South Korean rock band Daybreak has returned to the local music scene, equipped with new sounds and fresh musical approaches.

The four-piece band, consisting of vocalist Lee Won-suk, guitarist Chung Yoo-jong, bassist Kim Sun-il and keyboardist Kim Jang-won, dropped its latest retro-pop EP “Cube” on Tuesday. With the new five-track album, Daybreak focuses on New Wave music, the dominant music style of the ’80s, a period widely considered the heyday of modern pop. 

In “Cube,” the band fuses a variety of its signature pop music styles, including synth pop, dance rock, blue-eyed soul disco, funk and punk rock, with more modern sounds.

The summertime-inspired lead single “Hot Fresh” features a groovy electro-synth pop tune made complete with funky guitar riffs, a groovy melody and Lee’s signature vocals. In line with the song’s bright colors, the music video shows several foreigners playfully dancing around on a sunny California beach.

“Someday” was written by the band in hopes of providing a form of solace to listeners. Among the new tracks, “Someday” best embodies the ’80s New Wave spirit, given that most pop songs from back then held messages about life and society rather than love. 

“Waterfall,” previously unveiled to the public during Daybreak’s concert last year, and the remastered versions of the band’s past hits “Touch Me” and “Girl Across the Door” are included on the EP as well.

“The band embarks on a new direction that could not be shown in its studio albums with its new EP,” said the band’s agency Happy Robot Records. “It also confirms the boundless scope of Daybreak’s musical capabilities.”

Daybreak entered the music scene in 2007 with the album “Urban Life Style.” It rose to prominence through appearances on KBS 2TV’s band survival program “Top Band,” the music program “Immortal Songs” and Mnet’s “Must Era of the Band.” It has produced several widely known singles including “Good” and “Love Actually.”

Daybreak is slated to stage its solo concert “Summer Madness 2014” on Aug. 30 and 31 at the 88 Lake Waterside Stage at Olympic Park in Seoul.

By Sohn Ji-young (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)