Born out of a survival audition show, K-pop group AHOF is back with its second mini-album, "The Passage". In July, the rookie act scored its first win on KBS’s "Music Bank" just 12 days after debut. Four months later, they’re returning to the scene with a bold new goal: sweeping every music show.
At a showcase for "The Passage" held Nov. 4 at Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul’s Gwangjin-gu, leader STEVEN said, “At our debut showcase, I was so nervous I barely remember it. This time, the excitement of sharing our music and stage is even bigger,” adding, “We’re ready to show a definite leap from our last release.”
"The Passage" tracks the coming-of-age turbulence of “rough youth,” toughening up on the line between boyhood and adulthood. Inspired by the tale of Pinocchio, AHOF spins a narrative about finding your true self amid lies and confusion.
The title track, "Pinocchio", leans into a band-driven sound and lays bare a restless heart that still wants to be honest―at least with you. It’s classic AHOF emotion, capturing the crack between growing pains and sincerity with unvarnished detail.
“Youth isn’t just beautiful―it wobbles, and it hurts,” said Cha Woongki. “We wanted to accept that uncertainty and show how we harden through it.” Seo Jung-woo added, “This track list reads like a diary. The last album’s outro becomes this album’s intro, so the emotions flow naturally from one to the next.”
This cycle will see AHOF promoting as eight while member CHIHEN sits out due to health concerns. “CHIHEN is focusing on recovery so he can come back strong,” said Seo Jung-woo. “He cheered us on throughout the process, and we worked even harder to fill the gap.”
After notching three No. 1 trophies within their first two weeks, AHOF is shooting higher with this release. “We were lucky to win three times at debut,” Steven said. “Now we want to go for No. 1 on every music show―and prove how much we’ve grown on stage.” Cha Woongki added, “We want to stand on year-end award show stages, bring home Rookie of the Year and more under the name AHOF, and be remembered as 2025’s best new act.”
"The Passage" packs five tracks: the title song "Pinocchio"; "Intro"; "Run at 1.5x Speed"; "So I Won’t Ever Lose You Again"; and "Outro".
AHOF’s second mini-album, "The Passage", drops Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. KST across major streaming platforms.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
