Xdinary Heroes on chasing mainstream appeal: 'We have to make people listen to our music'

"We’ve thought a lot about mainstream appeal. But we concluded that something is called mainstream because many people like it," Jooyeon said. "If more people come to like the music we make, that becomes the mainstream appeal of our music — and at the same time, it becomes our own color."

As others talk about reaching a broader audience, the band Xdinary Heroes has kept writing its own songs and building its stage experience. Over time, that push for the sound the group wants has become a distinct discography — and, the members say, it is increasingly connecting with fans.

"It’s hard to say only bright, upbeat, easy-listening songs count as mainstream," Jun Han said. "If you look back at the ’80s and ’90s, there were times when the sound itself was the center. For us, mainstream appeal means making it so people can naturally listen to the music we do."

The group’s new mini-album, "DEAD AND," centers on the keyword "farewell" and asks, in its own way, what an ending means. The band said it aimed to cross genre lines while sharpening its identity.

"This album includes a lot of interesting musical experiments," Gaon said. "Because the key word is ‘farewell,’ we thought hard about how to express a heavier theme in different ways than the last album. There are seven tracks, and we tried to capture different meanings of farewell in each one."

Gaon said the sound also shifts, with synthesizers more prominent than before.

"In the past, we expressed a heavy, rock sound mainly through guitar and drums," he said. "This time, there was a clear sensation we got through synths. That’s a difference from the previous work and a strength unique to this album."

The title track, "Voyager," compares the will to continue an endless journey to the space probe Voyager 1. The band took part in writing the lyrics and composing the song.

"While working on ‘Voyager,’ I had this image of a star dying while holding another star, bursting with light and giving birth to another star," Jungsu said. "Thinking about that brought back my own experience of farewell. I once went through a farewell with a friend — I can never see them again — but I wrote the lyrics thinking maybe they became another star and remain somewhere."
The track pairs a sharp synth riff with powerful drums and driving guitar. Asked about his role with the synth-forward arrangement, O.de laughed and said he has been "having a hard time."

"It’s a song where the synth comes out in a flashy way, and my part was just as challenging," he said. "I even gave up the holiday break to practice. Thankfully, my hands and wrists are moving well now, and if I don’t lose focus, I think I’ll be fine."

The members described "DEAD AND" as a turning point, saying they expanded their musical range by participating in work across the mini-album’s eighth release. They are also set to hold a special live run in Europe and the U.K. in May and June titled "The New X Scene Special Live in Europe and UK."

"If the last album talked about the beginning of love, we wondered what story could come next," Gunil said. "If there’s a beginning, there’s an end, so we thought we should tell a story around ‘farewell.’"

He said the group did not choose the theme to force a "turning point" narrative.

"To be honest, I never imagined we’d receive this much more attention this year," Gunil said. "It’s not something that happens just because you want it badly. I think it’s a flow we’re grateful for. So we prepared this album the way we always have. We didn’t set out from the start to make it a turning point — but looking back after finishing it, we thought ‘farewell’ could resonate with many people, and that it fit this moment."

The band also emphasized how each instrument’s role is defined while still locking into a cohesive group sound.

"As the bassist, I often share a wide range in the low and mid frequencies with Gaon," Jooyeon said. "This time, to organize that, I tried to implement a lower-range sound, while Seungmin took on the more piercing tones. It felt like our division of roles became more solid than before."

"When O.de plays something flashy, we arranged our parts in a way that actually strips back that flashiness as much as possible," Gaon said. "We supported it from a lower range and tried to match the overall tone together."
Members said the band’s sound is built on trust — believing in one another’s parts and supporting them.

"While preparing the album, I looked up a lot of old performance videos — from when we were trainees rehearsing together to clips of us appearing on broadcasts," Gunil said. "Watching them, I could see each member gradually growing. If you look at performances from a few years ago, there are parts that feel lacking now, but all that time piled up into what we are today."

"For me, the members are something I’m truly proud of," he said. "If even one person wasn’t in this team, I don’t think today’s Xdinary Heroes would exist."

Gaon said the group’s biggest strength is its distinct musical identity and the way six different ideas come together.

"The biggest appeal is that music can move people," he said. "What I’m most proud of these days is our own musical color. When I’m with these guys, I feel that all six of us have different thoughts and ideas. Six different heads come together to make one album and a comeback, and we can keep showing growth through that process."

Now in their fourth year since debut, the members also pointed to each other’s progress.

"Jun Han’s guitar parts keep getting harder, but he keeps pulling them off," Gunil said. "This album has a lot of difficult songs, too. Every time we rehearse together, I feel like he’s improving with every album."

O.de singled out Gunil’s drumming.

"When you talk about ‘growth,’ the other five of us have a process you can clearly see, but Gunil is already at such a high level that it might be harder to notice," O.de said. "But if you think about how important drums are in a band live set, his presence is huge. At the Muse opening show or at festival stages, when he starts playing, you can feel the atmosphere change."
Despite different ways of putting it, the members agreed the band’s core comes down to "fun" and "sincerity."

"Our goal is to perform fun music," Gaon said. "So I think ‘fun’ is the key word that runs through us."

"Personally, what we’ve kept from debut until now is sincerity," Gunil said. "If you ask what we’re sincere about, it’s music. Just as we were healed, grew and found comfort through the music we listened to when we were young, our 마음 hasn’t changed: We hope our music can have that kind of positive impact on the people who listen to it."