’t give a what” about their destiny anymore.

Whatever they call fate

I don't give a what

The karma of blood that connects us

So I don't give a what

Across time and space

Beyond probability

From the day you were tied to your fangs

I don't, don't, don't give a what

Enhypen’s new album managed to show an entirely new facet of the group, not only because of its mature and sexy concept but because, musically, despite maintaining Enhypen’s distinctive style, they experimented with new genres and challenged themselves on a performance level.

As a fan of Enhypen and as a fan of music, this will be their turning point as a group, not only because the album sold very well but because, in my opinion, this comeback helped them mature a lot as artists.