Following November's conclusion to their Now series, GHOST9 is back with Arcade : V. GHOST9 has been gradually moving away from the futuristic concepts of their first couple mini-albums, and teasers for Arcade : V had the boys in borderline vampiric costuming—which, while a different stylistic direction, stays consistent with their overall dark visual themes. While they're moving up with a newer sound and look, fear not, their latest and greatest music video is just as angsty as we could’ve hoped.

TITLE: "X-RAY"

Noise music is currently pretty popular, and GHOST9 has made that their business since debut. Their new title track "X-Ray" has scuzzy synth backing and it's rap-heavy, as is their norm, but it stands out as one of their most melodic titles to date. Leader Junhyung, in particular, delivers a strong bridge that cements his status as main vocal before delving into a full-falsetto chorus—and friends, this chorus bangs. 

The only problem is that these melodic portions end up being the most notable parts of the song; GHOST9 has strong rappers, but their verses are severely overshadowed here. This is due to this trendy style of rap interwoven into K-Pop songs specifically, and it makes it much harder for them to stand out amongst themselves. The good news is, these aren't necessarily low points, this song's highs are just unexpectedly high. Here's hoping their next title follows suit!

The music video features their usual dark settings with bright, colored lights, in line with their modern futuristic settings of olde. They've got two looks that stand in stark contrast with one another—the vampire 'fits of black suits and high collars, and a set of all-white outfits with glaring silver accents. Between these updated looks for everyone—most notably rapper Kangsung with a dazzling spiked mullet—and a fresh, new concept, GHOST9 ties it all together with charismatic performance and powerful choreography. This comeback is strong, and it’s a good outlook for whatever may be on the horizon for the rest of the Arcade series.