EPEX is back with their second full-length album and the latest addition to their Youth trilogy, Youth Chapter 2 : YOUTH DEFICIENCY. This release is a continuation of the story from the group’s April 2024 release, Youth Chapter 1 : YOUTH DAYS, which portrayed the inevitable challenges of juvenility and falling in love, told from the perspective of one youth speaking to another. Youth Chapter 2 : YOUTH DEFICIENCY describes the struggle many youths experience in confronting their shortcomings and the constant decisions that must be made in order to fulfill these insufficiencies. Through this album, EPEX hopes to offer comfort to those who are enduring their own growing pains in life.
“We worked hard to make a better album, to show EPEX’s growth, and to empathize more with all the listeners of our album. We wanted to create the stage with our color, focusing on not only the performance but also delicate expressions, so we thought of many ways to express the message that we wanted to convey through this album. Please look forward to the second story of youth by EPEX.”
– KEUM, member of EPEX
“The story of youth we shared since our first full-length album expresses the ‘EPEX at the current moment,’ so I empathized more while working on the album. It truly carries our sincerity, and I believe this album will provide solace to the listeners in their youth. We’ll work harder to grow even more with gratitude to our fans who always support us. Thank you.”
– MU, member of EPEX
The album includes eight new tracks. The title track, “UNIVERSE,” features a shuffle beat and straight-forward melody and depicts one’s choice to make a special person their whole universe.
“My Girl,” the album’s pre-release track that EPEX first unveiled on October 14th, is a groovy R&B love song that portrays the awkward clumsiness that can come with falling in love and sourcing the courage to express those feelings. The next track, “낭만소녀 (1997),” tells of an enigmatic girl that one cannot help but wish to understand. “It is what it is” is an upbeat, bubbly track that brings a message that many in their youth crave to hear: it is okay to not be perfect. “Attosecond” speaks to the fleeting nature of youth and how it feels like it can pass by in the blink of an eye or an “attosecond,” equivalent to one quintillionth of a second. “경이로운 일상 (Wonderful)” is a drum and bass song that conveys the small but miraculous moments that provide fulfillment in one’s day-to-day life. “잃어버린 것들에 대하여 (Closer)” depicts the loss of youth and the regret but eventual growth that results. The final track, “Loner,” closes this chapter on a hopeful note and evokes the message that one is never truly alone in their loneliness and that the feeling should be embraced rather than ignored.
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