Zerobaseone back with upbeat music, ‘hyper-positive energy’

K-pop boy group Zerobaseone returned Monday with its fourth EP, “Cinema Paradise,” packed with the group’s signature upbeat energy and a message of hope for those dreaming of a brighter future, even in the face of adversity.

This marks a quick return for the nine-member group, following the success of its May release, “You had me at Hello.”

“This album is filled with Zerobaseone’s refreshing energy and carries the message that no matter what kind of bad situations we encounter in our diverse lives, we are ultimately heading toward a happy ending,” member Kim Ji-woong said during a press showcase for the album in Seoul on Monday.

“With seven songs evoking different movie genres, I think this album will be a lot of fun to listen to.”

This message feels particularly authentic because the members earned their spot in the music industry through fierce competition.

Formed through Mnet’s survival show “Boys Planet,” Zerobaseone debuted in July last year and has quickly become a leading force in the fifth generation of K-pop. Its previous three albums have all achieved remarkable sales, surpassing one million copies within the first day of release.

Fronting the new EP is “Good So Bad,” an electronic synth-pop track about a man who falls in love with someone who does not feel the same way. Despite the sad situation, the song maintains a bright and upbeat mood throughout, infused with the band’s signature “hyper-positive energy.”

“It’s a song that expresses the most honest feelings of being deeply in love,” Zhang Hao said of the song. “We tried to capture the bittersweet feelings of love, where you’re so happy you’re afraid of losing it.”

He described it as “Zerobaseone’s own brand of hyper-positive romantic comedy,” where even a seemingly doomed story finds a happy ending.

The track was penned and co-composed by K-pop hitmaker Kenzie, who has crafted numerous hit songs for major K-pop artists under SM Entertainment, including BoA, Girls’ Generation, Super Junior and EXO, among others.

“It was such a meaningful time that I wrote down the comments she gave to me and put them on my desk. Thanks to her kind words, I was able to approach the recording process without showing any signs of difficulty,” Sung Han-bin said, reflecting on the experience.

Besides the lead track, also on the seven-track album are “Kill the Romeo”; “The Sea (ZB1 Remake),” a remake of mix-gender group UP’s 1997 summer hit of the same name; “Insomnia”; “Road Movie”; “Eternity”; and “Yura Yura (Korean Ver.), the Korean language version of the group’s namesake Japanese debut single.

Celebrating its first debut anniversary last month, Zerobaseone cited “teamwork” as the area where they’ve grown the most.

“All the members are kind, and as we’ve gotten to know each other better, our bond has grown even stronger. Recently, when I rewatched our performance videos, I realized that we really have great chemistry,” Zhang Hao said.

Concluding the showcase, the band pledged to continue demonstrating growth with each new album they release.

“Thanks to Zerose and the public, we were able to actively work in the past one year. We will continue to strive forward with the mindset of never forgetting our original intentions and always showing you a growing side of ourselves,” Park Gun-wook said, using the name of the band’s fandom.