K-pop newbies Newbeat talk about their new English language album Louder Than Ever

When Newbeat first stormed onto the scene earlier this year with Raw and Rad, the seven-member boy band positioned itself as a blend of hip-hop swagger and unfiltered drive.

Eight months later, the act – Minseok, Minsung, Yeoyeojeong, Seohyun, Taeyang, Yunhoo and Riwoo – is turning that energy outward. The group’s first mini-album Louder Than Ever marks a bold turn – four tracks, two title songs and lyrics sung almost entirely in English.

“It’s our way of saying we’re ready for the world,” said Minseok, the group’s leader. “During the eight-month break, we thought a lot about our fans and about how to show something [that is] new to everyone, not just in Korea. We sharpened ourselves for this comeback.”

The record’s twin singles, “Look So Good” and “Loud”, reveal two sides of the same coin. The former revisits early-2000s pop-R&B with slick retro polish, while “Loud” crashes forward with bass-house pulse and rock-infused hyperpop bravado.

Both orbit around the same message: “loving yourself loudly”.

“We tried old-school hip-hop before, but this time, in ‘Look So Good’, it’s retro pop, which feels cleaner, smoother,” Minseok said. “Meanwhile, ‘Loud’ connects back to the first album, carrying the same spirit but with even more energy.”