If this is love, I want a refund is my first ever EP and it represents the cycle of a relationship. It is a collection of songs that reveal genuine feelings about love – the good, the bad, the ugly.
– KINO
After establishing his one-man label, “NAKED“, KINO has finally released his first ever EP titled If this is love, I want a refund. Alongside Philadelphia rapper Lay Bankz, KINO channels his anger into the lead single “Broke My Heart,” expressing his desire for retribution against someone who wronged him. The lyrics are written to be realistic, allowing listeners to connect with their own feelings of anger and distaste towards those that have wronged them.
Prior to its release, KINO’s bold guerrilla marketing tactics went viral on social media. It started with a picture posted on X, featuring KINO holding up a sign teasing the EP’s release inside Coachella Music Festival’s fairgrounds. Given the rarity of such acts by established artists in public, it quickly went viral and trended both within and outside of K-pop circles. Following the guerrilla marketing, KINO released a video titled “Rate My Song,” where he approached strangers, asking them to rate his upcoming song “Broke My Heart” – even strategically including Simu Liu in the video as a participant.
The five-track EP also includes by “Solo,” narrating the story of a couple’s final farewell in their breakup, “Freaky Love,” describing the feeling of falling in love and becoming infatuated, “Valentine,” reminiscing about days long gone and highlighting the fearless courage that comes from youthful energy, and “Fashion Style,” a drum and bass infused song meant to uplift the confidence of its listeners.
About KINO
KINO is a multi-talented artist who has launched his solo career under his one-man agency, NAKED. He is also a member of the K-pop boy group, PENTAGON, which debuted in 2016. As the main producer of the PENTAGON, he is the mastermind behind all audio and visuals of the group, releasing 70+ songs to date. With this new solo venture, KINO wants to get even closer to his listeners with music that they can relate to and feel closer to their hearts by having no set boundaries with his music style and genres. On January 27th, he embarked on his first solo tour, BORN NAKED, visiting cities across Asia, including Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong, and will soon be finishing in Japan at the end of April 2024.
KINO actively contributed to the artistic direction of all features of the album, shaping his ideal story that paints both the dreamy and not-so-flattering facets of love.