Following the debut of CIX in 2019, C9 Entertainment has debuted new boy group EPEX. EPEX is an eight-member boy group with two members from survival shows, PRODUCE X 101 and CAP-TEEN. EPEX debuts with the intriguing mini-album, BIPOLAR Pt.1 : 불안의 서 (Prelude of Anxiety), supported by the lead single “Lock Down.” 

The group’s debut concept is bold, with the guys talking about bipolar disorder and the anxiety experienced by many teenagers. The group’s title track “Lock Down” is a gritty electro-trap song with an anti-drop amplifying the hard-hitting message of the song, and the lyrical complexity is the highlight of the song and the album as a whole. “Lock Down” explains the correlation between the daily social media use and contagious depression experienced by the youth of today. While it is intended to be targeted at teenagers, the song’s message also resonates with adults, while the music video and the boy’s synchronous choreography conveys the message appropriately as well.

The B-sides on the album also dive into social issues like oppression, freedom, reality, inner conflicts, and more. Each song tells a different story through its lyrics and sound. One of the best B-sides on the album is track four, “No Questions,” which shares the message that in the competitive world we live in, no matter what heights we reach, we never seem to find the answer to our questions. The album primarily relies on gritty future EDM and hip-hop sounds, which work in favor of EPEX as they share a hard pill to swallow kind of message.

EPEX joins the line of rookie groups who are tackling serious issues faced by the youth of the world. “Lock Down” joins the likes of “EXIT” by T1419, “Scared” by P1Harmony, and “RUB-A-DUM” by TRI.BE as songs that present messages and topics that need to be addressed in a catchy and addictive way. Checkout the music video for “Lock Down” below!