When people step outside their comfort zones and experience something for the first time, it comes with a rush of nervous excitement – which is exactly the emotion ENHYPEN shares in their latest release.
On April 26, the septet made their highly anticipated comeback with “Drunk-Dazed” from their second mini album, BORDER: CARNIVAL. While the first mini album, BORDER: DAY ONE, conveys their emotions leading up to their debut, BORDER: CARNIVAL expresses Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and NI–KI’s honest feelings after making their long-awaited debut last year. “For the first time since our debut, we’ve done offline activities such as music shows and fan meetings,” Jungwon shared at the album’s press showcase. “Everything was our first time. So we felt a lot of amazing emotions.”
Sunghoon added, “When we were preparing [for the album], I thought, ‘These things will happen when we debut, and in that case, we should do this.’ But when we were in a completely new environment, it didn’t apply well. At first, It was awkward, but as I got used to it, I felt like I was melting into the situation and I was getting used to it.
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“Drunk-Dazed” boasts a strong, addictive beat and powerful chorus that likens ENHYPEN’s feelings to that of the hustle and bustle of a chaotic carnival. The pop-rock track kicks off on an optimistic note with the opening verse highlighting the glitz and glam of their new lifestyle (“Beautiful and brilliant” / “My glittering vision is a diamond.”) As the song progresses, it takes a darker tone as the members’ feelings begin to fluctuate with unease and worry (“Honestly I’m scared” / “The world’s drunk in a swirling glass” / “At the edge is my burning heart” / “But I just wanna stay.”) Despite these feelings, the thrilling chorus shows how the members allow themselves to accept all of these emotions and succumb to experience (“I feel it, my head’s in a Daze Daze Daze” / “I’m addicted, I Replay Play Play.”)
ENHYPEN continues their dark, vampire narrative in their music video for “Drunk-Dazed” where a young woman is invited to a “blood birthday party.” The invitation reads: “Sometimes, walking down the deadly path without feeling from death itself can give rise to the most wondrous creation. We hope you will be able to come.” Before the party kicks off, ENHYPEN and their partygoers quench their thirst with cups of blood, energizing everyone and kicking off the night’s festivities.
ENHYPEN (엔하이픈) ‘Drunk-Dazed’ Official MV ENHYPEN (엔하이픈) ‘Drunk-Dazed’ Official MV
Fellow I-LAND contestants K and EJ made surprise appearances in the “Drunk-Dazed” music video where their ominous shadows took the form of werewolves. K and EJ (along with Nicholas, Kyungmin, and Taki) are expected to debut under HYBE Japan later this year. Their brief cameo in the music video led fans to speculate a correlation between ENHYPEN’s and the upcoming boy group’s concepts.
BORDER: CARNIVAL is the second installment in the group’s BORDER series and consists of six tracks: “Intro: The Invitation,” “Drunk-Dazed,” “Fever,” “Not For Sale,” “Mixed Up,” and “Outro: The Wormhole.” Check out the music video for “Drunk-Dazed” and stream the entire album below: