Boy band CIX has rounded out the summer by finally deciphering the code to its “OK” series. The quintet dropped its 5th EP “OK’ Episode 1: OK Not” on Monday evening.

This marks the boy band’s first return to the local music world since the release of its first LP “‘Ok’ Prologue: Be OK” in August 2021.

“We’ve poured all we got into this project because it’s been a year since we last released an album. From settling on which song to include on the album to the choreography, all of us were involved in many parts of the whole production process,” leader BX said.

Since it marks the start of the band’s “OK” universe, Seung-hun added that many fans and listeners should look forward to how the band unfolds its stories through music.

During Monday’s press conference, BX said, as the title suggests, “OK Not” is an album that throws out one question that searches for the true meaning of love: “What is the true essence of love?”

Through working on the album, the group concluded that in order to win the heart of someone you love, one must spare no effort, knowing how to sometimes twist and turn between one’s mind and instinct, and at times, consider breaking several rules to be close to them. Through the EP’s four tracks, the quintet goes through the different stages and struggles of love.

In particular, CIX aims to show different emotions and feelings stemming from love, such as pain, desire, patience and loneliness.

Leading the four-song package is “458,” which Hyun-suk described as an electro hip-hop mix track interwoven with a melodic piano, rough bass sounds and drum beats that set the song’s tone. 

Like the track’s energy, the words to the song convey how the band tries to take a step forward to find the true essence that lies under the term “love.” The lyrics also show how one goes through times of trouble by following their thoughts or emotions.

When asked what the number “458” means, BX said it’s the speed of love without hesitation.

“While preparing for the album, we’ve wanted to show and meld the word ‘instinct’ into our title track. The term led us to come up with something speedy. As corny as it sounds, the number derives from the car brand Ferrari, and it’s the speed of light. It means I want to arrive at you at the fastest speed,” he added.

Yong-hee chimed in, saying, “Also, the numbers four, five and eight represent the letters ‘I’, ‘L’ and ‘U’ on a mobile phone keypad, which is an abbreviation for I love you.”

The album also includes “Without You,” a track about love that covers a multitude of sins; “Bend the Rules,” a song about stepping out of the box for love and “Drown in Luv,” which talks about facing love at the end.

BX said the album made him give a lot of thought to what “love” actually means. He continued, saying that he was able to think about the different emotions that derive from the word.

But, of course, BX said nothing could beat the unconditional love from fans.

“There are different types of love when you think of the term. But for us, it’s FIXs,” he said, referring to the band’s official fandom.

At the end of the event, Hyun-suk expressed hopes of making up for the missed time with fans instead of being focused on doing well on the music charts.

“We earned rave reviews with our music and sold an impressive amount of copies with our previous album. This was possible because our fans were always there for our company and us. But this time, I want to show that CIX has returned as more mature and seasoned singers.”

Seung-hun added that the past year was a hard one due to the prolonged pandemic and hoped to make more memories through the band’s promotional activities.

The four-track package hit global music platforms on Monday at 6 p.m.