A New Beginning For xikers With Their Album: ROUTE ZERO: THE ORA
Photo: KQ Entertainment
It's official: xikers is turning the page on the HOUSE OF TRICKY saga and opening a brand new chapter. With ROUTE ZERO: The Ora, they make an explosive return with an EP. True to their electric and immersive identity, xikers embark on a new path, rawer and more instinctive, and more mysterious than ever.
xikers – HOUSE OF TRICKY: WRECKING THE HOUSE – TRACK LIST
1. “Ghost Rider”
2. “OKay”
3. “Graffiti”
4. “Trophy”
5. “Outsider”
5. “Direct in”
XIKERS OPEN A NEW ERA: “ROUTE ZERO” OR THE BEGINNING OF A NEW WORLD
Since their debut, xikers has been building a unique universe within K-pop: a world of labyrinths, digital glitches, hidden doors, lights and neon, with almost ritualistic choreography. But with their new album, the group seems to be crossing a new threshold; it's no longer about exploring a strange world, but rather about escaping it.
For several years, the HOUSE OF TRICKY saga served as the central thread of the group's identity: a unique atmosphere with unstable spaces, labyrinthine corridors, perpetual illusions, and a constant feeling of confinement. Each comeback resembled a level of a vast narrative escape room where the members seemed trapped in a world where the rules were constantly changing.
“ROUTE”… OR “ROOT”?
“Wrecking the House” announced a break: the destruction of this universe. And today, “ROUTE ZERO” paves the way for a new era. The choice of the word “Route” is particularly fascinating. In English, “road” refers to a physical, concrete route. But “route” in French evokes more of an itinerary, a trajectory, an almost symbolic path. It’s not just a place: it’s a direction, a journey. Combined with the word “Zero,” the title takes on even more depth. “Zero” can represent a return to the starting point, a rebirth, a reset after the collapse of a world. If the “HOUSE OF TRICKY” represented confinement, then “ROUTE ZERO” resembles the first breath after escape. As if the members had finally left the labyrinth. But one question remains: where does this road lead?
And this is where another interpretation becomes fascinating. Depending on the English pronunciation, “route” can sometimes be pronounced like “root.” In other words, “ROUTE ZERO” can also be heard as “ROOT ZERO.” And this simple nuance completely changes the album’s potential meaning.
The word “root” means root, origin, source, foundation. The title would therefore represent not only a journey, but also a return to the origin. As if, after going through the chaos of “HOUSE OF TRICKY,” the members were now searching for their true identity. This theory becomes even more plausible when we observe the band’s recent evolution: destruction of the old world, a rawer aesthetic, more instinctive energy, a more spiritual and almost savage atmosphere. “ROUTE ZERO” would then not simply be a destination, but the hidden point of origin of their entire story.
OKAY & GHOST RIDER
The title track perfectly reflects this transformation. The song retains xikers's signature explosive energy, but with a different approach. Where their previous music videos conveyed a sense of confusion, survival, and disorientation, “OKay” feels much more direct. The aesthetic becomes more punk, more rock, more aggressive. It's no longer about “surviving in chaos,” but about “choosing your own chaos.”
In the music video, the members move amidst shifting shadows, ghostly silhouettes, and almost unreal presences. Some scenes even give the impression that they are being pursued by their own doubles or fragmented versions of themselves. The overall atmosphere of the video is based on a strange feeling: that of being haunted, not by ghosts in the classic sense, but by something deeper and more psychological.
This feeling becomes even stronger when you delve into the lyrics of “Ghost Rider.” The track clearly evokes a loss of bearings, false faces, the feeling of suffocation and being trapped in a labyrinth with no way out. Certain images recur constantly: masks, traps, distorted identities, and a sense of gradual disappearance. Where the HOUSE OF TRICKY saga represented physical and visual confinement, “Ghost Rider” seems to shift this conflict to the very core of the members.
And that's precisely what makes this new era so fascinating. After destroying the "House," the members seem to have finally left the labyrinth… but they still bear its marks. The ghosts in the music video could symbolize their former selves, their fears, or the fragments of identity they lost along the way. As if the labyrinth never truly let them go.
The album title further reinforces this theory. "The ORA" strongly evokes the word "aura," which refers to an invisible energy, a presence that one feels but cannot explain. This idea perfectly matches the comeback's aesthetic: electric lights, otherworldly silhouettes, almost uncontrolled movements, and a collective energy bordering on trance. The members no longer seem to simply move within a strange setting; they appear to be inhabited by something.
Despite this shift in era, one element remains central to their world: dance. Since their debut, each music video has featured a particular scene where the setting seems to disappear, giving way to pure performance. Like a moment suspended in the narrative. In the world of xikers, the choreographies are almost like rituals used to open doors, cross levels, or even change reality.
A UNIQUE UNIVERSE
The more their universe unfolds, the clearer one idea becomes: xikers is perhaps building one of the most interactive narratives of the fifth generation of K-pop. HOUSE OF TRICKY already resembled a vast escape room filled with hidden clues and levels to traverse. And now, ROUTE ZERO feels like a passage to a new space, as if the band has finally finished the main game and entered an even vaster world.
The first saga may have been about confinement. The new one seems to tell what happens after the escape.
And that’s precisely what makes this new era so captivating: xikers isn’t just building a discography. The band is building a world.
Edited by Sandy Ou