"We're Still Growing"...ALPHA DRIVE ONE Expands Musical Identity With "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST"

BOYS PLANET 2 debut group ALPHA DRIVE ONE is expanding its musical spectrum while delving deeper into the uncertainties of youth with its second mini-album, "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST."

The seven-member group, consisting of Leo, Junseo, Arno, Sangwon, Xinlong, Anxin and Sanghyeon, held a media showcase at Blue Square Woori WON Banking Hall in Seoul on August 24. More than simply marking the beginning of a new chapter for the group, the showcase gave the members an opportunity to reflect on their own growing pains, the process of becoming a team and what it means to move forward while still figuring out who they are.

Having debuted in January with their first mini-album "EUPHORIA," ALPHA DRIVE ONE entered the K-POP market with an established fan base built through the members’ pre-debut projects and survival program "BOYS PLANET 2." The group went on to achieve million-seller status with its debut album.

While "EUPHORIA" showcased the group's youthful and free-spirited side, "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST" takes their story in a noticeably more introspective direction. Rather than approaching youth as a broad concept, the album builds a more distinctive narrative around boys growing up while feeling misunderstood, judged and defined by the gaze of others.

Branded as freaks, outcasts and aliens, the boys at the center of "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST" confront the confusion created by prejudice while carrying anxiety, fear and the natural desire to simply be understood. In that sense, the "BEAST" at the center of the album becomes something more complicated than a symbol of strength. It also evokes the experience of growing up feeling invisible or different, and how being repeatedly defined by others can eventually begin to shape the way a person sees themselves.

Although "UNBREAKABLE" now sits at the center of the group's new album, the word had already carried meaning for the members long before the comeback. "Ever since we first became a team, 'UNBREAKABLE' has been such a meaningful word to us that we even had it posted on the wall of our dorm," leader Leo said during the showcase.

"It represents our identity as a team, wanting to rely on one another and keep moving forward even when we feel afraid," he continued.

Junseo similarly connected the album's themes of uncertainty and growth to the group's own formation. "I don’t think the process of becoming one team was necessarily easy, but as we spent time together and faced different challenges, we gradually became stronger," he said, adding that with the group only on its second mini-album, they remain in the process of growing.

"UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST" contains seven tracks led by title track "BORN DIRE." Alongside it are the vintage-leaning "Diamond Hour"; confidence-driven "One More Time"; "Talk to me," which captures the excitement and romance of summer; "OMG!" and "Good Life," which carry forward the free-spirited energy of the group's previous prologue single "No School Tomorrow"; and the closing track "WELCOME home."

Closing track "WELCOME home" marks the first time all seven members participated in writing lyrics for one of the group's songs. The song expresses their desire to become a home-like presence for fans while giving each member an opportunity to put his own thoughts into his respective part.

For ALPHA DRIVE ONE's foreign members, however, the process also meant navigating several languages. Xinlong explained that it was his first time attempting to write lyrics in Korean, so rather than beginning directly in the language, he, Arno and Anxin first discussed their ideas together in Chinese and organized what they wanted to express.

Anxin took a slightly different approach, writing most of his initial ideas in English as he still found Korean difficult. Arno, meanwhile, said the process ultimately felt natural because the members were drawing from their own experiences and what they sincerely wanted to tell listeners.

The multilingual songwriting process adds another layer to an album centered on the desire to be understood. For members who came together from different countries, backgrounds and languages, "WELCOME home" becomes not only a message directed toward fans, but also an example of how they are learning to communicate their individual experiences within one group.

That introspection is matched by a considerably more forceful sound on title track "BORN DIRE." Reinterpreting the rough energy of British rave and punk through a contemporary lens, the track is characterized by bold production, raw textures and explosive energy.

Speaking about the track's demanding performance, Xinlong said, "The choreography is extremely intense, so I think the biggest challenge was maintaining our energy and tension from the very beginning of the performance all the way to the end."

"We practiced very intensely, carefully managing our breathing and stamina in each section so that the power of the performance wouldn't drop. Through overcoming those limits together, we gained confidence that we can grow into a group that is truly recognized for its performance skills."

Sangwon described the song as an especially bold step for the group, particularly in contrast to the lighter energy of "OMG!." "We felt some pressure because we had to show a completely new kind of stage," he said. "But we also really wanted to properly show ALD1's limitless musical spectrum." He added that taking on the challenge ultimately became a valuable turning point in broadening the group's musical range.

Despite the darker imagery surrounding "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST," the members emphasized that the album ultimately seeks to offer encouragement rather than dwell on insecurity. Junseo said he hopes listeners can find the courage to move at their own pace without being overly influenced by how others see them.

"Since we're also young people of a similar age, we have a lot of concerns about the future. Whenever that happens, we gain strength from the support our fans send us, so I hope this album can also become a reliable source of encouragement for everyone who listens to it," he said.

Leo echoed the sentiment, acknowledging that the group's rapid rise has not made them immune to the same uncertainty experienced by other young people. "As we've been running forward intensely as ALD1, we also face anxiety and countless worries just like other young people," he said. "But as we confront those things one by one and overcome them, I feel that we're gradually becoming stronger both as a team and as individuals."

The group's activities have expanded quickly in the roughly half a year since its debut. ALPHA DRIVE ONE has already embarked on its first global fan concert tour, performed at KCON LA and appeared on U.S. television. "At first, I thought simply being able to debut meant that all of us had already achieved our dreams," Sangwon said. "So even now, it’s still hard to believe that we're receiving this much love."

Those experiences have already encouraged the group to look toward bigger stages. When asked where he would eventually like ALPHA DRIVE ONE to perform, Sangwon named Lollapalooza and Coachella as two goals.

For the immediate future, however, the members are focused on demonstrating how much has changed since their January debut. Summing up his goal for the comeback, Xinlong described it as "ALD1 carving out a new path and getting 'BORN DIRE' to No. 1."

Rather than presenting the "BEAST" as something ALPHA DRIVE ONE has simply become, "UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST" leaves the group somewhere in the middle of that transformation. They remain uncertain, different and still growing, but increasingly determined to define what those differences mean for themselves.