Song Review:: xikers: HOUSE OF TRICKY : WRECKING THE HOUSE- SUPERPOWER (Peak)

• Release date: 2025 October 31

• Album tracklist: ICONIC, See You Play (S'il vous plaît), SUPERPOWER (peak), blurry, Right In

• Album runtime: 15 minutes

 It never stops entertaining me how they have no capitals in their name and all the capitals in the album titles. And often in the songs as well. So. Let's see if I like the title track as well as I love Witch. There is something amusing about this album though. I like an average of at least three minutes per song. Which, technically the album reaches. However, if not all the songs hit that, then I want at least the title track to be there. ICONIC, which came out earlier as their first full English track, is at almost three-and-a-half. Which made me very happy, and now that the whole album is out? The two singles we've got so far (ICONIC and the title track) are both about there. Everything else is under three minutes. So, the album is satisfying by using technicalities and if I've learned nothing from watching their content, that's such a classic xikers move that I can't even be upset.

It's very hip-hop, very EDM, which does mean that I'll likely like it best when I see the stages of it. Interestingly, this feels a little weirdly industrial without having the normal sounds attached to it. But it's still a very city kind of song featuring an DM dance break, which is always a welcome addition to a song for me. And honestly the more I listen to it, the more I'm finding bits that I actually kind of like (which, again, is why I like to listen to the songs on repeat to get an indication of how the song will mature for me.). And that beginning? It sounds a whole lot like another song, but I'm just not sure which one exactly. But I'm not kidding about the return of the dance break. I'm over the moon about it. Now, xikers is known for having challenging choreography (the number of dance practice videos where the lights shake already is starting to rival ATEEZ, and ATEEZ choreography is no joke), so the fact that they have a segment to just go hard and not have to worry about singing live? Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that. (I'm also really looking forward to the stages to get a look at Junghoon and maybe his return to the Demon Line.)

Hyunwoo finally getting to showcase that voice of his a little is giving me life. The rappers in this group are all so distinct in tone that it's pretty easy to tell who is who, which is appreciated. Sumin in particular is using a style that's a little different than he normally does. Minjae is continuing to sound more and more like Hongjoong, which, as a Hongjoong girlie, delights me to no end. The mini me is mini me-ing. Now, I normally don't like it when younger groups, especially those that do not have music show wins or limited numbers of wins, get a little...big for their britches because they don't have the street cred to back it up. And xikers doesn't have a Korean win yet. However, I do think that ending up in the top 100 on Billboard counts for something, and that is an impressive achievement for such a young group. Sixth mini album in less than three years. And xikers, I hope this isn't your peak. 

That's a visually dark music video, rather than a thematically dark one. I am a tiny bit disappointed by that given the day this came out, but at the same time, not everyone loves Halloween as much as I do, and I accept that. The visuals are on point. The energy is fully present. And given the name of the album, I'm a little bit concerned (lore-wise) for some of the implications here.