CLOSE YOUR EYES have dropped their fourth mini album, 256th Note, alongside a music video for ‘Drop That!’.
Released on 30 September, the seven-track project follows the K-pop boy group’s 2025 EP blackout and sees them expand their sound through jazz-inspired improvisation, hip-hop, R&B, electropop, bossa nova, and more.
Taking inspiration from the spontaneity of jazz, 256th Note centres on capturing emotions as they occur rather than containing them within conventional forms. Its title references the 256th note, one of the shortest possible moments in music, as a reflection of the fleeting and unfiltered emotions found in everyday life. The album's seven tracks also mirror the seven-note musical scale.
The record opens with ‘Open Your Eyes’, an experimental meeting of jazz improvisation, hip-hop, and R&B featuring pianist Yohan Kim and saxophonist Jacob Scesney. ‘Drop That!’, meanwhile, reinterprets Yoon Si-nae’s ‘이 밤을 즐겁게’, described as an early example of Korean jazz funk, through 1990s street hip-hop and sampling. Its accompanying music video was released alongside the album.
Elsewhere, ‘Vibe Check’ pairs piano, restrained bass, and groovy drums with the members’ vocals and rap, while ‘Slowly Bleed’ moves between contemporary pop, electropop, and alternative R&B. ‘Fool For You’ leans into vintage-inspired R&B and lo-fi textures, while ‘Baby Bossa Nova’, featuring rising R&B artist Joo Hyerin, draws from traditional Brazilian bossa nova.
The album closes with ‘Eternity’, a pop ballad featuring lyrics written with participation from all seven members. Built around acoustic piano and vocals, the song expresses the group’s feelings towards their fans, CLOSER.
Formed through PROJECT7, CLOSE YOUR EYES comprise JEON MINWOOK, MA JINGXIANG, JANG YEOJUN, KIM SUNGMIN, SONG SEUNGHO, KENSHIN, and SEO KYOUNGBAE. Since debuting in April 2025, the group’s debut mini album ETERNALT sold 316,000 copies in its first week, while follow-up Snowy Summer surpassed 200,000 copies on its first day. Their debut focus track, ‘All My Poetry’, also earned the group their first music show win nine days after debut.
Led creatively by executive producer and creative director Lee Haein, CLOSE YOUR EYES continue to broaden their musical palette on 256th Note, turning brief moments of emotion into a seven-track snapshot of the group’s evolving sound.
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