Rocket Punch poses for pictures during a press conference for “Flash,” in Seoul on Monday. (Woolim Entertainment)
K-pop girl group Rocket Punch on Monday returned with the new single “Flash.”
Ahead of dropping “Flash,” Rocket Punch conducted an online media press conference Monday afternoon.
The second single from Rocket Punch, “Flash” marks a return for the group just six months since the act dropped its fourth EP, “Yellow Punch,” in February.
Rocket Punch is a six-piece group consisting of Yeonhee, Juri, Yunkyung, Sohee, Suyun and Dahyun.
“We’re happy to be returning faster than expected. We feel the title song’s concept and its musical colors suit Rocket Punch well and it feels like we’re wearing a fitting dress for us. We expect that many people will also like it,” Suyun said.
The band invites listeners into a flamboyant prom party with “Flash.” Deviating from the usual juicy and cheerful concept and sounds, the bandmates say the new single will show more grown-up and composed sides of themselves.
“We made much effort to show that we’ve matured with this record, and just as with ‘Yellow Punch,’ we also hoped to portray our confidence through it,” Yunkyoung said.
Dahyun added, “If we’d shown the fresher and bolder energy of rookies in the previous albums, we show that we’ve become more confident and stable and our music more complete through our experiences in this single.”
Leading off the three-song package is main track “Flash,” a Melbourne bounce tune defined by its uptempo basslines and dot synth sounds, singing a hopeful message that they will flash out an array of colorful lights as they take steps toward a new world.
In hearing the song for the first time, the bandmates said they knew it was their song instantly.
“It was a new sound that we hadn’t tried before and for some reason I felt we’d be able to digest it well into our own style,” Juri said, while Sohee added, “It felt really addictive, and it just made me imagine how great the stage will be when the six of us make it together.”
Shooting the video, in which the band throws a prom party, Yunkyung said she imagined a future in which they would actually be holding such a party together.
“There’s a scene where we take a picture together, and shooting it, I thought that if we do throw a party together, we’d be reminded of ‘Flash,’ and that just made my heart all soft,” Yunkyung said.
Also included in the new single are “Moon Prism” and “Beep Beep.”
K-pop girl group Rocket Punch’s group image for “Flash.” (Woolim Entertainment)
Rocket Punch debuted in August 2019 under Woolim Entertainment with first EP “Pink Punch.” The group has since dropped four EPs and two singles in South Korea. In August 2021, they made their Japan debut with EP “Bubble Up!” and later dropped their first Japanese single, “Fiore,” this year in June.
Asked how they can differentiate themselves from the other girl groups, leader Yeonhee replied, “We have the courage to take on new challenges without fear and paint it with our own colors. And I think that self-trust, plus the moments when we proved ourselves through that trust, is what our fans love the most about us.”
Now in their fourth year together, the group hopes to make themselves known to more people through “Flash.”
“We hope the song gets heard by a lot of people so that anyone will be able to recognize its our song when they hear it,” Juri said.
Dahyun added, “We hope to meet fans through as many activities as possible as we’re making our first comeback since in-person concerts have been allowed (following social distancing regulations). Also, by gaining more recognition, we hope to win the ‘rising star of the year’ title.”
