“Won’t be be tamed any longer (もう飼い慣らされない),” like a mighty pack of wolves, &TEAM howl out in their latest single, ‘War Cry.’ It’s a signal, as these 9 boys say, of their will to “boldly step into the world ‘NOW’ without fear (恐れず大胆に ‘今’ 世界へ一歩踏み出す).”

The track leads the pack in First Howling : NOW, the third part of the HYBE LABELS JAPAN act’s First Howling series, which has up to this point consisted of 2 EPs, ME and WE. It is meant to be the culmination of EJ, FUMA, K, NICHOLAS, YUMA, JO, HARUA, TAKI and MAKI’s efforts in their first year as a group.

Released on 15 November, the full-length album comprises a hefty 18 tracks. On top of 4 brand new tracks, previous releases, Korean-language renditions, and &TEAM versions of familiar tunes from &Audition (the reality competition programme that formed the team) are in the mix.

“It expresses the boldness of finding a friend who shares the same aspirations, getting courage and having no fear,” member TAKI explained the album’s lofty concept at a showcase (11/16) at an outdoor space at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills Arena. While alluding to some of their visuals, he added, “With the power of unity, we stand at the starting line to step into the world ‘NOW,’ and our howling is depicted with the determination to change the world for the better.”

(同じ思いを持つ君と出会い、勇気をもらい、そして何も怖くないという大胆な気持ちが表現されています。結束の力で、世界を踏み出すスタートラインに ‘今’ 立ち、世界をより良く変えたいという決意でハウリングをする表現も描かれています)

Their newest title track, ‘War Cry,’ produced by Big Hit Music mainstay Slow Rabbit (also behind previous singles ‘Under the skin’ and ‘Scent of You’), sees the 9 members veer into new sonic territory. The song is driven by a smouldering, martial bassline for the most part, and only changes gears toward its ultimate chorus. It pays off with anthemic, high-octane rock guitars and drums on full blast.

In the music video, they couple this with choreography in perfect unison – a source of pride for the boys – razor-sharp as the “shards of light piercing through” (差し込む光の欠片) they sing about.

Through the jaunty, electro-driven second track, ‘Dropkick’, the members get to tie up with a stellar trio of producers: OneRepublic frontman and prolific producer Ryan Tedder (in his first Japanese-language track), Monstercat’s Grant Boutin (‘Do It Like That’, TOMORROW X TOGETHER; ‘Boom Boom Back’, BE:FIRST) and David Stewart (‘Dynamite’, BTS).

Groovy jams ‘チンチャおかしい’ (Really [진짜] Crazy) and ‘規格外’ (Alien), made with sound director and frequent collaborator Soma Genda (with knoak/Nobuaki Tanaka in the former), round out the album’s newer fare.

First Howling : NOW also represents a sort of reckoning for the team, as they take stock of their crucial first year in the business.

For MAKI, it was overcoming his own challenges in his own way. “At the time of our debut, I was struggling to do my best with what was in front of me, what I had to do, but after 1 year, I think I’ve come to gradually learn how to make our work my own,” he said, explaining how he tailors song details during recordings to fit himself.

(デビューした時は、目の前にあることを一生懸命やるのに必死だったんですけど、ほぼ1年経った今は、作品を自分のものにする力がだんだんついてきたんじゃないかなって思います)

“Personally, I think that everyone has developed their own fundamentals, and as we get ready, each and every one is looking for their own strong points, unique style, etc. and discovering their unique charms and so on,” HARUA suggested.

(個人的には、みんなそれぞれ自分の芯ができてきたんじゃないかなという風に思っていて、準備をしながら自分の強みを探したりとか、自分だけのスタイルを探したりとか、それぞれみんなが自分だけの魅力を見つけてるんじゃないかなと思います)

“&TEAM were originally formed through auditions, and our teamwork and mutual respect have been our strengths,” FUMA said. “But after a year, I think each of us has grown, when we show ourselves united in one performance. In that process, I do think we have really grown with the team spirit that we need to help each other.”

(&TEAMはもともとオーディションで 形成されたグループなので、チームワークだったり、お互いを尊重尊敬し合う部分は デビュー当時から僕たちの長所だったんですが、1年を経て一人一人が成長して、本当に、一つのパフォーマンスを見せるときの団結力だったり、その過程で必要な助け合うチーム力っていうのはすごい成長したんじゃないかなって思いますね)

Just after celebrating their first anniversary last September, &TEAM are set to reach new milestones. They announced at the First Howling : NOW media showcase that they are set to embark on their first tour. Kicking off on 21 January 2024, FIRST PAW PRINT will go through 7 stops in Japan, plus one in Seoul, South Korea.

『2024 &TEAM CONCERT TOUR 'FIRST PAW PRINT'』Announcement
(https://t.co/Q5JtVkvHqp)#andTEAM#FIRST_PAW_PRINT pic.twitter.com/6M7D8YSk5X

— &TEAM OFFICIAL (@andTEAMofficial) November 16, 2023

The members said they are also looking forward to appearing on variety TV shows and linking up with other groups in their latest round of promotions.

“Each of my members have unique charms, and many of them are actually funny. So we hope you get to see our charms as hilarious entertainers, a change from the artistic image and flair you see onstage,” K said in Korean. 

(저희 &TEAM은 9멤버들 다 각자 다른 매력을 가지고 있고. 사실 저희 웃기는 멤버도 많거든요. 그래서, 무대 위에서의 모습과 예능에서의 반전 매력과 &TEAM의 예능캐를 발견해주시면 좋을 것 같아요.)

&TEAM have also been billed to appear at the forthcoming MAMA Awards (28 November) and Asia Artist Awards (14 December, Philippines).

“We’re gonna get the chance to meet LUNÉs [our fans] that we haven’t met before, so that’s something we’re really looking forward to as well,” said MAKI in English.

“I really feel like I want to show all my members and LUNÉ as soon as possible the performances that we have worked hard to prepare,” said YUMA in Korean. “Because we are confident in our performance, our goal is to show even more people and be recognised.”

(저희가 열심히 준비해온 무대를 LUNÉ 여러분들께 빨리 보여드리고 싶은 마음이 제일 큽니다. 그리고 저희는 퍼포먼스에 자신이 있기 때문에 더 많은 분들께 &TEAM의 무대를 보여드리고 인정받는 곳이 이번에 활동 목표입니다.)

“Like you’re counting on us to lead the next generation, we will do our best to live up to your expectations and make &TEAM an even more exciting global group,” he added.

(저희를 차세대로 이끌 기대되는 그룹으로 꼽아주신 만큼, 더 기대되는 글로벌 그룹으로 &TEAM이 되기 위해 최선을 다하겠습니다)

K also said, “It’s not an easy road, but if you take one small step at a time with your growth, I believe that one day, we’ll be supported by more and more people.”

(簡単な道のりではないですが、少し一歩ずつ成長していけば、いつかもっと もっと多くの方に応援されるのではないかなと信じています)

Tracklist:

1. War Cry
2. Dropkick
3. チンチャおかしい [진짜Jinjja Okashii] (Really Crazy)
4. 規格外 [Kikakugai] (Alien)
5. Firework
6. Road Not Taken
7. 月が綺麗ですね [Tsuki ga Kirei Desu ne] (The moon is beautiful)
8. Blind Love
9. Under the skin
10.  Scent of you
11.  バズ恋 [Bazu Koi] (Buzz Love)
12.  War Cry (Korean version)
13.  Road Not Taken (Korean version)
14.  FIREWORK (Korean version)
15.  Scent of you (Korean version)
16.  The Final Countdown (&TEAM version)
17.  Melody (&TEAM version)
18.  Running with the pack (&TEAM version)

Listen to First Howling : NOW here: