BoyNextDoor opens the door to its ‘Home’ as it closes its first chapter

Boy band BoyNextDoor built its discography on being close enough to knock.

Three years after debuting as K-pop’s boys next door, the six-member group is ready to let listeners in with its first full-length album, “Home” — a milestone that looks back on the shelter it has built so far, but with an unmistakably candid ambition to go “Viral.”

“This album carries our own story of leaving our previous home and finding a new one,” said member Woonhak during a roundtable interview with journalists in eastern Seoul on Friday.

“We’ve built a home, a shelter for ourselves, so I hope the album can also become a place where both casual listeners and our fans can rest and feel comfortable,” he added with a smile.

BoyNextDoor debuted in May 2023 with the single “WHO!” under KOZ Entertainment, a HYBE-owned label founded by rapper-producer Zico, with members Myung Jae-hyun, Sungho, Riwoo, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak.

The group built its musical narrative and brand around the members’ famously energetic, mischievous personalities, befitting its name BoyNextDoor. The sextet is best known for upbeat, easy-listening hits like “If I say I love you” (2025).

But this time, the mood has shifted — into something more chic, serious and sometimes vulnerable.

“Home,” set to be released on Monday, features eight songs: the lead track, “Viral,” a prerelease “ddok ddok ddok,” and B-sides, “06070,” “Adios!,” “Upside Down,” “Dive,” “Forever You,” and “I Wonder.” The physical album will include an additional track, “I Wonder, Always,” which samples “I Wonder.” All six members are credited for songwriting and lyrics for the album.

The genuine slice of BoyNextDoor’s inner thoughts revealed in the lead track, “Viral,” is simple and clear: the group wants its music to go viral, all around the world, until its melodies echo in everyone’s head.

“What we really wanted to say as a team was that we hope this song keeps lingering in the ears of people all around the world,” said Myung. “So we decided to incorporate our desire to become famous into a more general narrative about love.”

The song “Viral” marks a clear departure from BoyNextDoor’s previous singles, with a more toned-down, quieter yet intense mood and a longer running time than usual.

“We’ve indeed wanted to do something different,” said Woonhak. “And in a way, I also thought coming up with something different is in itself very BoyNextDoor-coded.”

Some songs still carry the group’s signature youthful charm and cheek, he said, but the members wanted the lead single to align with the overall concept of the new album, which leans on serious sincerity — especially so because the album marks the completion of the group’s first chapter, before it moves to the next chapter, according to the members.

“One thing we talked about a lot among ourselves during the album-making process was that we wanted to make an album that we could listen to and remind ourselves of our original mindset if 20 or 30 years pass after our debut and we ever lose sight of where we started,” said Myung.

“So we focused on people who are most precious to us, and the things we consider most essential, which led us to consider this album as a closure of our first chapter.”

True to his words, the tracklist for “Home” leads listeners into some of the members’ innermost thoughts and most cherished memories. The first track, “06070,” takes its title from the old postal code of the training room where the members practiced as trainees, while “Forever You” is a tribute to their parents and the sincere love they have received from them. The album closes with “I Wonder,” a fan song for the group’s fandom, OneDoor, which, according to the members, represents the destination — the home — where the journey ends.

Fresh off celebrating its third debut anniversary, the group still has much it wants to achieve, explore and say.

“I’ve been told that babies begin to speak in earnest when they turn three,” Myung said. “There are so many things I want to tell our fans — how much I appreciate them and love them — and now, I think this is the time when I can properly speak my mind.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]