K-pop boy band Pentagon returned to the music scene by releasing their 11th mini-album “Love or Take” on March 15.
This is Pentagon’s comeback in five months after they dropped the album “We:th” last October led by the track “Daisy.”
“Love or Take” has seven tracks including the main song “Do or Not,” which shows the idol group’s unique musical style. The music video for “Do or Not” has garnered 1.3 million views to date since its release on YouTube on March 15.
The new album has sold 52,098 copies to date and placed second on Hanteo Chart’s daily album chart on the first day of release.
Pentagon held their online media showcase for “Love or Take” on March 15 where they talked about the album and promoting with seven members without leader Hui, who enlisted in the military last Feb. 18. Member Jinho enlisted in May 2020.
For the new album, Pentagon has a “refreshing” and “cool” concept. They were asked to choose a member who fit the concept.
“First of all, I would like you to look at Yanan today. He has two bunnies with him—one is Jinho and the other is Hui. I choose Yanan as the one who pulls off this concept the best. My role in the music video was a cool guy, so I grew out my neck hair. I think this makes me look cooler than how I looked in the previous concepts,” said Yuto.
Yanan reciprocated by picking Yuto, saying, “There are many things to compliment Yuto on. First and foremost, he is a hardworking person. I‟ve never seen him take a break. He is always at the studio or doing something. I just think he deserves a lot of respect. For everything from mentality to looks, this Japanese friend of mine is a great guy.”
The carrier track “Do or Not” is a refreshing Pentagon-style song that follows the footsteps of their other songs like “Shine,” “Spring Now” and “Daisy.”
When asked to describe the “Pentagon-style freshness” in one phrase, Kino said, “In one phrase, it‟s ‘Sprite Zero.’ It‟s popping, refreshing, cool and even tasty like Sprite. But it‟s healthy. Because it‟s ‘zero.’”
He added, “The strength and stand-out point is that we work on every part of the process including music, performance, and concept together with professionals because we know what fits us best. Crafting the best fit for us with our own hands is our strength. We think that only we, Pentagon, can do it.”
Hui and Wooseok participated as songwriters for “Do or Not.” Wooseok said he “slept less for about two months to work on the title track and the B-sides.”
“The rest of the members dedicated so much too. Around the time when we got really exhausted, we gathered at a studio, put a random beat on, and ciphered to it. We had about 10 to 15 minutes to write our own lyrics, got together, recorded it and listened to it together. Shinwon, Kino, Hui and I were there for this. It really helped us shake off the stress and we had so much fun with it so it was very memorable,” he added.
They are promoting the new album without Hui and Jinho, and the members talked about how they feel about this.
“Honestly, it still feels awkward that Hui is not by our side. I‟m still getting used to it. I will try to make myself feel more comfortable about it through this promotion,” said Wooseok.
According to Shinwon, “Since we are missing the eldest member and the leader at the moment, we felt the need to have a different kind of mindset for this promotion. We will always remind ourselves that not everyone who wants to be a part of the promotion can always participate in it, and each of us will work harder to do 1.5 person’s worth.”
“Obviously they were key members for us, so we can‟t help but be conscious of their absence. But in terms of performance, we will present stages that won‟t let you feel their absence,” said Hongseok.
Kino said, “Our average height actually increased. Just like our new average height, we will also show you our heightened abilities.”
“Many of the people who love us are worried about us. For us, this is the kind of promotion where we want to make those people, Hui and Jinho, feel relieved and think, ‘There is no need to worry, they‟re too good there is nothing to be worried about’ when they see our performance. We will work harder than ever so Hui and Jinho can be proud of us,” said Yeo One.
Yuto commented that “all performances always left me with regrets. With this promotion though, I will work hard to leave no regrets and wrap it up healthily.”
“Although we can‟t be with Hui and Jinho right now, the seven of us will work hard to make up for them. Please look forward to it,” said Yanan.
When asked when they felt the absence of Hui and Jinyo, Shinwon said, “The moments we could really feel their absence were team meetings and practices. Blockings used to feel very crowded when we practiced, but now that there are only seven of us, it feels somewhat empty all the time. I keep thinking, ‘Why are we missing a person?’ Since we‟re missing the eldest and the leader, it feels like we lack a shoulder to lean on. But this won‟t make us weak. To make our bonds stronger and let them come back strong, we got ourselves team rings.”
Here is Pentagon’s “Do or Not” music video: